But I am surprised that self publishing, etc wasn't discussed more. Was
this conference sponsored by traditional publishers?
Good comment. I have lots to say in response so I thought I'd do an entry about it.
I don't know who sponsored this conference, but it did lean toward traditional publishing. I was surprised at the lack of reference to self-publishing myself.
I have never self-published for myself, although I have helped local historical organizations with special self-published projects. I know many "traditional" writers who eschew self-publishing.
But I know a number of people who have self-published and been very happy with the results and with their sales efforts. I think self-publishing really depends on what you're writing and what you're doing it for. I see self-publishing as a trend that will continue and grow as traditional publishing (i.e., somebody pays you upfront for your efforts) continues to decline.
My main concern with the trend toward self-publishing is that I think it takes story away from the masses and hands it over to those who have the money to print a book. I realize it is not all that expensive to have a small first run, but even so it is more than many people can afford. I have seen prices and quotes ranging from $400 and up, by the way.
I am concerned about that aspect of it, because that takes story away from the people who need it most. It continues class division, too. So I hope that we always have a mixture of traditional publishing along with self-publishing, so that everyone at least has an opportunity.
By the same token, self-publishing gives life to works that otherwise would only see the inside of a drawer. Sometimes that isn't a good thing - some things don't deserve to be published. But many times good works are simply overlooked by the traditional publishing industry.
As a chapter in The ASJA Guide to Freelance Writing notes, the work of Mark Twain, Virginia Woolf and Ben Franklin saw the light of day because it was self-published.
Personally, I would self-publish if I thought I had something worthwhile. I have a bunch of poems I've considered self-publishing but I've never gotten beyond the "yikes, this would cost me $$$" phase in my research.
I also think very good things to self-publish are local histories, family genealogies, family memory books, regional photo books, etc. Not everything pertains to the entire nation, after all.
So those are my thoughts on self-publishing. Comments about the process, particularly from anyone who has actually done it for themselves, are welcome.
June also asked about manuscript submission formats. I'll address that in my next entry.
I think self-publishing gets the story out for more everyday people who do not have academic ins or academic backgrounds. You do have to put some money out upfront but it's pretty easy to make it back.
ReplyDeleteIf I was an actor it would probably be unlikely that I would be discovered and end up a star in Hollywood, but I could act regionally and have success at that. Writing is the same to me. A book contract is rare but that shouldn't stop writers from having books. Books are like what canvases are to artists.
Don't forget chapbooks for poetry. They are easy to do on a personal computer.
Colleen, I honestly hadn't considered a chapbook, but I should. Thanks for the reminder.
ReplyDeleteNow and then I've toyed with the idea of making a chapbook of my poems, but haven't because I haven't had the inclination to do anything with it once done. I used to really really really want to get published. Now, I don't care so much and I'm not sure why. It might be because my self expression has found form in my blog and photography.
ReplyDeleteAs one who has self-pubbed once and print-on-demand published four times, I can say that self-pubbing isn't for everyone. It works best for small projects for limited niche markets that a commercial publisher wouldn't take because the market is so limited. You need to have a readership in place before you self-pub and a way to get your books out.
ReplyDeleteAnyone going into self-pubbing or POD-pubbing needs to realize that the big bookstores won't shelve your book (no distributor and no returnability), legitimate reviewers (like Publishers Weekly) won't review them, and most folks won't know the books even exist.
Plus, while some really good self-pubbed books are out there (both of Coleen's, Fred First's, and a few others), there are some truly dreadful ones, too. So, there's a stigma.
However, I glad I self-pubbed the ones I did. I'm just not likely to ever do it again.
I'd also have to say to anybody reading this with an interest in the topic to please not send a book to a Library with an invoice.
ReplyDeleteI've had several authors that take this road in an attempt to sell their books. It automatically offends me because I didn't order that material, and it's a quick road to never get a sale.
On the other hand I've seen some beautiful works by smaller authors and I think it's fantastic. I always buy several of a local work to highlight on my shelves.