Dear Shannon Hale,
I hate having to write this to you. I doubt you would remember, but more than 5 years ago when I was a young, fresh-out-of-college aspiring writer, I wrote to you. And you wrote back with lovely, encouraging words. Since then, you’ve always been one of the authors whom I most like and admire. I’ve read and loved your books, and found sentences so beautiful they made me feel hollow inside. I’ve read every single one of your blog posts for the past 7 years. And I’ve always (though we’ve never met) somehow thought of you as a kind of ally. A fellow mama of very young children, down here in the crazy trenches of trying to mother little ones while maintaining a writing career. But I just can’t keep silent in the face of your recent blog post The self-publishing paradox; or, why I love my editor, in which you state your view that traditionally published authors are ‘professional’ while independently published authors are ‘amateurs’.
I personally am lucky enough to have landed (without previous self-pubbing experience) the big, fancy, six-figure traditional NY publishing deal. I’ve also, concurrently with my 3 traditionally published books coming out, independently published 5 more novels. And it’s from this perspective that I say: I really do not think this kind of divisive, line-drawing thinking or blog posting is productive or beneficial for anyone.
Yes, I suppose you could label the author who self-publishes the first draft of their first novel with a homemade cover slapped onto it an ‘amateur’. But why? Why bother? The poor guy/girl’s sales rank and reviews are going to make him/her feel crappy enough without the rest of us piling it on. And the independent authors who hire their own professional editors, copy editors, and book designers? Whose books hit the bestseller lists and earn them an extremely comfortable living? They are not nearly as ‘rare’ as you in your post imply–just among my own limited circle I know dozens. Widen that to the indie authors whose names I’ve heard of and there are hundreds–and probably thousands more whose names I don’t (yet) know. You would smack an ‘amateur’ label on them? Really? And to what purpose? “Neener neener, you still can’t be part of our ‘real authors’ club”? Dr. Seuss wrote a book called ‘The Sneetches’ about that brand of thinking. And frankly it is as childish and petty and just plain silly as Dr. Seuss made it sound.
I could also point out that by your line of thinking, certain reality TV stars whose names rhyme with ‘Cookie’ and . . . okay, actually I can’t think of anything that rhymes with ‘Kardashian’ . . . but anyway, by your definition, they are ‘professional’ authors because they ‘wrote’ (pardon my skepticism) novels and were or will be published by NY houses?
There is also–to descend briefly from ideals to the level of crass economics–the question of money. I can very, very gratefully say that my traditional publishing contract paid extremely well. My independently published books are on track to easily earn me far more. Independent publishing is, for the majority of authors, far more likely to allow them to BE professional authors than traditional publishing is. If, that is, one defines ‘professional’ (as my dictionary does) as ‘engaged in a specified activity as one’s main paid occupation’.
But the real question I want to raise is this: why make this an ‘us vs them’, ‘traditional vs. indie’, ‘professional vs. amateur’ adversarial issue? If you absolutely must draw lines, let’s at least draw one in the right place, the place where it makes a certain amount of sense: between good books and bad ones. The next definition of ‘professional’ in my dictionary refers to quality of work. Not to the route by which something was produced or the people you worked with to produce it. Good books are good books, whichever route an author takes to get their story before readers’ eyes. And professionally polished ones are professionally polished ones, whether indie or traditionally published.
I can’t of course guarantee that an author who pours her heart and soul into a book, edits and revises and then hires editors, copy editors, etc., will automatically turn out a great book. That’s the often heartbreaking and hard-to-accept fact of this business of being an author: we are judged on the quality of our work. Period. There are no grade-points for effort. Hard work is vital, but you don’t get a publishing contract or extra stars on Amazon reviews just because you worked hard. But since that’s the way it is, let’s embrace it and embrace a system in which books are judged on their quality. Not on whether they were produced by a New York publishing house.
