I fail to understand how Dr Santosh can look down upon "self-publication of books". I would believe that there are certain contexts where self-publication is the only option.
Take the case of a Goa which has very few or virtually none publishing houses, a tiny and limited number of readers (at least in the perception of the huge national-level, big-city based commercial publishers in an Indian where publishing, including publishing in English is otherwise booming currently) and a large number of potential writers. Publishing houses at Delhi or Mumbai would hardly see the potential of publishing books on a "tiny" Goa, unless these are of direct interest to them (such as, guide-books or the very rare and occasional literary book by a 'big' name, and so on). In this context, self-publishing is not vanity. It is survival and self-expression for a small community that has no other way of getting a hearing in a 'big pond'. Ask the half-dozen or so Goans who publish their books each month in this State. These include a number of interesting books, from which I have learnt so much about Goa on. For instance, to randomly name three books currently lying on my desk -- Imelda Dias Tavora's biography (edited by Margaret Mascarenhas), Goa Remembered by Agnelo Pereira, and George Menezes's Sugar and Spice. --FN -- FN M: 0091 9822122436 P: +91-832-240-9490 (after 1300IST please) http://fn.goa-india.org http://fredericknoronha.wordpress.com What bloggers are saying about Goa: http://planet.goa-india.org/
