The publishing industry is in trouble. More books are now sold via the Internet, and the net book agreement, which fixed a minimum sale price, is lost in the mists of history. But one sector is booming — self-publishing. Once known disparagingly as ‘vanity publishing,’ it has exploded as the cost of printing has come down.

As the number of books published by conventional routes shrinks, so the number of self-published titles multiplies.

By some estimates, twice as many books now come from the ‘indie’ route as from traditional publishers. And success stories such as that of Amanda Hocking, a 26-year-old from Minnesota who has just signed a £1.5m conventional publishing deal after self-publishing nine books, can only add to the trend.

One aspect that lured her away from the ‘indie’ market was the time she had to spend formatting her books, designing covers and hiring freelance editors — all tasks that self-publishing authors must do themselves.

Now a conventional Oxford publisher, Infinite Ideas, is breaking down the barriers between indie authors and the conventional industry by offering to sell the magic that turns a manuscript into a book.

Instead of wringing their hands in despair at recent trends, the owners of Infinite Ideas, based in St Giles, are embracing the new era.

The company was set up in 2004 by Richard Burton and David Grant, who had both had long careers in conventional publishing and met at Kogan Page in the mid-1980s.

Mr Grant said: “We were on a mission to create a publishing business like no other. In a world that is teeming with books, good and bad (mainly bad), we set out to publish books of real value to the reader.

“Every page has something that might change readers’ lives for the better, forever.

“Some 160-plus books later, we like to think that we’ve achieved some of our ambitions. We’ve developed great book series including 52 Brilliant Ideas, Feel Good Factory, Infinite Success and Brilliant Little Ideas.

“We set up Infinite Ideas eight years ago as a fairly conventional publishing business, but over the past two years we have been struck by the rise of self-publishing.

“This has been driven first by the arrival of digital printing, which makes it much easier and cheaper for people to sell and get into print. Secondly, there are an awful lot of good writers who, in the current climate, haven't a hope of being published conventionally.”

The company has already dipped a toe into the market with an imprint called Firebrand, producing books which businesses guaranteed to buy. For example, restaurants may want to produce a recipe book to give or sell to customers.

“Everything is the same as in conventional publishing, except you have to say that you are going to buy copies, or provide a platform for sales. The book is a terribly powerful tool for sales and marketing collateral.”

Brands such as Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s, Champneys, Simple and Anne Summers have used the service to provide content in a ‘beautiful package’, he said.

“For us, this takes the risk out of it. With the state of the market, it's very difficult to say whether a book will sell.”

He hastens to add Infinite Ideas has had huge conventional successes, including a book on Sudoku that sold half a million, mainly through high street booksellers.

Mr Grant said: “We are hoping with the self-published side that people can access these publishing skills that we have amassed over our careers, producing books that look great and read properly.

“You can now produce something that is pretty much bookshop quality, and we are offering authors the chance to listen in on probably 100 years of publishing experience.”

As an idea of cost Mr Grant reckons a typical figure if £100 for ten copies.

He agrees that ‘vanity publishing’ had a bad name in the past, but insists that new venture, called Infinite Authors, will be different.

“We are upfront about the charges, and you pay for as many or as few services as you want. If people have a great story but don't feel they can write it, we can even arrange ghost writers.”

He believes the old model is disappearing, and that resistance to self-publishing is now disappearing, even in the most traditional quarters.

“Too many books are being published and publishers are cutting back on their output, so they are more reluctant to take a risk on a new author. Even mid-list authors are finding it difficult, so there is a high amount of writing talent that doesn't have a hope through the conventional route.”

He says a small company can act more quickly in response to new trends, and keep costs low by outsourcing editorial, design and warehousing.

“It's a different world now, the publishing industry, but we are in a very privileged position.”