No. There’s nothing wrong with self-publishing. It’s not in the dumps.
As a matter of fact, it has all the hallmarks of Wal-Mart status, in that it
has gained tremendous ground and influence, and could really end up in a major
takeover. Sadly, to the detriment of the Big 5, small press, paperback book distributors/sellers,
agents, market share has ballooned for the self-published author. They
certainly seem to be out-selling small trade published authors like me, hands
down. I can randomly click on the Amazon Kindle book page and check out any
self-published author—Chances are they’ve slaughtered my sales. And you know
what? I’m a hybrid author, too. Good for them. Why has this happened, baring
special circumstances via the elite scribblers?
Indie authors can call the shots on any price change, free giveaway
events or contests. Trade publishers are in control of that function, limiting
themselves to such functions and their wares are typically priced a little
higher than the SPers. Adaptability is the key word here.
The SP authors can change their bios, synopsis and book cover art at
will. They are the publisher—they call all the shots. They can adjust to
changes instantly, to swing with any present or upcoming trend.
Their crowd is dynamically huge—the Kindle Boards is just one example of
their stunning population growth. These people support each other, buying each
other’s works, whether they are collections, novels, novellas or shorts. The
market share has made a dramatic shift in their favor. Once having bought trade
books in the past, the SPers have opted for their own like. They are as loyal
to each other as a tornado is to a trailer park. You can’t blame them. This
stems from, I’m certain of, righteous indignation—they are pissed off at the
publishing and agent contingent who repeatedly slammed the door in their faces.
Not all of them mind you—we have best-selling and celebrity authors who jumped
ship completely, and those other writers who dove into self-publishing from the
get go.
The incredible speed by which self-publishing makes it possible to churn
out massive content, i.e, lots of books and stories, also keeps their name
brand flagged and up front in the literary world.
They show no difference in their book info and stats on Amazon pages.
They are not distinguishable from trade publishing pages, except for the publisher
identity. But in many cases, they have their own publishing company logos. I
know I do!
They are not subject to time constraints with editing. They can edit at
will or hire out for services. They can swap editing with their fellows. Three
or four of these swaps can clean a book up rather nicely.
They have their own Indie awards. They get news media hits and lots of
attention. That means NYT and USA Today ink. Playing field—leveled.
They hit best seller status on all and any retail outlets just like the
big boys.
Man, I could go on and on…but we haven’t enough eye time for that. Am I
jealous? You damn betcha. I paid my dues; I got vetted, laughed at, ignored,
rejected and trodden upon, for what I thought was the initiation into the big
trade world. Funny, after 27 years it’s still happening to me. So maybe the
indie people knew something all along.
I just have a few problems with giving self-publishing an A+. Borders
took a dive, as did many small independent book stores upon the e-book
revolution. Indies who frequented book stores, quit and bought online, added to
the number of readers who also discovered reading from the screen. To be
honest, and I don’t know how long it will take, I think agents and publishers
of the old school will vanish to browner pastures. Who will need ‘em? Hey, you
don’t have to edit that well or follow paperback format. Clipart takes the
place of painted book covers and photo conversion. You can write a novel in two
weeks and post it on Amazon.
Who are you blaming, Chris? Sounds like you want somebody on the
chopping block. I BLAME YOU, AMAZON, YOU GREEDY SONS-O-BITCHES. Hey, let’s
publish the world and dilute the market stream so nobody can be discovered and
make any money. All we’ll have left is printers. Today a parent can print up a
book that their dog has left his painted paw prints in. Ad some clipart
pictures and, damn! We have a children’s book!
But underneath it all, I wish that I had got on board with the O-Niners.
They hitched a ride on a star. That star didn’t burn out.
