A Complicated Business

The publishing landscape is changing and there's been much chatter lately about self-publishing, even among the more "establishment" type authors.

Stephanie Laurens recently started a blog where some of the heavy-hitter authors are discussing the new digital age. Dear Author had a post up a while back about how readers are going to find new authors now as the internet changes everything. And as self-publishing becomes a more and more viable option for those authors who already have audiences, it seems more and more appealing to newbies starting out.

But whenever I hear an unpublished writer say she's made the decision to self-publish, I still have a little internal flinch. Now, I refuse to be as down on self-pubbing as the mainstream publishing community was on digital publishing a few years back. I don't want to be prejudiced and I do think it's a fascinating opportunity... for backlist titles, or continuations of series that don't get the mainstream nod, or veteran authors who already have audiences. But I'm leery of previously unpublished writers who take vocal pride in "going rogue" and "defying the gatekeepers" and jump straight into self-publishing without the seasoning of working with editors & agents in the mainstream channels.

Not to say those untested books can't be wonderful, but the thing is, I've learned a huge amount from working with editors (and I'm still pretty new - there's still much more to learn). They've helped me figure out how to ride with my publishing training wheels. I think authors really benefit from that process. The editors aren't standing between you and your audience, locking the gate. Their job is to get the best possible product to the reader - just like us.

When newbie authors jump the fence, I feel like they may be missing necessary pieces of the learning process - like rejection (yes, a necessary part) and overcoming our own stubborn (stupid) belief that our baby is perfect just the way it is. (I'm more inclined to think my stuff sucks than it is perfect, but I think I might be a minority there.)

I just think there's a difference between a writing veteran taking the self-publishing plunge (because they see it as a better financial bet or they want the control) and a frustrated unpublished writer deciding they know better than publishing professionals. To me, it's about perspective. Both the need for outside perspective, and the changed perspective experience can give you. Again, I don't mean to say that newbie authors jumping straight into publishing can't produce utterly brilliant books, but I have to approach those books more dubiously (and wonder if they wouldn't have been even more earthshattering with a shot of perspective).

I guess my take is... I don't have anything against self-publishing, but if you go that route, please don't be too smug about all the steps you're skipping. The more superior you act, the more inclined I am to think you're setting yourself up for a fall. There's more to it than royalty percentages...

What do you think, as a reader? Are you leery of self-published books that don't have a publisher's stamp of approval? Does an author's previous traditional-publishing-track record make a difference to you? Or do you not give a rip where the book comes from as long as it's good? Have you been burned by a bad self-pubbed book? Will you give them another try?