Why don't more people read Self-published authors? Showing 1,401-1,450 of 2,452

[J.J.]

Thank you everyone for posting on this thread. I got some ideas for how to promote my title on Goodreads. It's really tough to get noticed.

[Mercia]

Note that Smashwords recommend that novels should not have samples larger than 25% because if it is too long it goes into a readers "free stuff I downloaded once and I might read sometime" pile. Shorter samples force the sampler to decide whether they want to pay to finish the story, while longer samples mean that they may never get to that decision point.

[Autumn]

Elle wrote: "It seems that either people love to read self-published authors, or they refuse to. Why do you or don't you read self-published authors? Likewise, if you find a book that looks good but you find ou..."

I read some self-published authors, but the main reason that I do not read more is the distressing trend that 'authors' (and I use the term loosely) put out works that are poorly formatted, lacking grammatically, full of misspellings, plot holes... everything that leads to a poor review and then the author has a snit fit in reply to the review or via social media.

I am a reader and a reviewer. It is not my place to make an author a better writer or cut them some slack because it is a self-published work. Self published folks can give a hearty thank you to all of those other self-published authors that they see raising a stink about being 'bullied' by negative reviews. It is that very vocal majority that has put me off of most self-published works.

[Stefani]

For me, as a reader and blogger, I read SPAs on occasion but my enthusiasm and willingness to accept SPA books for review is greatly diminished. I started off believing that self publishing was going to bring me all kinds of fabulous new ideas and authors with great books and I don't even have to pay $27.99 for a new hardcover! And that was partially true...for awhile.

There are some SPAs that I am absolutely in love with. In fact my favorite author in the world started as an SPA and still self pubs things that his publisher is not interested in.

But apart from the rare find most of what I've been subjected to is complete garbage. And it is not even just bad ideas, rather many of them are great ideas but the execution if awful. The grammar is bad, the spelling is bad, sometimes I can't even comprehend what they are trying to say. Most of the time I am itching to get out my red pen and just start line editing and submit that as my review.

Frankly, my experience with self pubbed work has made me seriously consider offering my services as an copy editor because while I have some (but not much) experience with it I could edit these things waaaaay better than whoever actually did it (if anyone).

Then you add in the disproportionate number of SPAs who like to attack and demean me when I don't like their precious "baby."

To be entirely frank, it is no longer worth the time, effort, and money to wade through the pile of dung in the hopes that I might stumble across an Oreo cookie. I will keep carefully selecting SPAs for my blog, but that's it for me. I can't handle anything else.

[Lilo]

As an Indie author who spent a considerable amount of money to hire a photographer for the book cover art and several rounds of editing, I can say that this situation sucks. I think there are two reasons this happens. One is that the author simply doesn't have the money for editing. The other is that they pay the money for editing but they lack the professional ties to find a good editor. I did find an excellent editor, yet even after several rounds some of my first reviewers found (in their words) "a few minor errors that didn't detract from the book". This of course can happen because the book may be still in flux during the rounds of editing. I went back and corrected the 3 errors I believe they found. Perhaps one or two errors remain, but it is definitely on par with what you find in Barnes and Noble, in that regard.

I have an author friend who was represented by a publisher and had his book professionally edited twice, yet the readers still found many issues. So he is editing it again.

This shows that the issue can occur even within the non-independent realm.

What I'd like to see is an Independent Rating Agency provide an official rating service for items such as grammar and punctuation, plot, character development, voice, etc. I'd like this rating to be placed directly on the front of the book. The reader would then know the quality of the author's work before purchasing it and I would not be judged by the quality of my fellow Indie authors. I would instead be judged by my own quality.

Let me be clear. I also want to be paid for my quality. I don't want to have to offer my 136,000 word novel, which went through 3 rounds of editing for plot and character development, followed by 3 rounds of editing for grammar and punctuation, for 99 cents.

[Nenia]

Short answer to this question is that a small but vocal minority are spoiling things for the rest of us.

[Lilo]

Richard wrote: "For every 136k word novel of quality that an unknown writer wants to sell for 4.99 or whatever, there's also another novel, perhaps just as good or better, by someone else who will settle for 99 cents, or free."

Then the readers hold some of the responsibility for this situation. If an author has to give their work away or only get 99 cents for it, you can't expect them to pay for editing and other professional services.

