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It’s time for another Insecure Writers Support Group (IWSG) post!
IWSG is a monthly blog hop that occurs every first
Wednesday of the month where we writers talk about the challenges in
writing and how to resolve them.
A couple weeks ago,
I was talking to author Derek Muk at Sinister Creature Con, a horror
convention in Sacramento California. I told him I was a
self-published author. He asked me if I thought self-publishing still
gets looked down on compared to traditional publishing. I thought for
a moment. Then I said that it does but less so than when it first came onto the internet scene in the 1990s. In a way, like many of the authors themselves who have gone that
route, self-publishing is making its break!
I told Muk that
self-published books are still not taken seriously by the majority of
critics and avid readers since most of the works on the New York
Times best
sellers’
list
come from traditional publishers such as Random House and DAW. But
self-published books are getting more acknowledgment than they did 10
years ago. They’re being acknowledged by both nationwide and
worldwide organizations such as the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of
America and the Horror Writers Association. Traditional award
committees—committees that have mostly considered traditionally
published work for awards--are beginning to accept self-published
work. Two of these are the Hugo Award and National Book Award
committees. Not only this, but traditional publishers
are offering to buy the rights to self-published books
such as with author Susan Allain’s novel, Mr. Malcolm’s List! So
self-published works
aren’t as ghettoed as they used to be.
One of the longest
standing pros of self-publishing is the freedom for the author to
make his or her work the way they want. Along with this is the
freedom to publish one’s own work to begin with without having to
be at the mercy of a traditional publisher’s editor, who will
accept only what the majority of consumers will buy. However, newer
pros are: more opportunity for awards; prestigious literary
membership; and, ironically, offers from traditional publishers.
Speaking about irony, this third one is beneficial if you’re
willing to give up your freedom as an author. However,
some traditional
publishing companies may take a
self-published book without demanding major changes to it if
they’re impressed with it enough. So always ask them about the
details of the offer, including the conditions on which they will
purchase the book. Ideally, get an attorney to look over the details
with you.
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| Credit: Pixabay.com |
For those in the
U.S., celebrate your freedom as a writer and reader this Independence
Day! Have a Happy and Safe Fourth of July!
For those who are
elsewhere in the world or don’t celebrate the holiday, always
celebrate yourself as a writer and reader anyway, because writing and
reading are two of the greatest gifts given to the human race!
Today’s IWSG is
brought to you by these super co-hosts: Erika Beebe, Natalie Aguirre,
Jennifer Lane, MJ Fifield, Lisa Buie-Collard, and Ellen @ The Cynical
Sailor! IWSG was founded by awesome author Alex Cavanaugh, writer of
the Cassa Series of novels.!
Until next time . .
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I'm not self-published, but it certainly gives authors more advantages. I've read enough books to know there is crap on both sides, which places them even to me.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I've seen crap on both sides too, so I agree. To broaden my chances even more, though, I'm going both ways: traditional publishing for short stories and self-publishing for books.
DeleteCelebrate yourself as a writer? Yes! It's cool that we can bypass the gate keepers.
ReplyDeleteIt definitely makes publishing one''s work way easier. Getting people to see that work is a different story.
Delete