tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22927650.post2051579460189001705..comments2023-09-22T02:24:42.144-07:00Comments on a light inside: Traditional Publishing vs. Self-Publishing: The Debate ContinuesJenna St.Hilairehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16528611770211261141noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22927650.post-79430105319379281472013-03-19T19:11:14.011-07:002013-03-19T19:11:14.011-07:00Ooh, interesting history on publication. I knew Ja...Ooh, interesting history on publication. I knew Jane Austen put out the money for Sense & Sensibility, but I didn't know about William Blake. I do think the balance could be shifting back, and with less financial risk from the author.<br /><br />Breakout novels are weird and hard to predict. