For the would-be writers out there…
The reason I’m putting this post up is because I get a lot of emails and messages asking me for advice on writing and self-publishing. For those would-be writers out there, here’s some stuff I thought you might find interesting:
I read an article written by an agent, its distinct tone being: “Writers need agents, and an agent should be allowed to limit an author’s ability to self-publish her work,” even though this post’s subject was whether a writer can make more money being traditionally-published or self-published. Here’s a link.
My response to the tone of this article, in short form is: HA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! And HA. Oh, wait … you’re not kidding? Seriously? Wow.
Okay, and now the longer version, which I put in the comments on the blog because someone else commented about how they needed an agent for another voice to listen to and for their knowledge of industry trends:
For those authors or would-be authors who are leaning on an agent for “another voice” or “knowledge of trends” (and paying 15% for the privilege), know that there are hundreds of indie authors out there who do this for each other for FREE, and most of them are far more tapped into the trends than agents are. Why? Because agents are constrained by what publishers want, and publishers don’t always know what readers want.
Go to Amazon’s bestseller lists and see how many indie books are there, ahead of trad-pubbed books. I’ll save you the trouble: there are lots. Readers are voting with their dollars and telling *us* what the trends are. Trends aren’t being artificially set by the Big 6 anymore. Finally!
Do you know how many indies are making a very handsome living from books that were deemed “unsellable” by an agent or an editor? Hundreds. Maybe thousands. I’m not agent-bashing here, because I do see a value to having one, but only in limited circumstances. Most authors would be financially better off self-pubbing, and I have numbers to back that up.
If you have a book and you’ve done everything you can to make it as good as it can be (editing, professional cover, etc.), publish the dang thing! If you sell the hell out of it, the publishers and agents will come to YOU. The Amazon bestseller list is the new slush-pile. I say, let the readers decide if you deserve to be an author, not an agent.
