Recently I have received several postings from writer friends directing me to online links to their books. There they appear, glossy and professional, on sites like amazon. Strange, I didn’t even know the individuals had secured an agent, let alone a publishing deal. How could I be so remiss as to not even pick up on this? And then, on closer inspection, I see that there has been no agent, no publishing deal. Each and everyone of them has self-published. Now, I am of two minds on this...
One, how can you guarantee quality assurance? Yes, all of the writers are talented prose writers but whether they can sustain an entire narrative for 300+ pages is doubtful. I wonder now how many writers will presume to get ahead of themselves in the process? On the other side, many of these particular writers have worked long and hard on their craft and these particular stories. Why shouldn’t they have the satisfaction of seeing them in print?
With frightening statistics, such as only 1% of writers succeeding in getting their books published mainstream, there is a genuine argument for writers seeking alternative means to publication. But where does quality assurance come in? How does a writer trust this is the best version they could be putting out there? How does a reader ensure they are not being led a not-so-merry dance?
What is the criteria? And who decides? Are publishers there to produce books or to provide a service for authors? And, if the latter, then can we evolve into the guardians of Story, whereby we become the quality assurers? Do authors still trust us enough to service their needs?
Signing Off,
(Editorial Manager)
There's no simple answer. An awful lot of self-pubbed books suffer from very poor editing (pov and punctuation are my pet punchbags - something I'm often accused of banging on about), but then so do many traditionally published novels, as Delorfinde says.
I found two mistakes in my own self-pub; gutting, but about the same average as mainstream publishers, judging from books I read. However, POD publishing means I can lose those in future for very little cost, and having a finished book eased my itch to edit again and again and maybe lose the very thing that made me write it in the first place.
See how bad I am - I edited this twice before posting!
I can often decide if I am going to buy a book based on the publisher alone, or what reviews I have read, or simply on who has said what, be this word of mouth or a quote on the back. For those self publishing, they have to do all the selling and marketing on their own. Whilst this might be okay for some, enough for those to simply get it out there, it’s not really an avenue that, as an aspiring writer, want to take.
I have grown up writing to think and know that an agent and publisher an essential part of the literary ‘web’.
I have always regarded self publishing to be jumping the gun somewhat. If anyone's work is up to standard, then it'll eventually get noticed, and if it never does get noticed, and you're led to eventually self-publish, then what does that really say about your piece of work?
I've been writing since I can remember, and I'm still picking things up as I go along. After all the writing and all the drafts and editing, what better feeling of contention could anyone have, than that which would come from an agent or editor taking on your work at the end of it all?
I'd rather have that, than to push out some unpolished or even mediocre novel to be lost on some website, hardly noticed, and hardly read.
And yes, if one day I am to be published, I may still be hardly noticed and hardly read, but isn't being published or picked up by an agent confirmation that yes, the struggle was worth it?
I’d rather get the nod from an agent or publisher. To me, that’s as natural in the process and essential for the craft, as it is to have custard on my apple crumble.
There is no way I would have had the courage to self-publish - I simply couldn't be objective about my writing and had no idea whether or not it was any good.
It was only when I had an agent and publishers all enthusing about my work, and prepared to put their money where their mouth was, that I began to believe that perhaps I had shot at a career as a writer.
And all the advice I have received from agent and editor along the way undoubtedly made it a much better book than it would otherwise have been.