[Karma♥Bites ^.~]

Lilo wrote: "Richard wrote: "For every 136k word novel of quality that an unknown writer wants to sell for 4.99 or whatever, there's also another novel, perhaps just as good or better, by someone else who will settle for 99 cents, or free."

Then the readers hold some of the responsibility for this situation. If an author has to give their work away or only get 99 cents for it, you can't expect them to pay for editing and other professional services."

Wow. Really??? No words. (Well, that's a lie but...) Leaving thread now.

[J.T.]

Lilo wrote: "Richard wrote: "For every 136k word novel of quality that an unknown writer wants to sell for 4.99 or whatever, there's also another novel, perhaps just as good or better, by someone else who will ..."

Lilo,
The desire to put out a quality product should have you pursue all avenues. I have invested a lot of money I probably will not see a return on on my self-pub'ed books. Will that keep me from doing it again? Doubtful.
If you think because people don't want to pay more for books that $0.99 or free then you shouldn't put out any effort to put out a good product then I don't know what to say.

[Lilo]

That is a perfect example! Someone seriously thinks that in exchange for 9 months of labor and up to $10,000 in professional services, it is okay to pay nothing or next to nothing in return.

[Lilo]

J.T. I think that an author should only ask what their book is worth and I think a reader should be willing to pay for the worth of what they buy.

[Nenia]

Richard wrote: "That is the world "we" have created by allowing the cost of "publication" to drop to zero."

*slow applause*

A lot of these indie books aren't of the same quality as published books. The low cost is a reflection of that, like buying the generic brand in a supermarket. Even if they aren't inferior goods a lot of people will perceive them that way just because they don't have the backing of a large publisher.

Blaming the reader is ridiculous. If you want more money, you could shell out for professional services or go through the piles of rejection letters and revisions it takes to be submitted into a large publisher.

[Gregor]

Richard wrote: "Lilo wrote: "Then the readers hold some of the responsibility for this situation. If an author has to give their work away or only get 99 cents for it, you can't expect them to pay for editing and ..."

Yes, I think this is largely true.

[Lilo]

Richard, The cost of publication is not ever zero, even in self-published works. Your time as an author has value. That is time that could be spent elsewhere.

I am saying that the problem we have here is of imbalance and that the fault is on both sides. Some authors produce great quality work yet give their work away. They apparently don't value their time or their need for people to love their work is it's own enjoyment. But that tips the balance for those who want to produce quality work and make a living off of it. Most self-published authors don't even make $10,000 a year from their work. Then we have authors who produce sub-standard work and want to get money for it. That gives a bad flavor to those who want to set a "right price" for their work. Then we have readers who expect to get quality work and pay nothing for it. All of these things hurt the market.

The only way to right the market is if authors sell their work for what it is worth (and no more) and if readers are willing to pay what it is worth (and no less). Clearly the market is not there now.

[Lilo]

I also believe that part of this issue of supply and demand would balance out if readers had a way of knowing the quality of work before purchasing it. That is why we need independent rating agencies.

[J.T.]

Lilo wrote: "J.T. I think that an author should only ask what their book is worth and I think a reader should be willing to pay for the worth of what they buy."

The only thing about that is the "we" out there brought the price of eBooks to that level. That is why the Big Six (five?) Trad publishers got in big trouble trying to price fix last year. Readers have the expectation of paying little or nothing only because we have projected that image. A couple years ago, the price of an eBook and a Paperback were close to the same. Now there is a chasm the size of Mt. Everest between them.

Nenia,
I received piles of rejection letters and only one had any valuable advice on why my book was not being purchased. "Your novel is not commercial enough for us to purchase at this time." Next problem is the Big Six (five?) trad publishers are also having to sell books at the $0.99-$4.99 threshhold because of the expectation created by "us" so Trad contracts are becoming less lucrative for the writer.

[Mercia]

The discussion of how you should spend a lot of money and not expect to earn it back makes me think of 8 Mile, clearly Jimmy (Eminem) should have known his place was in the trailer park and left the dreams to rich-boy Clarence. If you have the money to burn, it is essentially vanity publishing and there is no guarantee that readers will be well served, because an editor working for an author has divided loyalties and belongs to an unregulated profession. I live in hope that the cream will rise to the top and that the way will always be open for some of that cream to be raised in a trailer park.

[Lilo]

I really feel the only way to solve this issue is for independent rating agencies to emerge. That way authors who produce high quality work could raise their prices and readers would have a way of knowing exactly the level of quality of what they buy. Right now it is a big old crap shoot for readers.