I can absolutely understand your saying that you love your editor. I absolutely loved working with mine, too. She was gentle and wise and improved my craft in ways that I am grateful for every single day. But the landscape of publishing is changing. There’s no question about it: it is changing and those changes are here to stay. But if publishers continue to provide a vital service (as you say) they are in no danger; they will continue to exist. Like all of us in this new publishing world, they will need to change and adapt. But if they do, then they will survive and even thrive.
In closing, I’d like to (please bear with me for a moment here) direct your attention to the photo at the top of this post. I’m a contributor to Dolly Donations, which organizes doll drives to send handmade dolls to children all around the world–giving victims of natural disasters, orphans, and other children in need, a doll friend to provide desperately needed comfort during stressful times. (Those pictured here are the ones I’ve just sewn up to send to these sweet children in Rwanda). It’s my daily reminder–along with my faith and my family, of course–to grab some perspective and check both my ego and my own troubles at the door. I’m certain you have something similar in your own life.
This may seem like a digression, but my point is that the world quite simply has too many bigger, more important problems for us to expend our energy on than name-calling and drawing of lines where none should exist. Sylvester McMonkey McBean provided a pretty good illustration of the amount of time, emotion, and money that is wasted by that sort of thinking. As lovers of books, reading, writing, and the sheer magic of stories, we should unite, not divide. Whether or not we have stars upon ours.
About Anna Elliott
Anna Elliott is the author of eight historical fiction novels, including the Pride and Prejudice Chronicles and the Susanna and the Spy series. She likes historical fantasy, Jane Austen, British TV, Castle, Firefly, and rainbows and unicorns, especially those drawn by her daughters. She lives in the Washington DC Metro area with her husband and two small children.
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YAY! So well said! Thank you for speaking so eloquently for those of us who feel similarly.
You are so welcome, Stacia! Thank YOU!
You said it. This is really the point. The indie publishing opens up a new world to writers of all kinds. I think back to the days of dime novels and yellow sheet journalism. There were all kinds of publications for all kinds of writers. But, in recent years, there really aren’t even any magazines left to publish in. Traditional publishing has become narrow and exclusive for both readers and writers. Since I started my self publishing effort (very recently), I have come accross some very interesting self published books that were not available to me through the traditional route, in part because traditionally published books are outrageously expensive and I have to wait until I can by them used at a yard sale of book drive. By then they are out of date.
I’d say there are certain books — maybe the latest LBJ bio, others — for which I am willing and able to pay full price. But, I am interested in many diffferent topics and indies have provided me with affordable and interesting reads — and I just started this process.
Thank you from all of us.
I really believe there is room for us all. Thanks for commenting!
I admire your passion! You go! At the root of our disagreement, however, is terminology. I don’t view “amateur” as a negative term. I can see that it would be read so and was probably the wrong word to use. I didn’t use it as an insult. I’m glad to see your opinions, but I really don’t disagree with most of them. I think I am just looking at things from one step to the left of you.
Shannon, thank you so much for stopping by my post and commenting! I’m so glad to have your thoughts. With all respect, though, when you make a blanket statement comparing indie published books to ‘home movies’ and ‘YouTube’ videos’, whichever way you slice it, in my view (and many authors’ besides, I suspect) that is insulting. You also state: “You can jam to a great band at the local bar, but you wouldn’t pay the same for admission that you would to see a Grammy winner in concert.” That, to me, plainly implies the view that indie books are not worth as much and should not be valued as much as traditionally published books.
I truly, truly am not trying to be rude or disrespectful. I truly do not view you as ‘the enemy’ or something silly like that. I love you, I love your work, and I wish you nothing but the best-–but I also really do not think it’s a question of how we define the word ‘amateur’. I truly just cannot understand how you can effectively say, “Your book is inherently worth less. . . but I do not mean that in a negative or insulting way.” Unless I am misunderstanding you, which of course I may well be. But I do think that you might want to clarify, because I suspect many others would interpret your statements in the same way.
Thank you again for your thoughts!
