In many ways, the internet has affected the way literature has evolved in recent years. Like the film industry, it has paved the way for the underdog to rise up and really make a name for themselves. I’ve enjoyed quite a few of them and there are those who share their work freely on the internet who truly deserve to be published, but don’t.
If this were an article on publishing great works as an independent author, then I’d go on about it, but this isn’t that kind of article.
Independent publishing has removed the necessity of being rejected multiple times by a publishing house, because as humans who haven’t mastered an art form, we hate to feel rejected. So sad. Sniff.
Forget art. A few simple steps, a credit card and a click of a button can get you published. Ego fully intact. Congratulations, you’re an author…
I know, I sound bitter, but really I’m just frustrated. I think we’ve forgotten somewhere along the way that there is a learning process behind those rejection letters. If someone didn’t like it, there’s a reason for it. The world isn’t out to get you. Sometimes, you can glean some kind of information, sometimes valuable, from a rejection letter that might tell you what went wrong. Yeah, I know, not all of them will. Most won’t. But gems aren’t meant to be a dime a dozen. Unfortunately, many will tell you how crappy your writing is and you’ll feel discouraged enough to quit. Don’t quit. A little pain is worth it when you finally get that book published and your name is now attached to a legitimate piece of art that won’t embarrass you in the future.
After all, that’s the fun of being a writer, right? We all want to be the next Asimov, Tolkien, Reichs, Rowling, Cussler, King….Right!?
Right.
When I started writing at 5; my own internal solution to learning English, I just wanted to write my very own Goosebumps story. Simple enough, I’d say. I was told it was very hard to get published, but that if I worked really hard and didn’t mind people telling what was wrong with my story, then it was always a possibility.
I’ve been writing for 21 years, I’ve soaked in every piece of criticism, whether I liked it or not. I’ve had the fortune of teachers who provided me with editors and librarians who invited guests like Barbara Henner to speak to the kids about writing books and getting published. I was instilled with the belief that if I took every rejection letter, learned from it, and managed to do so well that even a big publishing house would publish me eventually, then I’d done what I set out to do. I would be a true author.
In the meantime, I decided to tell my stories to my friends. I wrote for them. I told for them. I aimed to please them. I drove them insane with hundreds of unfinished stories. I was just too excited to get all those ideas out of my head. But it was a positive solution to minor setbacks.
Despite the lure of a simple solution that would leave no room for true heart-ache, I have avoided the independent publishers. For one main reason.
They lack credibility.
No, not the publishers themselves, but the authors who choose to have their work published. I was appalled to realize just how many first drafts were published directly; spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, structural issues, and even things as simple as keeping their character’s eye colour consistent. It sounds silly, but it’s little details that make an author look like a rank amateur and make people never want to buy another book by them ever again. Heck, they want to draw and quarter them for wasting 10.99$ on a piece of crap.
It isn’t impressive and if you brag about it, you look like a bigger ass than before. This isn’t the tabloids and you aren’t an actor trying to stay in the media. Bad writing is bad publicity and bad publicity makes people not buy your book. I don’t care how many people tell you otherwise. If your goal is to catch the eye of some network or production studio, then please, go write scripts. Stop cluttering literature with garbage.
Most of all, people resent 3 things when authors publish shoddy work. 1) The money they put into it, 2) The wasted time, and 3) Their lowered IQ.
1) You can say, ‘Oh, it’s only $10.99’, but what gives you the right to take someone else’s hard-earned money for your lazy literature?…Obviously, you don’t care if you bothered to do it in the first place.
2) Who has time to waste? Not many. If you want them to sit down and read your book, you better make sure it was worth their time. Maybe not everyone will be happy with your story, but you want your target audience to mostly like it.
3) Ever read a story and felt dumber at the end than when you started? Don’t insult your audience. They don’t like it and they’ll hate you for it and smear your name all over the internet about how much of an arrogant ass you are for ever publishing it. Especially if they find out you self-published.
Having said all that. I may not have finished NaNoWriMo on time, ever, but I have pride in what I write. I work it and re-work it until I’m satisfied. I will continue to do so, until I feel like it’s worth the money I’m going to make someone spend on it.
Love your audience, respect your audience and if you MUST go through an independent publisher….please get your work edited or reviewed and listen to what people have to say. Some demands might be completely illogical and will be outright trolling, but there’s usually a hint of truth and they just don’t know how to tell you why. Look for the reason why or try to find alternatives that work with your story and please the readers too. No opinion is a sole opinion. Keep that in mind.
Have a great day!
Thanks for reading.
