I will preface this post by saying I don?t think badly of anyone who self-publishes. It is not something that I would choose to do and my reasons are below. I?m simply looking for opinions on the subject.
Recently, several people I know of through the internet have chosen to self-publish their work as a book. There has been a lot written about the subject, including over at Curtis Brown agent Nathan Bransford?s site among others. The opinions are widely mixed as to whether self-publishing a book is advisable. I?ve always been of the thought that you should never self-publish your work.
For one, if you should then try to market it to a traditional publisher, they won?t touch it (in most cases, of course I don?t know every case out there. I?m speaking in general.) The first publish rights will no longer exist. This is why everyone I?ve spoken to, authors and agents alike, have said not to publish the same work in whole on a website.
The reason that is probably my biggest determining factor in not self-publishing is credibility. Any Tom, Dick or Harry can sign up with a self-publish company like Lulu or one of the many others out there. This doesn?t even touch on the companies that charge you exhorbiant fees to self-publish. There was that whole brew-ha-ha in the not too distant past regarding Harlequin?s ?self-publishing? venture and their subsequent removal as being recognized by the Romance Writer?s of America association. You know, THE?association for romance writers that really determines everything in the romance genre. (While I was a member for a year of RWA, I do not write romance. But if everything?s about who you know and networking, I?m happy to say I was in RWA.)
So there?s that.
Writing is work. And freaking hard work at that. I?ve got 4 rejections collected in a folder in my desk. I?ve said this a few times before, but one of my rejections came with the words that I had talent, it just wasn?t what she was looking for because it needed more hook for the genre. Those words keep me striving to write and improve and be great. I want to get my work published because the people entrusted to determine what?s good to read like my work. It may never happen, I am a realist (and a pessimist) after all. I?m continuing to try to make it happen though.
This is where I?m curious what others think. I could shell out $400 and force my book on people. I could go through LuLu and do print on demand and collect a portion of the sales price. But is that the same as the person who goes through the process with an editor and publisher??Should a self-published author be able to claim ?published? status when they simply paid someone else to print their work? Shouldn?t being able to claim status as a?published author come about because an editor/agent/publishing house determined you actually have skill?
I want to hear what you think, self-published, traditional published and blogger/reader/local Joe?s alike
Originally published at The Blogging Mama
Source: http://www.andreamwhite.com/?p=130
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