25 March 2010
by 
Last year, I went to a Literary Festival. There were lots of books and authors, of course, but there was also something else: attitude.
I’m the type of person who naturally finds great joy in encouraging others and being genuinely happy for them when they succeed or accomplish something that is important to them. Writing is no different. When fellow writers, bloggers, and/or authors get published in a new venue, I’m ecstatic – even if it is a publication I’d love to see my work in some day.
So, I wasn’t too thrilled when I attended a session at the festival where the speaker openly trashed authors who self-publish, and discouraged us from even considering it. This author was published by a pretty well-known publishing house (as you may have guessed already) and may have lost sight of writer’s passion?
I don’t know.
But it’s one thing to be published by a big publishing house; it’s another thing to demean other writers, burst their bubble, and make them just feel like all their hopes and dreams are forever shattered.
What’s the point in that?
I tried to focus on all the positive aspects of that festival. I met some kind and sincere authors there, including a 13-year-old young man who has already authored a book!
But the negative vibes from that speaker just rubbed me the wrong way. Why trash authors who self-publish? Why not be proud of your own success, and let other writers maintain a little dignity and hold on to some hope?
Yes, there are vanity publishers – that isn’t the way to go. But there are ways for authors to self-publish and be successful. Just because you self-publish, doesn’t mean you have to ignore grammar, plot, or end up with some sad, horrible book!
Unless things change, I plan on self-publishing several books in the future. Here are a few things I plan on doing to ensure my book(s) are high quality and do as well as possible.
- Hire an editor. No matter how well we write errors may exist in our writing that we become blind to after spending extended periods with our own work. We need fresh eyes, a new perspective. An editor will have our back, and help make sure our book is the best it can be.
- Write with passion. Just because we’re self-publishing, doesn’t mean we have to be boring or let our passion for polished work fade. It’s important to write compelling content that will inspire and interest readers no matter what form of publication it may take.
- Promote and market. This is one aspect of self-publishing that the author at Missouri Literary Festival looked down on. Self-published authors market their own books. Um, don’t traditionally-published authors do that, too? There was an older gentleman at this meeting and he spoke up and said he worked with a big publishing house in New York for decades. In years past, they did most of the marketing. More recently, they asked him how HE planned on marketing his latest book. So, see? Times have changed and both traditionally- and self-published authors need to get the word out about their books.
- Consider the cover. I won’t want the cover to be too busy – or too boring. It would take some thought, and I may even seek the services of a designer to really make it pop. Just because I have to select the cover design for myself doesn’t mean it can’t be well conceived.
- Be true to myself. I learned this as a kid. One of my favorite people in the whole world taught it to me. If I’m not true to myself, how will I share my book with the world? If I don’t maintain a genuine, kind heart, how will I present my work to the world? How will I warm the hearts of my readership? My fellow writers? This is important!
What about you? What are your thoughts on self-publishing, or even e-publishing, versus the big publishing houses? Does it matter as long as you pour your heart and soul – and talent!! – into the pages between the cover? If you were to ever make it big and land a huge book deal with a big publishing company, would you feel like you were on a mountain top and not be able to see your old writing friends for the dust you’d left in their faces? Would you be the same person you are today? If you are already a published author? Which route did you go?
Photo Credit: Harry Keely
Great article! I agree. There’s definitely a snobby disdain for self publishing and in today’s market, no justification for it.
Thanks, Jeanne! Yes, There definitely is a snobby attitude – I’ve never understood it!
.-= Michele | aka Raw Juice Girl shares: Amish Country, Sunny Skies, + Lots of Critters!!! =-.
We are in a time of great change. Because of the internet and digital books, it is easier than ever to publish your own words, and do away with publishers. It’s also easier for authors to find their own niche audience that is too small for a publisher to bother with, but is large enough for an author to earn a living from. There are many writers who make a living from ebooks being marketed through blogs.
I agree, Russel.
I once asked a published author if they had any tips. Know what they said? “Build your readership FIRST.”
And absolutely, I’ve come across a lot of authors who work from home and live very well from their book/e-book earnings. Very inspiring!!!
