The Future in Self-Publishing — A Life Between the Layers
A Life Between the Layers began as one person's effort to preserve, organise and publish a life record.
As the project has developed, it has also begun to reveal something larger: many of the tools being created here could eventually form the basis of a practical self-publishing system for other writers.
The intention is not simply to build another blogging platform.
The longer-term aim is to explore a publishing environment in which an author can retain meaningful control over their work — writing, organising, revising, publishing, preserving and, where appropriate, sharing that work across different formats and languages.
What is being explored
Development now being considered includes:
- a straightforward authoring and publishing workflow;
- chapter, publication and version management;
- preservation and archival tools;
- accessible reading options;
- multilingual publishing;
- reader search and navigation;
- privacy-respecting readership and engagement information;
- export and backup facilities;
- tools that help authors understand and manage the health of their publication; and
- a public Book Shelf through which completed works can eventually be discovered.
A working publication
Much of this is still under development.
A Life Between the Layers is presently serving as the working publication through which these ideas can be tested in real use. As parts of the system become stable, further information will be published here.
There may also come a point where other writers, developers, survivors, advocates or organisations are invited to participate in testing and shaping it.
Watch this space.
This page will be updated as the self-publishing project develops.