I think the best situation would be if the large distributors (Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords) would require that authors submit their work to an independent rating agency before listing it. That rating should be displayed on all work. Those rating agencies should be certified by an independent organization. I am not at all suggesting that the rating be reason to deny publishing, but that the rating be clearly available to readers. I think we will get there eventually.

[S.L.]

I don't think we can blame readers for the prices we set on our own books. The fact is that, as authors looking to increase our reader bases, the $0.99 price point works for a lot of people. Readers who have potentially been burned by poorly-edited SP books in the past are probably going to flinch less at trying out a new author for $0.99 than for $4.99.

That said, I think any author who's selling -all- of their work for $0.99 is doing themselves a disservice by, yes, ultimately undervaluing their work. Put one book out there for $0.99 to get attention and more eyes on your work, but the rest of your books should be priced higher. Readers will pay it, if they feel the value is there. If you've given them a good read for $0.99, the odds are good that they'll pay $2.99 or $3.99 to read you again.

[Brenda]

You have one of the solutions right here on Goodreads. If you read a book that is clearly subpar, post a review. Complain. Don't let the author get away with selling crap.

[Lilo]

Well, lets just cross our fingers for changes in this arena. Clearly it is dissatisfying both sides of the fence.

[Brenda]

Well, I've said elsewhere that authors who attack reviewers are not only unprofessional, but probably in need of mood alteration meds. Yes, it does reflect terribly upon SPAs in general. (Wasn't Goodreads going to do something about that?) And certainly if several reviewers agree, then it's not just one oddball complaint. So the solution is not less, it's more.

[Nenia]

Well, I've said elsewhere that authors who attack reviewers are not only unprofessional, but probably in need of mood alteration meds.

Or they're just utterly insensitive and don't give a crap.

I find flippant diagnoses like that offensive, having been a longtime sufferer myself. :/

[Nenia]

I agree - a lot of samples are waaaay more polished than the rest of the book. It can be very difficult to tell.

With a lot of indie fics, I find myself reading through hundreds of positive reviews, then looking back on my own negative review and wondering what I was missing.

Reviews on indie books are definitely stratified. Some people want to support them and give them higher ratings than they probably deserve. But this jacks up the rating artificially and people go into the book with high expectations and get pissed off when they shell out a lot of money for a book with good reviews only to find out that they're reading unedited dreck.

This has happened to me before.

ETA: as a reader, not as an author.

[Regina]

Nobody should be in this business to get rich. Anyone who is in it for the money is in it for the wrong business.

Write because you want to, because you have to. If you can manage to get up to enough of a standard of quality, publish it because you want to, so you have something to show for all your hard work. If you make any money at it, that's a huge extra. But that shouldn't be the goal. Because the odds of any of us being the next JK Rowling are very, very, VERY slim. If you believe in those sorts of odds, I suggest you play the lottery instead.

Editing, professional level covers and all that, are not cheap. I get it. But you can't expect to put out an obviously amateur product and expect to get paid professional pay for it. You just can't. You have to be able to compete. If you can't do that for whatever reason, then reset your expectations.

Right now, I've spent a crapload on artwork and covers. I don't even know how much, really, at this point. It doesn't matter. I'm not investing in it because I think I'll make all my money back. I'm investing in it because I am producing a product that I want to be at a certain standard. I have to prove myself right now, and I am investing in that. I consider it dues.

[Brenda]

If you have, say, a memoir of your dog, or outpourings about your rocky breakup with your spouse, you don't have to make them into a book. There are other avenues available to you these days. Start a blog! In your own blog, you can go back every day if you want and fix the commas and semicolons. Your readers will come and chat with you about Lassie. You can put up photos. You can send the link to all your Facebook friends.
And, most importantly, YOU WILL NOT BE ASKING FOR MONEY. You will not be passing yourself off as a professional, trying to meet professional standards, or pissing people off when they find that you are not. All the upsides, no down side.

[Mercia]

Regina, there is a conflict between the opening and closing of your comment. You open by referring to some people being in the wrong business, but close admitting that you do not know what your expenditure is (thus you may pay more tax than you need to) and that making the money back is unimportant (which suggests that you are not in any sort of business).
The irony of diatribes (not by you) against hobbyists and amateurs is that the real hobbyists and amateurs are those who spend without regard to what they can get back. If you have the resources that is your choice, but you are not running a self publishing business if you do so. You are functioning as an amateur (doing it for the love of writing) and financing the businesses of editors and other service providers, who are watching their outgoings and carefully forecasting their likely income.

