Not
too long ago, I had a conversation about self-published authors verses
traditionally published authors. My friend, Will, is a film producer, poet, and
fellow writer. He is currently working on a film called Bill that, like him, is
uniquely thought provoking.
Anyway, he does not think highly of self-published authors. In his opinion, self-pub authors can be anyone who uses Microsoft Word, who most likely do not have writing skill, and are not credible. My published books mean less to him because they were self-published, not the traditional rout. Our conversation debated the differences between self and traditional publishing and I thought I would share it here.
First of all, Will has always been supportive of my writing. He is a good friend whose opinion I value, even if we have different ideas. So, no, he's not a jerk.
I agree with a lot of his ideas concerning self-published authors. I also think we are not as credible. I also think traditionally published books are typically of higher quality. However, that does not mean self-published authors cannot make New York best seller quality books.
The beauty of self-publishing is anyone can do it. The downfall of self-publishing is anyone can do it. It doesn't matter if you studied writing, literature, proper syntax, story arch, plot design, so forth for years or just sat down on WordPad and punched out a story a toddler could come up with. ANYONE can publish, thus a great majority of self-published work is, respectfully speaking, garbage. Just because someone can think of a story and find time to write it does NOT make them author material. With music, it is easy to identify a talented player within a short amount of time. Writing is the same way. By a page or two you know when someone can and cannot write. Also, many self-published authors neglect to properly edit their work, let a team of editors look it over, learn how to properly format the layout of their paragraphs, or design a professional cover. All these unprofessional, trashy books give self-published books a horribly bad reputation.
The reason traditionally published books are more credible is because writers must prove they are with the publishing house’s time. They must find an agent, submit their documents to dozens of publishing companies, their work must be edited and worthy to be read. The wannabes are weeded out until the true writers are found. That is why traditionally published books are far more respected then self-published.
However.
Those of us who self-publish and want our books to be professional, I have far more respect for then traditionally published authors. Why? I am the agent going from publishing house to publishing house, finding the best sales rout, the best royalties for my book, and the most efficient publishing source for my book. I am the chief editor who recruits an editing team, makes sure they edit in a timely manner, delegating who gets to edit what, compiles all their critiques, and modifying the document to its perfection. I am the interior formatter, making sure the correct font is used, because there are good and bad fonts, I make sure each chapter starts three and a quarter in chest from the page's top, I check and recheck the text body so that it is easy to read and one page dose not spill out onto another. I am the cover designer, researching the covers of my genre, brainstorming the best, eye catching cover, yet keeping it simple and to the point. I am the marketing team, planning out each marketing strategy after researching, learning for experienced authors and techniques, and finding a way to execute the plan. I am the treasurer, calculating the best budget for book signings and marketing plans, tallying GROS and NET, paying the editing, cover design, book ordering, and marketing bills while all the while figuring out where more money will come from when I need it. I am the salesman, telling people about my books, giving out information on where to find my books. Oh, and, of course, I'm the writer, the artist working hours on end on a story I carefully crafted with emotion and zeal.
If my books don't sell, it's on me to fix it. If there's a typo, it's my responsibility to eradicate it. If all my efforts are in vein, I'm the one who suffers. The flip side is true too. If my books succeed, I get all the benefits because I own my books. There is a lot of responsibility, learning, and hat wearing.
I know traditionally published books are usually the best, bit if Twilight can become a best seller, anyone can. At the end of the day, an author needs to discover what truly matters to them: do they want to have total control, do everything themselves, constantly learning how to market, network, sell, thus keeping all the rights to their book? Or, do they want to sell their story to a company, let them make all the decisions, unable to do anything if the books aren't selling, and, on the flip side, if the books are selling can sit back and reap the benefits.
After explaining this to my friend Will, his perspective of self-published authors changed. I know there are a lot of horribly written, marketed, cover designed self-published books, but those who take the time to learn their trade and want to be professional, they will deliver the golden books, the quality, the heartfelt beauty.
You think what you like and publish how you want to publish.
I'll stick with self-publishing until proven otherwise.