.-= Michele | aka Raw Juice Girl shares: Amish Country, Sunny Skies, + Lots of Critters!!! =-.
It will be interesting how the momentum of the Internet and self-publishing will change these attitudes once the publishing industry begins to decline the way the music industry did. Interesting.
Hi, Tiffany.
Yes, it will be very interesting!
Thanks so much for stopping by.
.-= Michele | aka Raw Juice Girl shares: Amish Country, Sunny Skies, + Lots of Critters!!! =-.
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Michele,
I pretty much gave up on traditional publishing when I was at a conference pitching my book to an editor in a scheduled appointment. At the time, I was still in a wheelchair after having had a stroke. When I told her the book was about a woman who had suffered a stroke, she looked at me and said, “No one wants to read about a cripple.”
Since then, I’ve been published by an electronic publisher and a small press publisher, and I have self-published some titles. I’m not getting rich—or even making a decent income—from my books, but I’m happy that I chose the routes I did.
Most of my editing clients self-publish, and some are quite successful. They all did everything they could to produce excellent books—hiring a professional editor and getting input from other readers, hiring a professional cover designer and interior book designer, and choosing a great printing company. All of those things are critical and so is knowing your niche and having a platform to market to it.
.-= Lillie Ammann shares: Scripture for the Sixth Thursday in Lent =-.
Hi, Lillie!
Thanks for sharing your experiences with traditional publishing.
Wow. That was pretty heartless of that woman who called you a cripple. Sorry you had to experience that.
But you’re pretty successful now, in my opinion!!
Thank you for the tips as well.
.-= Michele | aka Raw Juice Girl shares: Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus Recipe + Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution =-.
I agree with you. As writers, we should all encourage one another, self-published or traditionally-published. I especially think an author speaking at an event shouldn’t be so discouraging, even if they don’t agree with self publishing.
I, too, thought traditionally-published authors market their books in some ways. Yes, a traditional publisher does offer a lot more help than vanity publishers, but who knows the book better than than author, right?
Just my two cents.
Hi, Misti!
Yes, we should encourage one another!
I just couldn’t believe how discouraging that author was. I mean, I was getting depressed myself! And I could just see the hurt on everyone’s faces as their bubble was busted and many of ‘em got up and left. Such sadness….
And that’s exactly right! We definitely know our work – and our readership. Well, we should anyway!
.-= Michele | aka Raw Juice Girl shares: Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus Recipe + Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution =-.
This author obviously was trapped in an old paradigm. Things have changed now, and there are many, many ways to get the word out about things you care about. That old model is going the way of dinosaurs.
That said, it is important to follow the steps you mention above and produce as professional a quality of book as you possibly can. I can’t tell you the number of books I see that look like someone woke up in the middle of the night on Ambien and started just doing a mind purge. Really hideous–no logical progression from sentence to sentence, no smooth transitions between paragraphs, lots of exclamation points!!!!!, cliches tumbling over each other like puppies in a basket, and thinking that is either flawed or so convoluted it’s impossible to follow.
Another thing I’d recommend is a little test-marketing to see if anyone actually wants to buy anything like you’re selling. Sometimes just spinning a topic slightly differently will get the public’s attention, and if you can turn heads your way by emphasizing one approach over another, wouldn’t you want to?
After attending lots of writers’ conferences over the years, I have come away with the feeling that many, many, many of the agents and publishers simply do not have anything on their psychic maps except the East Coast and the West Coast. Anyone from anywhere in between might as well be a garden gnome.
Hi, K.C.
Thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to read my thoughts and share your wisdom – it’s much appreciated!
Things have changed now, and there are many, many ways to get the word out about things you care about. That old model is going the way of dinosaurs. <— Love the way you said that!
Wow. A garden gnome, huh? Well, I guess I'd rather be a self-published garden gnome (of quality) than nothing at all! LOL
And thank you for the Chekov quote and the tips – I've taken them all to heart and will definitely apply your advice to my life!
.-= Michele | aka Raw Juice Girl shares: Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus Recipe + Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution =-.
