Featured Video: Looks Like Publishers Do Matter in 'Self Publishing,' After All

"Publishers play a role," Young admits. "Most authors actually don't want to self publish. ... the author needs help. He needs help understanding who his market is. He needs help crafting his content so it has more appeal. And so Lulu is moving from being a self-publishing platform to being an open-publishing platform"—a vehicle as much for publishers as for authors looking to publish.

While this validates everything traditional publishers have ever said about why their business continues to matter, it should also serve as a wake-up call; as the self-publishing market matures, companies will step in to provide these publishing services. (Young cites Amazon's move into publishing services, as well as a new publishing venture, Before I Grew Up, using Lulu's platform.)

"We understand the need to connect publishers [with authors] in the sense of people who understand the markets and can help authors sell their content," Young says.

What does this emerging market mean for traditional book publishers?