The Cold Hard Truth About Self-Publishing
Most people still see self-publishing as the option for writers who aren't good enough to be traditionally published. I'm not talking about traditionally published authors who self-publish their backlists either--and I don't think its fair that Kindle lists these pros as "Independent Authors" along with the poor shmuck who wrote, edited, formatted and pubbed their own work.
I'm talking about authors who have never been traditionally published. It doesn't matter whether they've hired editors and copy editors, and commissioned cover art--it's still self-published and therefore automatically looked down on. (Strangely enough, e-pubbing on Amazon or Smashwords and the like isn't ridiculed quite as much as self-pubbing a hard copy through something like Lulu.com.)
And I don't mean traditionally published authors who self-publish new, original works. They're exempt from the stigma.
If you're what I liked to call a "true" self-published author--meaning no one has paid you to publish your work--well, obviously you're not to be taken seriously. Not unless you accidently sell a million copies--in which case you're usually considered lucky, not talented.
Case in point:
Most of my FRIENDS have not read my books, even though half of them write Urban Fantasy themselves, and even though they could have gotten them for free in just about any format they liked. Of the friends who have read my work, very few have ever reviewed them--good or bad.
And believe me, I understand that my work just may not be up your alley.
But of all the (pro) writer friends I have, I can honestly say that I have read at least some of their work. (Heck, I've helped some of them write some of their work, or at least provided my technical expertise, or a beta read.) But maybe that's just me.
It's not because they're bad friends either. (Let's face it, some are little more than acquaintances, or con acquaintances at best>) They're certainly there for moral support, and some have even gone out of their way to help promote my work, or recommend/introduce me to their agents and/or publishers.
It's just that until you have that publishing contract, you're just not taken seriously. You're not considered a real writer. Trust me, they will all tell you differently. They'll try to convince you otherwise, mostly just to make you feel better, I suspect.
But actions speak louder than words.
I'm talking about authors who have never been traditionally published. It doesn't matter whether they've hired editors and copy editors, and commissioned cover art--it's still self-published and therefore automatically looked down on. (Strangely enough, e-pubbing on Amazon or Smashwords and the like isn't ridiculed quite as much as self-pubbing a hard copy through something like Lulu.com.)
And I don't mean traditionally published authors who self-publish new, original works. They're exempt from the stigma.
If you're what I liked to call a "true" self-published author--meaning no one has paid you to publish your work--well, obviously you're not to be taken seriously. Not unless you accidently sell a million copies--in which case you're usually considered lucky, not talented.
Case in point:
Most of my FRIENDS have not read my books, even though half of them write Urban Fantasy themselves, and even though they could have gotten them for free in just about any format they liked. Of the friends who have read my work, very few have ever reviewed them--good or bad.
And believe me, I understand that my work just may not be up your alley.
But of all the (pro) writer friends I have, I can honestly say that I have read at least some of their work. (Heck, I've helped some of them write some of their work, or at least provided my technical expertise, or a beta read.) But maybe that's just me.
It's not because they're bad friends either. (Let's face it, some are little more than acquaintances, or con acquaintances at best>) They're certainly there for moral support, and some have even gone out of their way to help promote my work, or recommend/introduce me to their agents and/or publishers.
It's just that until you have that publishing contract, you're just not taken seriously. You're not considered a real writer. Trust me, they will all tell you differently. They'll try to convince you otherwise, mostly just to make you feel better, I suspect.
But actions speak louder than words.
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