As a successful self-published author, who had an editor and did his own cover art, I can say that I was insulted.
Let me just say that without self-publishers and small independent e-publishers, likely the explosion of what I write–gay romance–would be still closeted back into the realm of fictionpress and fanfiction.
Moving beyond the gatekeepers allowed a new type of story to be told. I’d also like you, Ms. Hale, to go read The Island and any one of Courtney Milan’s novels and tell me how very amateur they are.
>8(
Thank you, Ms. Elliot, for pointing out how ridiculous it is to pit self v traditional. There is room for both.
PS did you know your blog edited out the word G A Y ?
No, sorry about that! I will mention it to the powers that be if they don’t see your comment. Thanks for telling us.
Sorry about that Dani. I notified our web guy and that has been corrected. Double checking. Gay. Okay. Should have worked. Thanks for letting us know!
Amen, Anna. She was trashing indies. Hiding behind “terminology” is disingenuous. The Olympics are amateurs and people pay top dollar to see them. She did not treat indie authors with that level of respect.
That was beautifully said! I’m so glad I followed the link from the comments on the post you were responding to: that post left such a bad taste in my mouth and this one has totally cleared it away. I no longer feel the need to stomp around my house grumbling — my son will be very grateful to you!
So happy to have spared you (and your son) any stomping and grumbling, Sarah.
This was so beautifully put. As an avid and loyal Shannon Hale fan, her blog post was really difficult for me to swallow. I’m having to self publish for personal and unique reasons and it wasn’t the path I originally planned on. I feel like her post, as much as I adore her, shuts doors on authors that have no reason to be shut. You said it best when you wrote this:
“But the real question I want to raise is this: why make this an ‘us vs them’, ‘traditional vs. indie’, ‘professional vs. amateur’ adversarial issue? If you absolutely must draw lines, let’s at least draw one in the right place, the place where it makes a certain amount of sense: between good books and bad ones.”
There is room for good self-pubbed and indie authors in the book world as well. The market should decide who deserves to have their work read.
I was going to write my own blog post in response to Shannon Hales, but you said it so well, I may just link to yours. Thank you!
Melanie, that was my feeling exactly. And I absolutely agree–the market SHOULD decide who deserves to have their work read. As authors, I think we need to trust that our readers know the difference between good books and bad ones–regardless of how they’re published.
Absolutely feel free to link/quote as much as you like from my post. And I’m so glad you’re writing your own, too! I really, really would like to be part of a movement for unity, not division.
I concur regarding the market demand for trad pub/self-pub works – there’s room for both. One of Hale’s points is that traditionally published authors have gotten rejected and thus refined by the process of landing a contract; they are benefiting from the difficulty of getting published and have therefore become better writers. She states:
>> I suffered the years of rejections. I was told again and again that I was not good enough, my stories were not good enough, my book was not good enough. Most published writers I know suffered through a similar process. For good or ill, it’s survival of the fittest, and many writers give up too soon.
But see, this principle holds for all writers, whether self-pubbed or traditionally pubbed. Most self-published authors will give up too soon – after a handful of sales (rejections), 1 star reviews (being told not good enough), etc. It’s survival of the fittest. That is correct – for every type of writer. The line Hale has drawn is unnecessary.
Great post, Anna. I agree. I think it speaks a lot about the fear some published authors are experiencing that they feel compelled to make these kind of statements.
I completely agree–I just don’t understand what they’re so afraid of! If their books are truly good and worth reading (and Shannon Hale’s absolutely are) they will continue to stand on their merit, however many indies there are in the world.
Great post Anna. Something I would like to add (3 things actually).
North America projection – from Pricewaterhouse Coopers’ Global Entertainment and Media Outlook
2009: $500 mil
2010: $1,200 mil
2011: $2,696 mil ——out of $19.5 billion book market (print+ digital)
2012: $4,326 mil
2013: $5,992 mil
2014: $7,653 mil
2015: $9,324 mil
2016; $10,905 mil——out of $21 billion book market (print + digital)
The market is shifting. As ebook adoption increases, it will allow more authors to make a living from self-publishing. According to Amazon, more than 1,000 KDP authors sell more than 1,000 ebooks a month.
