Doing It Yourself

Spending time listening to authors talking about their experiences with independent self-publishing vs. traditional publishing is fascinating. It's remarkable how much technology has (a) brought greater freedom to writers and greater choice to readers by lowering the barriers between creators and consumers, and (b) scared the ever-loving shit out of the entire publishing industry. Successful and well-established authors are starting to exercise the self-publishing option and sell their work directly to the masses.

I'm no expert, but here are a few of the opinions on the subject of self-publishing I've been hearing from people who know way, way more about this than I.

Advantages:

1. No one tells you what to write. The publishing industry is driven by what sells, and few decision-makers want to gamble on something new and different. You may think of your work as quirky, offbeat, unique etc. but they'll call it a long shot.

A publisher wants two things from an author: first (and by far most importantly), an established name with a nice big fat list of devoted fans and readers. Second, a manuscript that is solidly within a well-defined genre that is selling very well right now and will be easy to market to a designated target demographic. Give 'em both and they're extremely happy.

What if you're not well known? What if you are writing stuff that either straddles or defies traditional genre definitions? Or what if you write within an unpopular genre? Even if a publisher thinks your stuff is good, the question is: "who can I sell this to?"

Selling your own work means you write what you want to write. You can do it your own way, for your own reasons and on your own timeline.

2. You don't have to surrender control over things that might be important to you. I'm a control enthusiast, and details such as typeface, formatting, cover design, and a panoply of editorial/stylistic choices matter to me. You might be adamant about certain unconventional things that make your work distinct, and as a self-published author you can go for it. The risk is yours to take. A traditional publisher might flat-out refuse to let you take a chance on something weird.

3. You can build an audience over time. In traditional publishing, you are at the mercy of the company that carries your book. You generally get one shot at success. If they botch your release and/or don't give your book the proper level of support and as a result it tanks, you may get dropped and find your career torpedoed, at least for a while. Now you're back to square one and have to start all over . . . a demoralizing prospect. The books's failure wasn't necessarily your fault, but you have to live with the shadow of the disaster.

When you sell your own work, you can be in it for the long haul. If your work is good, if it resonates, then it will eventually find its way into the hands of the right people, the people who will appreciate it.

Disadvantages:

1. For every hour you spend on your manuscript, you spend three hours (or more) on promotional efforts. If you don't do it, it doesn't get done.

I have a Twitter account, a Tumblr account, a Facebook author page , an Amazon author page, and this Goodreads author page in addition to my personal Web site. Keeping them all actively updated (and interesting?) takes at least as much time as the actual writing I do each day.

2. You don't have the vast resources and knowledge base of an editor, an agent, a publisher, a Webmaster and an advertising rep to tap into when strategizing your campaign. (Then again, this can also be a good thing in a way. See #1 from the "Advantages" category above.)

3. Some people need deadlines and criticism to do good work. In a vacuum, they flail about unproductively. It can be like trying to teach yourself a new subject without actually taking a class. Remove the pressure of tests and graded homework, and you might not have the motivation to stay on schedule.

I think what's happening in the world of publishing right now is similar to what's happening in the music industry: the Internet is pushing more responsibility back onto the producers (the writers, the musicians), but that's not necessarily a bad thing — and it brings with it unprecedented bi-directional access.