Not all is equal in publishing

So a few things have come up over the last few months that have got me thinking and I wanted to open a dialogue about it.



Traditional authors and indie author book are not held or measured against the same standard.



Even though traditional authors have the SAME problems as indie authors, the standard is different.



Here is reality: 1) all books have typos. 2) not all covers are great3) not all books are as short as they should be4) not all people love the MC5) not all love interests float your boat6) All books can be too long.  7) All stories can drag. 8) All covers can stink.  All love triangles can be boring. Sequels can be disappointing.

It happens to ALL of us.



But if an indie author suddenly has a few typos,  it's b/c they weren't good enough for publishing. It's b/c they must have done it alone and not gotten any input from anyone because they were in such a rush. It must be because they decided to *whisper* self publish. And let me say - even when authors pay for copyediting - there are still typos. *sigh* and it sucks b/c it is expensive.

Even if I haven't run into some stigma as much as others - it exists - big time. And it's hard to watch friends deal with it when they have fabulous books. And it's frustrating to run into myself.

Books bought in traditional publishing automatically get an A in readers mind just b/c they got bought by a publisher. Most indie authors start out with an F and have to prove they are credible - one reader at a time. But it's not just readers, it's peers - the people you admire and respect. The organizations that support writers. The reviewers, to indies, the doors are closed.



I understand why it's at that point but it doesn't make it fair (whaaaaa!)

That is why I say if you decide to indie pub - do it right?



The more quality work, the easier to break the stigma. Don't scrimp, don't cut corners. It's not worth it in the end. You already have to prove yourself so why make it even harder. Don't get your brother to sketch a cover and don't get your mom to line edit. the odds are against you and you should do everything you can to put out the best you can. 80% of indie books sell under 100 copies. That is a lot to overcome.



This is why indie authors are much more open online about sales or awards or milestones - it is the only way to get away form the auto F grade and move up. 

Now, I will admit, in general the quality of indie pubbing is questionable. There are tons of crappy books out there in the indie world and some wonderful books in traditional pubbing.

But there are tons of crappy traditional books and there are tons of great indie books. 

Maybe it's time to judge a book by its writing...as opposed to its publishing process or path.



Being an indie author is hard. Getting past the stigma of indie pubbing is the most difficult part of this whole publishing process - for me. It makes me sad and I struggle with the double standard. The doubt. Sometimes no matter what I do - it still feels like it come up short.

Sometimes it feels like when I was back in high school - when the popular crowd wore Jordache (yes Im aging myself!)  and I could only wear Lee Jeans. Even though they looked the same...because the label was different, somehow I wasn't good enough. I even remember sewing different tags in my jeans - yes I did that. :)

Labels didn't matter then and they shouldn't matter now - but they do and that's just a reality. And being someone who likes to treat everyone equally and who hates to hurt people's feelings or make them feel less - i wish it was different.





What do you think? Is there a stigma? And is there a way around it?

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