There’s a lot of stuff going on right now about Us vs. Themism in publishing, which is nothing new, and nothing I haven’t been hearing my entire publishing career. But since I’ve recently taken the self-epub plunge myself, I thought I’d talk a little bit about the whys and wherefores.
Have I turned my back on NY? No, actually. I have another traditional print release coming up in August. I just happen to have some projects I think are better suited to the independent publishing path. For instance, Mad Stone is a novella (technically, a novelette) and I’ve already discussed why there isn’t really a NY market for it.
I don’t think traditional publishing is history, by any means. Changing, yes, but people are still buying books in print, and I would still like to see my books in stores and on shelves. Also, selling specific rights to a work for a specific amount makes it much easier to budget than trying to guess what monthly royalty earnings will be. And there are things a publisher can do for me and my books that I can’t do myself.
What about an established epublisher? Again, there are things that can be accomplished through that route; for starters, books published that way are eligible for awards, and in the case of Samhain, have the opportunity for brick and mortar bookstore distribution.
I’ve always appreciated having choices and options for my career. I thought epublishing and traditional publishing were both valid choices when I first started selling, and I still think so. I also still think it’s up to authors to educate themselves about the pros and cons and really investigate the business angles before making a choice; I saw way too many people leap on the epublishing bandwagon, for instance, with no real clue what they were getting into. Many wound up crushed by their failure to earn over $100 on a title or tied up in epublisher bankruptcy litigation. (And the awful truth is that some didn’t care as long as they got to be recognized as Published in RWA.)
It behooves every writer to treat their business like a business, to do their research and not get sucked into hype. To know their goals, and to choose the path that works for them. And in at this point in time, to be open to possibilities. The more emotional the arguments for and against any particular publishing path become, the more important it is to stick to facts when trying to make a decision.
I’d like to see a little more intelligence and a little less anger and hysteria from the people who have chosen to take sides, but that’s probably expecting too much from Publishing.
I thought you and Sasha did a lovely job with your duology, Charlene. The cover art was gorgeous, the book was well-edited (I didn’t find so much as a typo) and you wrote great stories that I’m sure will make your readers quite happy. If you’re going to self-publish, that’s the kind of product you want to put out there.
In any business there are always people who are looking for shortcuts, though, and will jump at anything that is hyped as such. Like one of the writers who recently turned down a deal in order to self-publish. At my first national conference, that same writer got into the big luncheon room before everyone else and put their books out (at the time this was a very big, unauthorized no-no.)
The guest speaker noticed the books and had someone from the con committee go around to every table and remove them (I was sitting at the guest speaker’s table, so I was a witness to this.) Later I heard that the books were tossed in a dumpster. Clashing egos aside, it was good lesson for me in how not to promote yourself.
As for me, eventually I may self-publish some backlist titles, and perhaps even some books I’m having trouble finding a publisher for. I don’t make millions via traditional publishing, but I do make enough to pay the bills, cover my kid’s college tuition and have a little left over at the end of the month. I’m not in any hurry to walk away from that solely because people are promising me that I can make more on my own. It sounds wonderful, and maybe I could, but in reality I can’t deposit a promise.
I will continue to self-publish free books because I have a lot of fun with that; otherwise I think I’ll stay on the fence and keep watching the fun.
Thank you! We worked very hard to put out a professional effort that would not disappoint existing readers and could win new readers. It’s not something you want to do halfway.
It’s smart not to walk away from what you’re doing, because the whole catch to the epublishing route is that you can make money, not that you will. That said, if you decide to sell some books on your own that you couldn’t find a publisher for, I’ll be all over them!
Wishing you many sales, Charli!
While I understand the fervent proponents for every side of the publishing question (and they are!)…what I find myself scratching my head about is why so many peeps seem to think of it as an “either/or” in any case.
As far as I know, doing any one doesn’t preclude doing another. I could see a successful author covering all bases, using the advantages each has to offer.
Why not?
Raine, exactly! Why not make the best of all available options? Putting out an indie book does not mean you want to see traditional publishing burn, and putting out a traditional book doesn’t mean you can’t do something on your own on the side; especially since it’s always, always smart to stay ahead of contract.