And lastly, more than 170 authors have sold more than 50,000 self-published ebooks. The actual number is a lot more.
http://selfpublishingsuccessstories.blogspot.com/
Those are fascinating stats, John, thanks so much for sharing!
Anna, I am SO glad that you ended up expanding your comment into a blog post. This is perfect, and says pretty much everything I wanted to. (I’m a REAL amateur writer, in that I love writing and work hard to improve my skills, but have never even tried to get published. I may someday, and if I do, I have no idea which route I’ll take.) I admire and respect Shannon, but however much she might try to backtrack now, her post was absolutely negative toward self-published books and made it clear that she valued traditionally-published books much more highly (local bands vs. Grammy winners, as you mentioned above). Thanks for providing a response that is clear and respectful and makes all kinds of sense. Bravo!
(P.S.: I’m checking out your books and they sound great!)
You are very welcome, and thank you for the lovely comment! Best of luck with your own writing, whichever route you decide is best for your stories when–as I’m sure you will someday–you feel they’re ready to share with the world!
Simply, thank you!
Simply, you’re welcome!
Thank YOU for commenting, Jerry!
Wow! What a great post, Anne! You nailed it. I, too, have been on both sides of the fence. But when I self-published my latest suspense novel, I didn’t brag about my five previous traditional publications, I came out loud and strong as an indie author. I didn’t even try to find a trad publisher for Night Widow. In fact, when my former A-List agent called me to ask if I’d like him to shop it to the Big 6, I flatly declined. It’s my turn now. I’m in control. If I crash and burn, it’s no one’s fault but my own. So far, the ride has been fantastic and I’m loving every minute of it! Indie authors rock!
Thank you, Carol! That is really the thing–even for a single author, some books are more suited for the indie route. And as authors we should all be SO happy for ourselves and for each other that we now have different options! So glad that it’s working out so well for you!!
Anna, this is one of the best posts on the topic I’ve seen anywhere. Doubly so because it was in response to a mean-spirited swipe at indies. Thank you.
Thanks, Seeley!
Anna, your post is beautiful. Far better than my response which was how could NEEDING someone else to handle the “business side” of things make an author a professional versus the author with the savvy and business skills to handle things on her own be called an amateur?
I don’t buy Shannon Hale saying she didn’t “mean” amateur in a negative way. Baloney. Her post clearly patted her own back to make her, and the authors who think like her, feel better about the nasty contracts they can’t get out of. Her post was 100% elitist and rude, and it insulted every READER who buys and reads indie books. Readers do not care who the publisher is. They don’t even really care who wrote the book (meaning fans of both Stephen King and Scott Nicholson for example don’t care if the horror book they’re enjoying is by Stephen or Scott or any other author with a first name that begins with an ‘S’). They care that the book is good or not, to them. And there are more than enough safeguards on the various purchasing systems and word-of-mouth recommendations to prevent readers from buying crap. And on the off chance they do, which I did recently with a traditionally published book with an ebook formatting all screwed up I couldn’t read it, there is always the option to return the book.
LOL apparently C R A P is also censored.
Crap! We will have to fix that. Fixed.
Elizabeth, you make a really good point that indies take on far more ‘professional’ roles than that just of author.
Thank you, Anna, for responding on behalf of indie publishing. No matter how Shannon tries to slice it, she insulted me when she called me an amateur. There are thousands of self-published authors out there; how can she possibly know that not one of us hired editors, copy-editors, and proofreaders? I paid a professional graphic designer to do my cover–though perhaps I should check with Shannon before I call him a professional.
More than the insult, the hackneyed refrain of the us vs them chorus made me sad and angry. Authors are authors. We write books and we want people to read them. Why do we have to snipe at each other? I’ve seen equally shortsighted posted from the indie side, so no one is without blame. If we as authors are going to be against anyone, can’t we band together and be against book banners?