By the way, regarding keeping true to yourself, to your kind, true heart: Someone asked Chekov how to be a better writer. His reply? “Be a better person.”
Indeed. And remember that writing is thinking on paper (or on the screen), so I would add an addendum to Chekov’s statement: Be a better thinker. Learn to build a logical sequence, A to B to C, and even if you take wild flights of fancy, your writing will have a good foundation from which to launch.
–KC
.-= K.C. Compton shares: Free Webinar on Poultry =-.
I think, because Traditional Publishing, is such an “exclusive” club there is a greater sense of esteem for traditionally published authors. It’s hard to make it to the lists of a traditional publisher while self-publishing is available to anyone willing to invest in the production of their book.
One of the reasons self-publishing has a poor reputation is because so many “writers” fail put in the serious effort and expense involved in printing a quality book. However, some self-published books are so well put together that an average reader might assume it’s traditionally published.
I think the most important thing, no matter who publishes your book, is that you act within your integrity to produce a quality product that is true to the person you are. If you go the traditional route don’t let the publisher brow-beat you into making changes that destroy the YOU in your book. If you self-publish take the time to quality-control your book before releasing it to your readers.
And, in the end, published (no matter what the medium) is better than not published.
Hi, Rebecca!
Ah, yes, you are correct. I agree that it’s an “exclusive” club and that boosts the author’s self-esteem. But I still don’t think this author should’ve discouraged others. I mean, even if they published something that wasn’t fantabulous, why shatter their dreams? I just think that was so sad….
I also agree that there are a LOT of books out there that have been self-published and aren’t very good – or any good at all. We writers have to step it up a few notches and present ourselves polished and prepared!
And I absolutely believe we should “act within our integrity and produce a quality product that is true to the person we are” – that’s one of the more appealing aspects of self-publishing to me, that I won’t be destroyed by editors and publishers erasing my heart from the finished product.
And, in the end, published (no matter what the medium) is better than not published. <— Amen!!!
.-= Michele | aka Raw Juice Girl shares: Sun-Dried Tomato Hummus Recipe + Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution =-.
I agree, that particular author was out of line to belittle the efforts of others. It is never acceptable to deliberately cause pain and his/her attitude of superiority was uncalled for.
I was talking with Dawn, yesterday, about our Publishing options. Her recent post, Publishing Options for Today’s Authors had us considering self-publishing vs. vanity press.
Formerly Poetry.com was a popular publishing venue for amateur poets. It was generally considered a vanity press, but for the thousands of authors published by the International Library of Poetry (the company that formerly owned Poetry.com) the sense of accomplishment and achievement were as valid as any “first-publication” experience.
The International Library of Poetry gave me my very first publication credit, when I was twelve, and on a blossoming young mind that acceptance did amazing things. It encouraged my passion for poetry and inspired my confidence to submit poems to other publishers. I honestly believe that were it not for that early experience I would not have nurtured my interest in poetry, found success in further publication of my poems (with non-vanity press), come to mentor other poets, and earn acclaim in that genre.
I think all publishing options have a very real and valid place in our industry. The freedom to choose is the greatest right known to mankind. And, when it comes to choosing how our words reach others, that freedom allows us to decide which option suits our needs the best and, having been published in one way does not preclude us from choosing a different route in the future.
[...] sadly, as I mentioned in my previous post (Trashed By Traditionally-Published Authors) there are even times the roadblocks come from our own writing [...]
Great tips you’ve got here. Wasn’t the author of the famous Harry Potter books started with self-publishing since she got rejected for the nth time? Look where J.K. Rowling is right now. I believe passion is what sets dreamers from those who make it big.. so, if you have that ‘passion’ – just follow your heart’s desire.
.-= Issa shares: When Rewarding Your Clients Pays Off =-.
[...] Life of a Writer by Michele L. Tune 6 Comments “Getting discouraged is easy. There are negative people all around us, and it’s hard to pick out which ones are being constructive and honest versus [...]
You are a very talented blogger, and I really love reading your posts.