Two Articles to Read About Self-Publishing

I'm in the middle of writing my next post regarding self-publishing, but in the meantime, have come across a couple articles about self-publishing that I thought really help people understand what being an Indie author is all about. The first is by the Huffington Post and gives a really great overview of how things are changing in the publishing world. I'm putting my favorite quotes from it below - it's very well written. The second is by azcentral.com and tells about four successful authors from Arizona. I love hearing success stories. :-)

Both articles mention things I disagree with. In the article by the Huffiington Post, Sticks & Stones: The Changing Politics of the Self-Publishing Stigma, they mention that Indie authors are practically taking money from traditionally published authors.

First off, most people read widely within their favorite genres, and just because they purchased and enjoyed one author's book, doesn't mean they'll never purchase and enjoy another person's work, including Indie and traditional authors. There are plenty of readers to go around.

Next, nearly any loss in sales of print or eBooks can be attributed to poor decisions made by publishing houses regarding the shifting focus in the publishing world (more and more people reading eBooks instead of paper) and the prices they set for eBooks. If you aren't aware of the lawsuit by the Department of Justice against five big publishers and Apple regarding the price of eBooks, I invite you to get yourself up to date through JA Konrath's blog and his article here.

The point is, Indie authors aren't taking money from traditional authors.

The thing that bothered me in the azcentral.com article wasn't a comment by the person who wrote the article, but a quote by an Indie author. Elissa Ambrose, Harlequin and self-published author said: "Without a traditional publisher to oversee the editing, packaging and marketing, I run the risk of my book not selling."

By writing a book and publishing it - self or traditionally - you run the risk of the book not selling. Many, many traditionally published books fail and they've got publishers behind them to "oversee the editing, packaging and marketing." Self-publishing doesn't guarantee success, but neither does traditionally publishing. As I've said in the past, both require hard, hard work.

Anyway. I really wanted to share my favorite quotes from the Huffington Post article. These are in order of when they appear in the article:

"According to the Association of American Publishers (AAP), in 2011 e-book sales rose 117%, generating revenue of $969.9 million, while sales in all trade print segments fell, with mass-market paperbacks plunging by nearly 36%."

"Fact is, most people buy a book for one reason: they want a good read. Assuming the book delivers, they don’t care who published it; many don’t even notice."

"'The idea that all self-published books are sub-standard is erroneous,' says literary agent Jenny Bent, founder of The Bent Agency in Brooklyn, New York."

"Today, rejection by traditional houses says little about a book."

"Self-publishing can also be a practical way to build an audience. Today, publishers expect authors to have a solid platform. By self-publishing, emerging authors can build the fan base necessary to attract a traditional publisher for their next work."

"The opportunity to self-publish—to publish their books their own way—has given both emerging and established authors more freedom than ever before."

"Change is never easy; inevitably, there are bumps and bruises along the way. But, like or not, indie publishing is here to stay."

Boo yeah! :-) Yes, it's here to stay. Read the entire Huffington Post article. It's great!

Anyway. Back to the daily grind.