Self-publishing does not necessarily equal slush-pile publishing
Posted By Sue Collier on June 30, 2010
So I read a post on self-publishing over a Kidlit today. I’ve commented there, but I couldn’t resist more pontificating. 
I’ll start by saying that I am not the average person who has no idea what lurks in slush. I spent many years in the trade, going through those very awful slush piles that blogger writes about. And it’s true; there is some real crap out there. And everyone does not have a book in them.
That said, this does not mean that every acquisitions editor working for a major publishing house would know slush if it came in a cup. There is plenty of junk out there that is sitting on the bookstore shelves right this second. Some of it is written by bestselling authors or celebrities, ie, the publishing companies know it will sell. To imply there is some rigorous high standard that always goes along with book publishing is untrue. It’s about money, pure and simple. For most houses, there is no loftier goal than publishing what will make money—regardless of whether it is crap or not.
I fully agree with this, from the article: “I do have to say one thing in defense of self-publishing: it is a very useful tool for people who have a niche audience or their own book sales channels. Ideally, both. Most traditional publishers may not do ‘niche’ projects (not a large enough target market to justify general trade publication).” But may I also add that traditional publishers today are also looking for authors who have a built-in platform—before they sign the contract. Because the reality is that most trads do little to promote their mid-list authors. It is primarily up to the authors themselves.
I also don’t believe that every self-published author believes The Man (as Kidlit refers to the trads) is holding them back so they must “settle” for self-publishing. There are plenty of savvy authors out there—check out indie author and publisher Zoe Winters, for instance—who realize the odds are not in their favor. It isn’t because their work isn’t “ready”; it’s simply because there are a finite number of books being published by traditional publishers. As publishing houses have gobbled one another up in recent years, there are even few opportunities to be published. It isn’t about feeding the ego by getting a “stamp of approval” from The Man for these authors; it is about sharing their message. And if you truly have something to say, wouldn’t you rather have a few people hear it rather than none?
I think it’s misleading to tell writers that when your manuscript is just as perfect as perfect can be, you have a very good chance of being picked up by a traditional publisher. I think that’s overly optimistic. My husband’s heavy metal band is very good—all members of the group are accomplished musicians—but the reality is that they have virtually no chance of being picked up by a major record label. They know that. But it doesn’t stop them from wanting to be heard anyway.
“I’m only interested in people who grow, learn, polish, adapt, and set their sights on the difficult goal of traditional publication. It’s hard for a reason. Not everybody gets to do it.” What about the indie music scene? Should my husband’s band not put out their own CDs because they are pining for some major label to sign them? What about indie movies? Are they any less of an achievement because they are not produced by some major film company?
“But most people who self-publish don’t have a niche book or a good marketing strategy: they want to target the mass market. They have a project that would appeal, in their opinion, to everyone and anyone. And self-publishing a book intended for a trade audience is where these would-be authors get in trouble. Because reaching a mass audience — casual readers — with a self-published fiction project is nearly impossible.” I say there are plenty of self-published authors who go into it with their eyes wide open and their expectations realistic.
It’s unfortunate that with the advent of the so-called “self-publishing companies,” such as Author Solutions and Lulu, way too many people dive right into “self-publishing.” (Incidentally, this is usually “vanity” or “subsidy” publishing, which has somehow become lumped in with true self-publishing wherein authors set up their own imprint and have their own ISBN under which to publish books.) I have a real issue with these cookie-cutter, assembly-line service providers who enable authors to publish their slush on the cheap. Would I consider publishing these books an “achievement”? Not usually. Do I consider truly self-published authors who work hard writing a good, salable manuscript; have it critiqued and edited by professionals; and have the book well-designed as having achieved something? Absolutely.
Yes, there are those who “who don’t believe what editors and agents keep telling them: their work isn’t ready”—or that their work is just bad. I say, let those people go publish with Lulu. Their book will be available on Lulu.com, where approximately zero people actually go to buy books. What I’d like to see is the true self-published authors not denigrated for what they’ve done—because it is a real accomplishment.
Traditional publishing is not exactly known for embracing change (anyone want to talk about the fact that returns are still allowed?!), but I think maybe The Man is going to have to adjust his way of thinking whether he wants to or not.
About The Author
Hey Sue, great article! And I was planning to say that before my own name jumped out and bit me! LOL. Thanks for the shout out! I think for me it wasn’t so much about the odds of getting a publisher, as the odds of getting a publisher who would actually promote me and wouldn’t do something stupid (like insane ebook pricing. As a new author I need people to take a chance on me, and a $9.99 ebook just is not going to get enough people to take that risk.)
I think most unpubbed writers have this fantasy that not only will they get a publisher, but they’ll get a publisher who actually has their best interests at heart and really promotes the crap out of them. And gives them a great advance. Most of the time though, an author languishes somewhere on the midlist with little publisher support, and their publisher won’t keep all their books in print. Then their editor or publicist leaves and the next person in line doesn’t care about their project. Or they get a stupid cover or a gimmicky title.
Ultimately it was about control for me. It’s that whole… if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself thing.
