Thesis Beginnings

Writing novels, whether they are fiction or non-fiction used to be a large process based on gaining accessing to an in-house publishing firm that was well established and well known. In the past, most successful authors who have written books that the world knows, such as JK Rowling, have published their books through a large publishing firm, who provides them with the necessary tools for success. However, with the invention of home computers and the increasing use of the internet, within the last decade, more self-publishing authors have begun to emerge than before. 

These self-publishing authors often go through online creative spaces that help to publish their books through third-party companies, such as Amazon, without having to obtain an editor and pay a publishing firm fees and rights. However, most of these creative spaces do not have all of the necessary resources for a self-publishing author to be as successful as an author with a publishing firm backing them. As a result, many self-published books are not properly advertised or promoted or have grammatical and editing mistakes, or do not have proper cover designs.

This led me to wonder:

How can a distributed global network facilitate resources for self-publishing authors?

The solution to this problem will be an online

platform that allows for self-publishing authors to connect, hire and look up reso

urces that they will require to have in order to publish a successful book. This network platform will allow self-publishing authors to connect with other people, such as cover artists, editors, and publishing.

My eligibility for being the one to complete this project and receive my BFA from the University of Colorado Denver, stems from the past four years of design schooling and knowledge that I have acquired.

For the past fours years, I have emphasized a study in human centered design, and networking. I have achieved the skills of interaction design, design research and user experience design through motion, print, and digital media. My knowledge of design will be the success needed to complete my thesis project to the best ability possible, due to courses such as three levels of design research, including completing an established interactive web-based online site for a non-profit organization based in Denver.

Alongside my schooling of four years in digital design, I also have personal experience in the world of book publishing, having worked as a cover artist and an editor for several self-published book. This gives me first-hand experience and resources to use for my thesis and the ability to gain knowledge from people within the field and examples of the users for my target audience.

All in all, my experience through working with self-publishing authors and my experience as a student at the University of Colorado Denver, give me the skills necessary to be the most successful person to complete this thesis project.

With my skills and the proper research methods, and use of the design process, I will create a global network for self-publishing authors to utilize in order to publish their novels with the best resources available to them. Such as marketing and promoting, editing, artists, advice, along with the resources needed to publish their novels without using an in-house publishing firm.