Elitist comments like this turn me off from an author’s work. I read and loved Austenland, but instead of buying her sequel, I think I’ll buy one of your books instead.
“If we as authors are going to be against anyone, can’t we band together and be against book banners?” Amen to that and very well said, Nancy!
Thank you for writing such a positive post on this issue. Every book has a unique journey. What’s right for one may be wrong for another. But to say one choice is better does nothing but cause friction, and that’s energy better spent writing great books.
I couldn’t agree more, Monica! And we should really be celebrating that there are different options available so that every book CAN find its perfect match in terms of journey.
Anna, this is such a beautifully written post. I’m in awe of your ability to be so diplomatic, while also being direct and clear. Thank you so much for stepping up and representing a balanced and accepting viewpoint. It is so much appreciated!
Thank you, Mira! Just like I said over on PG’s blog, I’m truly honored to have my post resonate with so many.
As an avid reader and book review blogger, and reading both sides of this issue, I commend you for writing this post. I have actually never heard of the author, Shannon Hale, and was curious when a fellow friend on twitter was posting about her side of indie vs. a publishing company.
Though I have not completed a novel, even I felt offended by what Shannon had wrote. Being a book blogger, you get to read a lot of great stories. Most authors who come to me requesting a review are indie authors, and I am always surprised when I find a great read. I agree with some of the comments on here. No matter how you look at it, Shannon was basically dissing, and trashing the indie authors. I recently became a fan of Amanda Hocking who was originally a self-published author. Indie publishing does create doors for those who aren’t sure what to do. Just because you aren’t fond of one aspect on how to get your book published, doesn’t always mean that it’s “amateur.”
Thanks for commenting, Felicia! So nice to hear the perspective you bring to the table as a reader/reviewer/blogger. I think you’re absolutely spot on when you say : “Indie publishing does create doors for those who aren’t sure what to do.” And more doors are a good thing, IMO!
We really all need to put away the us vs. them thinking, and I suspect we will as the lines between indie and traditional publishing blur more. But in the meantime, it’s nice to read such a well-thought-out post on the topic. Thank you:-).
I truly hope that you are proven right, Ellen. Authors by and large are such an amazing bunch of people, whether indie or traditional, that surely you will be!
Said with grace, diplomacy and elegance. Bravo!
Thank you, Barbra!
Isn’t it funny, Anna. You wrote this piece after reading my article on Terri’s site. http://terriglong.com/blog/2012/06/dear-traditionally-published-writer-2/
And I wrote that article after reading Terri’s article http://indiechickscafe.com/sticks-and-stones-the-changing-politics-of-the-self-publishing-stigma-excerpt/
I LOVE that we are all having this discussion!
I love it, too, Cheryl! And I loved your post.
Great post, Anna!
It’s getting tricky for these traditionally published authors. They think they “know” the world of writing/publishing/books, but alas, they only see one aspect of it. I’m reminded of the cliques in high school because the behavior is exactly the same. This is such a thoughtful post. Thank you.
KO
Thank you, Katherine! It’s tricky, too, because the world of publishing is changing so rapidly that for many who do not necessarily keep abreast of all the latest news and developments, it’s very hard to comment effectively or without causing offense.
This right here is what really scares me. Authors have been kept in one kind of dark or another for *decades* – I remember a time when authors couldn’t even keep their own *names*, much less have control over rights, distribution, and pricing of their books…until they started talking about these clauses. Contracts feature Byzantine language that grabs rights before they are even in existence, publishers run on accounting and payment systems that *dinosaurs* would have found objectionably slow, and the entire industry sags under the weight of inefficiency and carefully-cultivated siloing of knowledge and experience.