Anyway, he does not think highly of self-published authors. In his opinion, self-pub authors can be anyone who uses Microsoft Word, who most likely do not have writing skill, and are not credible. My published books mean less to him because they were self-published, not the traditional rout. Our conversation debated the differences between self and traditional publishing and I thought I would share it here.
First of all, Will has always been supportive of my writing. He is a good friend whose opinion I value, even if we have different ideas. So, no, he's not a jerk.
I agree with a lot of his ideas concerning self-published authors. I also think we are not as credible. I also think traditionally published books are typically of higher quality. However, that does not mean self-published authors cannot make New York best seller quality books.
The beauty of self-publishing is anyone can do it. The downfall of self-publishing is anyone can do it. It doesn't matter if you studied writing, literature, proper syntax, story arch, plot design, so forth for years or just sat down on WordPad and punched out a story a toddler could come up with. ANYONE can publish, thus a great majority of self-published work is, respectfully speaking, garbage. Just because someone can think of a story and find time to write it does NOT make them author material. With music, it is easy to identify a talented player within a short amount of time. Writing is the same way. By a page or two you know when someone can and cannot write. Also, many self-published authors neglect to properly edit their work, let a team of editors look it over, learn how to properly format the layout of their paragraphs, or design a professional cover. All these unprofessional, trashy books give self-published books a horribly bad reputation.
The reason traditionally published books are more credible is because writers must prove they are with the publishing house’s time. They must find an agent, submit their documents to dozens of publishing companies, their work must be edited and worthy to be read. The wannabes are weeded out until the true writers are found. That is why traditionally published books are far more respected then self-published.
However.
Those of us who self-publish and want our books to be professional, I have far more respect for then traditionally published authors. Why? I am the agent going from publishing house to publishing house, finding the best sales rout, the best royalties for my book, and the most efficient publishing source for my book. I am the chief editor who recruits an editing team, makes sure they edit in a timely manner, delegating who gets to edit what, compiles all their critiques, and modifying the document to its perfection. I am the interior formatter, making sure the correct font is used, because there are good and bad fonts, I make sure each chapter starts three and a quarter in chest from the page's top, I check and recheck the text body so that it is easy to read and one page dose not spill out onto another. I am the cover designer, researching the covers of my genre, brainstorming the best, eye catching cover, yet keeping it simple and to the point. I am the marketing team, planning out each marketing strategy after researching, learning for experienced authors and techniques, and finding a way to execute the plan. I am the treasurer, calculating the best budget for book signings and marketing plans, tallying GROS and NET, paying the editing, cover design, book ordering, and marketing bills while all the while figuring out where more money will come from when I need it. I am the salesman, telling people about my books, giving out information on where to find my books. Oh, and, of course, I'm the writer, the artist working hours on end on a story I carefully crafted with emotion and zeal.
If my books don't sell, it's on me to fix it. If there's a typo, it's my responsibility to eradicate it. If all my efforts are in vein, I'm the one who suffers. The flip side is true too. If my books succeed, I get all the benefits because I own my books. There is a lot of responsibility, learning, and hat wearing.
I know traditionally published books are usually the best, bit if Twilight can become a best seller, anyone can. At the end of the day, an author needs to discover what truly matters to them: do they want to have total control, do everything themselves, constantly learning how to market, network, sell, thus keeping all the rights to their book? Or, do they want to sell their story to a company, let them make all the decisions, unable to do anything if the books aren't selling, and, on the flip side, if the books are selling can sit back and reap the benefits.
After explaining this to my friend Will, his perspective of self-published authors changed. I know there are a lot of horribly written, marketed, cover designed self-published books, but those who take the time to learn their trade and want to be professional, they will deliver the golden books, the quality, the heartfelt beauty.
You think what you like and publish how you want to publish.
I'll stick with self-publishing until proven otherwise.
Speaking
of publishing, the first book in The Wizard’s Legacy will be available on
Amazon November 7th! Click on the links below to follow on your
favorite sites and be the first to know when “Shattered Lives” is available for
you to own!
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