[Erica Sloane]

I was looking for a recent article like this to blog about and found this one: http://goodereader.com/blog/electronic-readers/the-stigma-of-self-publishing/

My blog link is in my sig if you want to read more of what I wrote about this article, but the main point is this...

The article asks:

So what does a self-published or digitally published author need to do to earn the respect of readers and publishing professionals?

Did I read that correctly? What can self-pubbed authors do to "earn the respect of readers and publishing professionals"?

Well, as for earning the respect of readers, self-pubbed authors can offer readers the best book they can possibly produce. I sure hope that's what most of us aim to do. As a reader myself, that's what I want in a book, so when I publish something that's what I hope to deliver to readers. I trust their verdict as the ultimate judgment.

As for what we can do to earn the respect of "publishing professionals," I'd first have to know why this is even necessary. If we're putting out stuff that readers want, and they keep coming back and we keep doing what we love, haven't we become the so-called "publishing professionals"?

Just my $.02.

 

[Ryne Billings]

Needed a good laugh. Thanks. 

It read more like an ad for that one woman's publishing company than anything, to be honest.

 

[MegHarris]

At the same time, there are some valid reasons to take complete charge of publishing one's own manuscript. "Your book has to be something out of the box, something that has a non-traditional aspect and touches a nerve..."

Oh really? This comes as a surprise to me, and, I should think, to anyone else who's successfully written indie genre fiction. Indie publishing has plenty of room for genre fiction as well as "out of the box" and "non-traditional" books, IMHO.

 

[Terrence OBrien]

Publishing professionals? Amazon shows their respect with a wire transfer each month.

 

[Erica Sloane]

Needed a good laugh. Thanks.

It read more like an ad for that one woman's publishing company than anything, to be honest.

I thought the same thing.

Oh really? This comes as a surprise to me, and, I should think, to anyone else who's successfully written indie genre fiction. Indie publishing has plenty of room for genre fiction as well as "out of the box" and "non-traditional" books, IMHO.

Yeah, what's that all about? And how many "out of the box" novels could be written? Not many, I'd bet. I'm also quite sure there are some folks who have written some truly great "non-traditional" books who can't convince readers to give them a try because they're not able to tell what kind of book it really is, no matter how wonderful it may be.

 

[Erica Sloane]

Publishing professionals? Amazon shows their respect with a wire transfer each month.

Heh.