And interestingly, most self-publishing authors I see aren’t trying to appeal to the masses so much as they’re trying to write the Great American Novel. And there’s nothing wrong with that. But for the most part, literary fiction just doesn’t sell, especially when you can’t tie it into another genre. I’m definitely writing something that would be “mass market fiction” which I think is easier to find readers for. I know where paranormal romance readers are. I have no idea where I’d find readers of literary fiction.
Oh, and as soon as I get this stuff off to LSI for my print release, I’m setting up the Indie Reader blogroll and putting your blog on it!
Thanks for chiming in, Zoe! You are such a great example of an author who wanted total control over her work, so self-publishing was your only option. And you’ve done well at it! I just hate when self-publishing is portrayed as a last resort–y’know, because you weren’t “good enough” to be published “for real.”
Your assessment of midlist authors is spot on. Traditional publishing is portrayed as this glamorous world of book tours and Oprah appearances, when in reality, the publisher plops the book in their catalog and on their website–and that’s about it.
Thanks for reading and commenting!
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Sue,
Love this post and agree with everything said here. Promotion is so minimal for most authors, it can’t be identified under an electron microscope. Ultimately, trad authors and self-published authors end up doing much the same amount of promotion (except the author with the big house is suffering from the common delusion of “Surely my publisher’s publicist is taking care of that for me.”)
I’ve attended two writing conference in the past couple of months. There’s lots of handwringing about the future, but by the second time around hearing the objections and resistance, I’ve come to the conclusion there’s a lot of wasted energy out there. Those still debating “Self-pubbing: Threat or Opportunity?” don’t get it. These people need to put on their big girl panties, adapt and embrace the future because ebooks, mbooks and the self-pubbing flood is coming whether they choose to accept it or not. Adapt or go extinct. It’s a rule.
Thanks for the great post!
Chazz
Hey Sue,
That’s my biggest pet peeve. I understand nobody likes everything. There is always someone who hates any writer’s work. But, when you self-pub and someone doesn’t like your work, the fallback is always: “Oh. You obviously couldn’t ‘get’ a publisher.” That’s sort of like telling a nun she couldn’t get a date. It’s a completely irrelevant barometer of success for them. But some people don’t get it.
Thanks so much for writing this kind and honest piece.
I shopped manuscripts around for years, each one getting interest from some publisher who then backed out for some (totally legitimate) business reason. That, or they were devoured by a big publishing corporation — if they were lucky — or, if less lucky, they had to cut back or close down their fiction imprint altogether and focus on bathroom or coffee-table books just to survive.
“Why don’t you send it to [this or that independent publisher]?” Because in most cases they’ve changed their focus to publishing sideline works by famous authors, friends, or “championing” the UK release of already-bestselling North American works.
I hired an offset printer to do the production work of my first book back in 1999, and since then have expanded my skills to the point that I can produce a paperback or hardcover book from start to finish at home. Because of this, I’ve been able to start connecting with the readers who are my audience. I’ve still got worlds to learn, but at least I have four real books that people can get their hands on.
This is surely not a lesser act than stuffing reams of paper into envelopes and mailing them to corporations I hope will “discover” me and ‘magic’ me into a famous author. The rich people and famous people I’ve met or know are still vulnerable humans trying to be happy, so wealth or celebrity have never been my goals. I just want to tell fun stories and share them with others, so they can enjoy these stories unfolding in their imagination, just as I did in when I discovered them in mine.
In this finite mortal life, I’ve stopped wasting time and money trying to woo businesspeople who have their attention elsewhere. Publishing companies are businesses — they’re not charities and they don’t owe us a thing — so rather than become bitter about the state of the industry, or spend all my time obsessing about it, I’ve found a bypass that lets me create my own reality and exist completely outside it. As Zoe says, it’s irrelevant to me. Rather than try to get a date with the Queen of England, I’ve found my own true love.
Yes, it’s decidedly difficult swimming upstream all the time, trying to learn how to do all the necessary things (which, increasingly, it seems I would have to even with a traditional contract), and it’s tough not getting angry when people lump all independent work together and give it a nasty, dismissive description without having read a word of mine. So it’s a soothing balm to receive an article like this from someone who ‘gets’ it, with full awareness of the industry, and without discounting any of the facts or myriad gradients in the spectrum of our experiences as book-people.
Sorry, for my moment of unasked-for public catharsis here. This was really just a long way of saying “thank you”.
Thank you!
Thanks for the comments, Chazz! My book that is due out this summer is published traditionally — and I will tell you firsthand that their promotion efforts are minimal. (And this is a revised edition of a book with a track record of 100,000 sold!!) The hand-wringing — it’s so obvious from the blogosphere that the trad community is very nervous. They need to get over themselves and get on with it.
Ha! Love the analogy, Zoe. So true. So true.
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@Hamish–No need to apologize! And thanks for weighing in with such a thoughtful, well-articulated response. This is my favorite part of what you wrote: “I’ve been able to start connecting with the readers who are my audience. I’ve still got worlds to learn, but at least I have four real books that people can get their hands on.” That’s the real key, isn’t it? It’s about getting your message out there rather than spending years hoping for “acceptance” from one of the trads. Thanks for stopping by!
Awesome, Sue. This reply is “a keeper.”
Gary.
Thanks, Gary! This is one of those topics I just can’t shut up about!
Great line, Sue!
this does not mean that every acquisitions editor working for a major publishing house would know slush if it came in a cup.
So very true.