[Robert]

Traditionally published authors and self-published authors can both write bad books.

The days of unprofessional manuscripts spit up onto Amazon by freshmen indies are over. High level professional editing and design are readily available online, and very affordable.

It is my opinion that the playing field has leveled, if not economically slanted in the favor of indie publishing.

When it comes to fiction, I personally enjoy something that takes a few more risks than something that everyone on my block has read. "Mainstream" books that fit into perfect categories easily digestable to the masses are just not appealing to me.

Traditonal publishers can't take any risks with what they publish, where indie publishers can. Due to that fact, genre blending and experimental fiction in indie publishing is encouraged and much more entertaining for me to read.

Personally, I will forgive some stumbles for something fresh and new. If I want something safe and perfect I will just read a textbook.

[Lilo]

Thank you for that refreshing viewpoint Robert!

There seems to be a general view that all Indie authors are authors who were rejected by publishing companies. I'd just like to point out that some Indie Authors never wanted a publishing company to start, so they never asked for acceptance.

Some of the reasons for this are:
desire to maintain control of the product
desire to produce something that does not fit the commercial model (as Robert mentioned above)
desire to NOT work for someone else

None of these reasons are in conflict with producing high quality work.

I also strenuously object to the idea that writers should put their work out there with the expectation of little or no profit, or even a loss. It seems some readers expect that. I am also seeing on this board some writers recommend that! I don't know about how other writers value their work, but I absolutely feel that my efforts have value and my product is worth compensation.

It seems quite simple to me. Writers should charge what their book is worth. Readers should be willing to pay for what they get.

Nor do I understand how this is any different the providing tips at a restaurant. No one would ever suggest that just because you can get away with paying zero tip, that you should. People pay the waitress based on the service provided. Yet I keep hearing again and again how writers should ask nothing or expect nothing in return for their work. They should do it for the "art". No, no, no! They should produce high quality work for the art. This is true! But they should sell it for what it is worth. They should NOT give it away. That devalues all of our efforts.

[Karma♥Bites ^.~]

Lilo wrote: "...It seems quite simple to me. Writers should charge what their book is worth. Readers should be willing to pay for what they get. ..."

Lilo, there's a little something missing from that point of view--basic market economics, including supply & demand. Writers are certainly free to charge what their books are 'worth'. However, the market (namely, consumers in this instance) determines what prices it will bear. Essentially, the harsh reality is that one writer's determination of 'worth' does not necessarily equal a sustainable (read: 'sellable') price in the marketplace.

etc: typos, etc.

[Lilo]

Karma Bites. That is why I advocate for independent ratings of books as well as the end to the practice of writers giving away their work.

I think a short term promotion is fine, or make it free if it is garbage. But if it actually has value, ask for that price!

Writers who ask for nothing in return for good work are a much at fault in this situation as readers who expect something for nothing.

However, writers who "right price" their work and readers who are willing to pay it, are on the correct path.

The next thing we need to do is find a way to help readers know the books general worth before they buy it.

[Lilo]

Lets face it, the reason why most readers get angry is because they don't find out a book is crappy until after they fork out the cash. And that sucks. That needs to change.

[Karma♥Bites ^.~]

Lilo, you completely missed my point--or meaning, whatever. But nevermind, I've got hungry kids to feed.

[Lilo]

Linda, I don't object to anything you have said. The laws of supply and demand certainly apply. I don't think I've said anything that indicates that I disagree with that.

It is the giving away for free / expecting free notions that I so clearly object to.

[Bonnie]

Lilo wrote: "I also believe that part of this issue of supply and demand would balance out if readers had a way of knowing the quality of work before purchasing it. That is why we need independent rating agencies."

I put the first chapter of my novels and the entire picture book on my website so readers can see if it is what they want before buying. The Amazon look inside feature isn't enough.

BonnieFerrante.ca

[Bonnie]

Lilo wrote: "I really feel the only way to solve this issue is for independent rating agencies to emerge. That way authors who produce high quality work could raise their prices and readers would have a way of ..."

That's a great idea. However, I would like it to be rated by more than one person.

[Bonnie]

I'm a hybrid author for more than one reason. I've been traditionally published and have had positive and negative experiences. I had three books on the market and one ready to go when my publisher went out of business. Those books had barely been out but no traditional publisher would look at a previously published book. So I republished them myself.

