tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4111255537167822037.post4710747404882538753..comments2013-09-25T15:27:18.088-07:00Comments on Rough Draft: Self-Publishing...THPTPTH!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08683368831875434758noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4111255537167822037.post-37403463640494080722012-08-15T18:14:53.527-07:002012-08-15T18:14:53.527-07:00I'm kind of torn on the world of self publishi...I'm kind of torn on the world of self publishing. On the one hand, you are right - a lot of people self publish a lot of garbage, and pollute the market at $.99. Too many people see the success of people like Amanda Hocking and Joe Konrath and think "Hey, I can do that!" They start writing, and writing, and keep on writing until the mere thought of editing is a speck on the horizon, and then they spam Amazon, Smashwords, B&N, and so on, thinking (as I think it was the venerable Mr. Konrath stated) that what matters is volume. They take no time to hone their craft, no time to revise what they've written, they just spamspamspamspamnownownow.<br /><br />However, I think you may be looking at a kind of false dichotomy. Your books (at least the one I've read) have obvious care put into them, and while you may or may not have hit your stride yet as a writer, you definitely stand above the talentless hacks who think they have what it takes to be the next big author. In any case, you almost paint it in terms of "Huge Success" and "Pitiful Failure," where if you don't sell billions of copies online you might as well resort to traditional publishing because they'll scare the editing into you. Or I may be misinterpreting your point. I tend to do that.<br /><br />All I know is I have this first draft I'm still kind of figuring out what to do with, and I'm not gonna lie - I've considered the self-publishing route through Kindle or Smashwords, among other approaches. Hell, something to consider is that if you do put a book out there, and it gains a following, you can then take it to a big publishing house and say "Here's my manuscript and propsal. Oh, and by the way, the book has already sold X copies online without much advertising, so I bet it will sell well with some Big Publishing Muscle behind it." If you're worried about polluting your brand, you could publish one or two under a pen name or something. I just am leery of completely discounting an entire distribution method based on the actions of a few - if that were the case, no one would ever use X-Box Live again for fear of the foul-mouthed fourteen-year-olds.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17543642260498080772noreply@blogger.com