THAT is what scares me. Authors in many instances are surrounded by people who lead them to believe that their experience is “the way things are” (and yes, it happens in indie publishing, too), and therefore authors must put up with practices that are bad for their careers. Instead of challenging status quo limitations, authors are encouraged to not worry our pretty heads about it and just believe the people around us are looking out for us when that may not be the case at all.
Authors talking to authors is not a bad thing. It is a very scary thing, though, when those seeds of doubt are first planted and it dawns that the world isn’t as you always believed. I don’t think Ms. Hale meant intentional offense, but her experience was likely not as close to the broader picture as she first thought, and we are all allowed to make mistakes when we are learning something new.
I hope this experience doesn’t close her mind to allowing her perspective to widen.
Anna,
Your response was equal parts grace and passion – even when Shannon offered up her weak explanation – and anyone would be hard-pressed to put it any better. Bravo!
Thank you so much, Chris! I am definitely passionate on the subject and I am so glad to hear you felt I wrote with grace.
It seems mean spirited and insincere to assume Shannon is just lying when she tries to explain herself in response to this open letter. She has no reason to track people down and then give someone a weak lie or an apology. I think being offensive, however accidentally it may have been on either side is not isolated to just Shannon Hale anymore. If she did misrepresent the self-pub authors and then she apologizes for it how is it ok for disgruntled authors to continue to berate and assume the worst and fan the flames? As a reader looking in to the author community, I’m pretty unimpressed and can’t see how this isn’t making the us vs them/sneetches/division even worse. From a reader’s perspective it seems kind of unnecessarily defensive and unwarranted.
Thank you for commenting, Jenny. I hope you don’t think that by my response I considered that Shannon was in any way ‘lying’ in her response, or that I was berating or attacking her with mine. I hope, too, that you (and other readers) don’t think that I am ‘anti’ Shannon Hale or anti- anything else except for division and disunity. I would be so, so sad if this post that I wrote as an appeal for unity caused more divides.
Here, here!
At the end of the day (and during it as well – I suppose) we are all human and we tend to think that the path we chose is the right one. With that in mind, and considering the long history of traditional publishing; it’s possible that Shannon meant no insult by her use of the word amateur.
The home video analogy (that sounds like a title for a ‘Big Bang Theory’ episode…) does stretch any attempt to downplay an accidental insult but I will still give her the benefit of the doubt – for now.
I chose to take the independent route and I have already earned out any advance that I would have been offered by a traditional house (at a point where I would still have been looking for an agent). That might mean I made the right choice, but since I never tried to find an agent – I’ll never know for sure.
I don’t think there is a wrong way to publish. The only thing the Indy revolution has done is to reveal who the true gatekeepers are – the readers.
It’s good to see Shannon and Anna debating this issue. Hopefully they can stay on friendly terms as both are excellent authors – and professionals.
Great post, Anna, and nice to see it respectfully stated. I notice that Shannon has also posted a follow-up apology on her blog, and I hope she’s not too crushed by the firestorm she created!
I think people who accidentally perpetuate the us-and-them mentality are often simply unaware of “how the other half lives”.
There are advantages and disadvantages to each method of publishing. I work on both sides, and I also read both indie and traditional. I’ve seen very crisp and professional indie offerings, and I’ve read Big Six novels with plot holes you could drive a truck through.
In the end, how much does the average reader care what publishing imprint is on a book? They just want a good read. Let’s continue to provide that, via whatever route works for us as individuals, and be professional about it either way.
I’ve read through the article and all of the posts and have to agree with the sentiments expressed. Writers are writers. Getting published, either by a “big time” publishing house or by self publishing produces the same thing: a book; a body of reading material, and for myself, an amateur so far, a rush of pride like I’ve never before experienced. The “us against them” idea brings to mind a situation in a local writing club I belong to. We have one very prideful member who, although she knows her stuff, does not know how she alienates people with her attitude that there is a difference between “real” writers (i.e. those who admittedly earn bigger bucks with their writing) and “hobby” writers, who apparently only write because…well, because we also have the passion to do so. Grrr. That’s like a patronizing pat on the shoulder to say “nice try kid, too bad you haven’t made it yet.” I’ll agree with a distinction between those who make a living with their writing versus those who are striving, but haven’t quite made it yet. But come on, “real” versus “hobby” just doesn’t cut it. Writers write. That’s real. (Well, that’s my take on it.) Thanks for sticking up for all of us!
