This is something that's been on my mind lately so I thought I'd discuss it here today.
Up until recently, I've been against self-publishing. I mean, when I was 12, I thought it was cool and had this ridiculous idea that I was going to self-publish my WIP. That idea quickly left my head. But, as I've grown up and entered the review world and read a few self-pubbed books...my thoughts were always along the lines of "Self-published books suck. The author is just trying to find an easy way out, instead of querying and waiting and having their work edited like a normal person. If the story was good, they'd have an agent."
And, to a point, I still believe that. I believe that many times, people publish their rough drafts just to see their name in print. I believe a lot of the self-published books out there are books that need a lot more editing and rewriting. But, I also think that sometimes, self-publishing might be the right choice for someone, IF their work is edited, IF they've tried to get an agent and queried and queried and queried, IF the book is READY to be published.
I've had similar beliefs about e-publishing and e-books as well. My father wanted to get me a Kindle two years ago and I told him no way, absolutely not. I love my books. I love the smell of my books, I love how I can take a book off my shelf and pet its cover (yes, I do that) and flip to my favorite pages. I was upset when publishers started sending out e-galleys instead of ARCs. I wanted nothing to do with something that wasn't in book format.
But now...Now, I don't see it as such a bad thing. I don't think books will go completely out for a LONG time. I have the Kindle app on my iPod and I really wouldn't mind having a Kindle. I think that e-books can allow people to purchase books cheaper, especially when the publisher lowers the price to .99-2.99.
I've noticed a lot of times, e-publishing and self-publishing are becoming the same thing. Karly Kirkpatrick did it. Now Jessica Ashley (aka Jessica Burkhart) is doing it. Both of these authors are also taking it a step farther. Along with two other authors, Karly Kirkpatrick has created DarkSide publishing and Jessica Ashley and her BFF created Violet and Ruby. I'm really intrigued by both projects and I'm looking forward to following both to see what happens.
So. Thoughts? What do you think about self-publishing? E-publishing? What about the Violet and Ruby idea? I'd love to hear everyone's opinions!
Harmony
I self-published a novella and a book of poetry when I was a young teen just to be able to order a complete volume of them for myself, but in general I tend to agree that I wouldn't really want to read and review self-pubbed books on my blog, because the whole idea usually concides with what you wrote. Then recently I learned that Still Alice by Lisa Genova was originally self-published! And it's one of my favourite books. So I think sometimes self-publishing can work, if it is a book that is extremely difficult to market otherwise, and may allow you to be discovered by a traditional publisher in the long run, which I still think would be the goal for me. If I did have a book I was really proud of, I would definitely try to go with a regular publisher though if possible. That said, it was fun when I was fifteen to make $40 off my angsty poetry from people who read my blog at the time.
ReplyDeleteI think self-publishing can be a good option if there isn't a wide market for the book you've written. Just because a publisher isn't willing to take it on because it doesn't have enough market appeal doesn't mean it doesn't deserve to be read by the few who would love it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the shout out, Harmony!:)
ReplyDeleteI was like you, and very anti-e-reader until a few months ago. Now I can't imagine living without mine! I still buy books and will continue to do so. I use my e-reader for galleys and inexpensive books.
ReplyDeleteI really like the e-publishing revolution. I think it opens the publishing world wide open. I'm really interested in the smaller e-presses as perhaps a way to publish my first book. I'm still interested in going the 'traditional' route eventually, but I can't deny that the e-presses are pretty cool.
As for self-publishing, I wouldn't do it myself, but that's not a knock against those that do. I lack the marketing skills and the ability to sell my own book, so if I self-published, I'd probably only sell books to my relatives.
I completely identify with this post--even wanting to self-publish at a younger age(The idea of being able to have control of the cover was what got me. Now, I'm willing to trust the publisher, to a point.) I still like solid books, but I wouldn't mind having an e-reader for classics, which are either free or really cheap for things like Nook and Kindle. I think an entrepreneurial e-publishing business could be a good thing, but this also opens up the arena to even more vanity/small, illegitimate publishers that take advantage of naive writers. But there are pros and cons to everything, so what can you do?
ReplyDeleteHi Harmony,
ReplyDeleteI also had something against the idea of self-publishing for many many years. But I understand why authors do it. I recently put up an add for an illustrator (for a little project I have in the works) and got an overwhelming response from artists. It took time...energy...effort to look through their work fairly and choose who I thought was the best for a job. I feel I got a small taste of what agents and editors go through every day. What have I learned from that experience: the world is filled with talented people. SOMETIMES they have what you are looking for (like the artist I chose) and sometimes the are GREAT but not what you are looking for. Understanding the process, I have to respect agents, editors, and writers, each in their own way.
I agree that many self-published authors are not ready to put their work out there. You are totally right on that! But there are probably also many that are. The query system is not fool proof. People slip through the cracks.
But anyway, great post! I am warming up to the idea of e-readers too. Writers used to have to depend on agents to get to publishers...and publishers to get their work out to the public. But in this day and age, it seems to becoming an archaic process. With social media outlets available to us, I wouldn't be surprised if more and more authors stand on their own two feet and publish their work for next to nothing in e-reader format.
I have something special in the works over at my site, and I hope when it starts happening in the next couple months, that you will stop by and check it out:-)
Again, great post!
Rane
The Lit Express
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ReplyDeleteE-Publishing
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ReplyDeleteEPublishing