Um “Novo” jeito de publicar: autopublicação digital na Amazon KDP e autores LGBTQIAP+

Abstract

This Master’s degree dissertation sought to understand, from a sociological perspective, the reasons why a vocation-driven author would choose to self-publish digitally, with a specific focus on the Amazon KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) platform. The central question revolved around what drives people to self-publish and, beyond that, what motivates them to self-publish LGBTQIAP+ books in digital format. The hypothesis was that the digital self-publishing environment on Amazon’s platform enables, in some way, individuals from marginalized minority groups to enter the publishing market without having to go through the scrutiny of traditional publishers. To explore this, the study employed Bernard Lahire’s method to conduct a case study on self-published author Vanessa Freitas, selected based on the method’s requirements, and was studied through six in-depth interviews on various topics. The conclusions drawn from the analysis showed that digital self-publishing through a platform is a consequence of mediatization and the platformization of culture, leading to the precarization of the writer’s labor, though this work is often not seen as a legitimate profession due to the way art is perceived in contemporary society. The findings also revealed that self-publishing LGBTQIAP+ books is a way for authors to create representation they lacked in their own lives, using the platform as a less-than-ideal means of expression, as if occupying a space despite the inherent issues of self-publishing on a platform like Amazon.