I also have a book with a traditional publisher that has been in the works for three years and may take one more before it up. They use freelance editors who take two to four months to send back edits. I'm too old to publish books at the rate of one every three or so years.

I self published my children's books because I want more control. I do the illustrations myself having experience with art (although digital art is new to me). Knowing I am going to do the illustrations makes the marriage between picture and word better and helps me to be succinct and my writing. Again, a children's book takes years with a traditional publisher but far less time to self publish.

I will continue to submit to publishers and self published on the side. I enjoy and learn from both experiences differently.

[Lilo]

Bonnie, The way I see it (in my head!) is that the big ebook retailers would require a rating. You could go to any independent rating agency and pay a fee to submit your book. (You would have to pay the fee or otherwise, the ebook retailers would have to and that would hardly be objective.) The Independent rating agency would be certified by some literary organization for quality. But, you would have your choice of rating agencies to go to. You would then submit your rating with your book. The ebook retailers wouldn't choose to publish the book based on the rating. They would accept all. However, readers could sort by the agency rating.

If you received a poor rating, you could either revise it or send it to another agency. If your book really sucks, you are not going to keep dishing out dollars to send to multiple agencies if you keep getting the same poor results. You will revise it. If it was a fluke and the person rating your book had a grumpy day, you still have another chance, but you are out some additional cash. You also know not to go to that agency again.

I understand it is a mirage, but it is a nice one. :)

[Lilo]

Bonnie, I place the first 10 chapters of my book on my website for free. I figure if anyone can get through the first 10 chapters and still walk away, then I don't deserve the sale.

[Dylan]

Lilo wrote: "Lets face it, the reason why most readers get angry is because they don't find out a book is crappy until after they fork out the cash. And that sucks. That needs to change."

That's true of traditionally published books as well, though. I've had friends highly recommend books to me only to find that I didn't like them at all. Most times, I was fortunate enough not to waste my money on them because the book was loaned to me. But that brings up another point ...

It is the giving away for free / expecting free notions that I so clearly object to.

So if I borrow a book from a friend or the library, you object to that? I might not have read that book otherwise. And if I love it, I will probably spend the money to get my own copy AND buy the author's other books. Free can really work in an author's favor!

As an author myself, I give my books away for free all the time. It's never listed as free on Amazon or anywhere, because that's my bookstore. A brick and mortar bookstore doesn't give books away for free so neither will mine. But it's my product and if I want to build an audience, I will happily give it to people to read, especially in exchange for an honest review. Mostly, though, it's in the hopes that they enjoy what I wrote - since that's why I wrote it in the first place. Hopefully, they'll tell their friends about it.

Heck, I'll give YOU a copy if you want one. It's currently rated 4-5 stars on Amazon, so someone out there doesn't think it's "crappy." Wait, I'll go better than that — I'll give the first 20 people free ebook copies of my entire trilogy if they email me!

[Lilo]

Dylan, Libraries don't get books for free. I'm not sure how you correlate that with giving your book away for free? Nor am I talking about giving a book for free to a friend. Nor am I talking about doing a free promotion. I am talking about setting your price at nothing on a continual basis. If you read through my posts you would see this. Setting your price as 0 amounts to the same as saying either "my book has no value" or "my work means nothing to me". That disturbs the market for those who actually value their work. It all disturbs the market, but that has the most significant impact.

[Bonnie]

Lilo wrote: "Bonnie, I place the first 10 chapters of my book on my website for free. I figure if anyone can get through the first 10 chapters and still walk away, then I don't deserve the sale."

Good point. :-)

[Christine PNW]

Regina wrote: "Nobody should be in this business to get rich. Anyone who is in it for the money is in it for the wrong business.

Write because you want to, because you have to. If you can manage to get up to en..."

This attitude is precisely the reason that so much self-publishing sucks.

If you aren't publishing because you think you are good enough to go pro, then why are you publishing? Why not start a blog and give your words away?

It's also not true. Everyone - and I mean EVERYONE - who self-publishes thinks that they are going to strike gold. It is the freaking Yukon out there, and every city-slicker has jumped onto the bandwagon whether or not they would know a gold flake when one dropped into their pan. The worse the book, the more obvious it is that they are in it for the money and nothing more, actually.

