Zero copies sold. A call to independent authors.

I would like to make a call to all independent authors.

Yes. You know. Those self publishing dudes trying to sell shit through Amazon.

I am a reader constantly looking for new and interesting stuff. In my wandering through virtual shelves in search of the next great novel I find everything from trash to masterpiece.

Often, more and more often, I am faced with writing that saddens me. The clones. The obvious imitations. The literature 'by the manual'. The boring literature. How to recognize this stuff? It is well written, well edited, follows all the rules of standard narrative. It closely follows the manual of the good writer. It doesn't, in fact, break not even a rule of that manual. But when I read the first few chapters, it reminds me only stuff being read in the past. It doesn't sound anything new. Synapses are there, waiting, ready to turn on some connection that never comes.

Why this writing saddens me? Because I see a wasted potential. Because I realize that beyond those words there is an author who might be able to turn on some synapse and he does not. Because he chose the easy road. Because he chose the manual.

Dear independent author. You have a starting position that is wonderful. It is called 'Zero Copies Sold'.

Behind you, there are these zero copies. Fantastic. You can't do worse. You can not, actually, do worse. In front of you there are no publishers, no marketing, no agents. There is no one who will make pressure to how and what you have to write. Clear field.

In front of you there is a blank sheet of paper and, just beyond that paper, there are readers.

Wow!

In the midst of those readers, hidden in the third row, I am too. - Dare! - I try to scream.

You dare! Throw away the manual of the perfect writer! You have on your side a platform that is revolutionizing the rules of literature. Many of these rules come from limitations that are no more. Don't stick too much to the manual, except for making me read your work. Change gender. Change style. Change everything you'd like to change. It can be done, there is no one that will not allow it.

The best-selling authors can't do what you can do. Maybe they have more talent, more resources, but are also limited by fans expecting something familiar and a publisher who has to sell. The best-selling authors can not experiment nor dare too much. You, in a position from which you can't do worse, you can dare. Do not imitate too much the best-selling authors. Be more adventurous. You can, you have on your side of the Zero Copies Sold.

Please. Really. My synapses ask for it.