Anna:
First off, congratulations on your success thus far and best wishes for more to come!
I want to hit on what, for me, was a key point that you made: that a good place to draw the line may be between good books and, shall we say, less good books
There have been authors whom I have faithfully read for YEARS, being among the loyal throngs of readers who buy the annual best sellers of particular writers (on the days of publication!). And then I reached the point where I stopped purchasing them, because their quality appeared to diminish. It seemed like the writers were just “phoning it in.” Big names, continued best sellers, but minus one formerly loyal reader.
Books “vetted” by reputable publishers, books on the front rack right inside the bookstore doors–may have no pleasure of readership associated with them, whereas there may be treasures found elsewhere, in different formats, from alternative venues.
Thanks for making the point about quality!
Removed due to commenter’s request. –AE
LOVED this post! I’m a teacher and read The Sneetches every year to my students . . . always get a sentimental tear in my eyes too, thinking about the beautiful message Dr.Seuss gave us with this book. So I really enjoyed your analogy. I just signed a contract this week with a small indie publisher, and I can’t believe some of the demeaning comments I’ve received. For some people, their validation truly does lie in obtaining that six figure deal from one of the big 6 publishers. Even though I’m not self-publishing, I haven’t reached my goals according to their standards. I feel sorry for people who want to draw that line in the sand. I like that small indie publishers aren’t a huge, money-hungry publishing firm looking to beat authors into submission. They’re easy to work with, they honor their contracts, and if you aren’t happy, you just need to tell them. Although I’d love to earn more money (like I said, I’m a teacher, lol), I could just go get a part-time job if that’s what this was all about. It’d be much easier! I think taking profit motives off the table and looking at my book as a gift to the world to empower teens (and hopefully some adults) b/c of the talents God has given me and seeing where God leads is a beautiful thing. There may be no truer verse than this: The secret to peace is to accept and appreciate God’s perfect timing. Whether it’s time to self-publish, sign with a small indie publisher, or wait for one of the big 6, more power to ya! Writers and Readers unite:):)
Thank you for this post.
I plan to self-publish eventually, and yeah, I’ve got a lot to learn still about the business. I’ve been doing my research. Just tonight I read how my novel, which has a 24 year-old protagonist and is written in first person, probably wouldn’t be very marketable on the traditional route. Apparently the kind of books I’ve been drawn too lately, quite a few of them self-published, are considered “New Adult fiction.”
My novel doesn’t fit into a neat little box, all tidy with a bow. It’s not YA. It MIGHT be considered adult, but the first person voice is on the young side. Did I mention it’s a romantic thriller? With a serial killer? Oh, and it’s the first in a series with paranormal undertones.
Jeez. I’m in no way promoting here–I’m months away from even finishing and hiring an editor yet–I’m just making a point. If not for self-publishing, where would that leave writer’s like me? Forced to write ‘within the box’? Or perhaps, we’d just throw our dream, and our vision for our stories, down the drain.
I don’t understand this stigma surrounding self-published authors. As a reader, I’ve found crap on both sides of this line people keep wanting to draw in the sand. Thank you for stating so beautifully and intelligently what so many of us are thinking.
As an author doubly denigrated as “not real” (because I both write erotica AND self-publish it), I greatly appreciate your open letter. Thank you!
Fab post! Well constructed and well said. I found lots of useful things here and the subsequent comments show others enjoyed it too. Well done!
Faith Mortimer
I will admit that there was a time when I steered clear of self-published authors. Luckily, I saw the light and realized that I had picked up some poorly written and edited books and it had no bearing on the industry as a whole.