I have given up, given up completely on self-published authors unless they are hybrid authors or they cut their teeth with a publisher and went independent after they developed expertise in their craft. The risk outweighs the value provided. It isn't the cost of the book that matters to me, it's the time I waste (or don't waste) reading the book that is important to me.

I value my time at about $60.00 an hour. If I spend 3 hours reading a 350 page piece of garbage, that .99 book just cost me $180.00 in lost enjoyment. I'd just as soon pay the $9.99 for a book that is going to pay me $180.00 in enjoyment experienced. In one calculation, I've lost $179.01, in the other, I've gained $170.99.

Why don't I read more self-published authors? Because most of their books are terrible.

[Brenda]

I have the first three chapters of my e-books up for sampling, at bookviewcafe.com. If I can't hook you in 1000 words, I have no business being an author. Mostly, I can.

[Liz]

As a pure reader I often purchase self published authors novels if the blurb sounds like it might be my sort of thing. Some TOTAL gems out there that you wonder why they havent been traditionally published - although many authors are choosing that route rather than being forced into it these days. I read anything that I fancy, I'm not overly bothered on how it is published. I'll read the "big marketed" books in a year and a fair few that are right under the radar.

As a REVIEWER I'm slightly more cirumspect. I try to read and review as many SPA's as I can because I like to support authors in all capacities with reviews - it seems as if reviews can help market an SPA where they don't have the money or resources to do much themselves. And thats great, the reader/author world has opened up. However there have been a fair few reviewers who have had issues with SPA's when they havent liked the book. So if I'm intending to review- or accepting a free copy in exchange for an honest review- I tend to try and check out the author around and about on my blogging sites and make sure I'm not going to end up in a sticky situation.

GENERALLY speaking though I think LOTS of people read self published books and more are doing so everyday.

:)

[Brenda]

And if the book you buy is a crapfest, do you mention this in the review? Or do you avert your eyes from the train wreck and move on?

[Christine PNW]

Brenda wrote: "And if the book you buy is a crapfest, do you mention this in the review? Or do you avert your eyes from the train wreck and move on?"

Me, personally? I almost never get fooled at this point. But I would probably post a critical review on booklikes and on amazon, and not goodreads. I am not interested in being attacked and the bad behavior of self-published authors has really ratcheted up in the last six months or so.

[Martyn]

Moonlight Reader wrote: "It's also not true. Everyone - and I mean EVERYONE - who self-publishes thinks that they are going to strike gold. It is the freaking Yukon out there, and every city-slicker has jumped onto the bandwagon whether or not they would know a gold flake when one dropped into their pan. The worse the book, the more obvious it is that they are in it for the money and nothing more, actually."

I don't think I'm going to strike gold. I hope that I'll reach the audience my books deserve, but I'm realistic enough to understand that with 40,000 books published per week, I need to build exposure and that I might never become more than a midlist author. I do what lies in my power, but I know that my books might sink despite a professional cover, quality writing and professional editing.

I know that many readers read books recommended by their friends, and I know that's how I sold a lot of my books. I have enthusiastic readers who write long reviews and tweet about my books. I've been offered contracts from publishers, but the terms were horrible and as an unknown author I don't have the clout to change those terms to my advantage.

So I keep doing what I've been doing for more than two decades and that is writing the books I'd like to read, while hoping others might like them too.

[Liz]

Brenda wrote: "And if the book you buy is a crapfest, do you mention this in the review? Or do you avert your eyes from the train wreck and move on?"

If I've bought the book I don't feel obliged to review it at all, either glowing or negative and often don't.If I ever came across one that was so terrible I genuinely thought others would waste their money THEN I would say so in a review but luckily that hasnt happened yet. So sometimes I review them sometimes I don't! That applies both to traditionally published AND self published. I buy a lot of books. I read even more, I can't review them all.

If I've been sent it for review I give what is asked for. An honest review. Again that applies equally to all forms of publishing.

[Christine PNW]

Martyn V. wrote: "Moonlight Reader wrote: "It's also not true. Everyone - and I mean EVERYONE - who self-publishes thinks that they are going to strike gold. It is the freaking Yukon out there, and every city-slick..."

Martyn, I've interacted with you enough to get you. You are realistic and I believe you. But I have also interacted with a lot of people who have self-published, and you are also, in my experience, a bit unique.

There is nothing wrong with being a mid-list author. In fact, many of my favorite authors are mid-list authors. You aspire, however, to be a professional. Thus, you act like one.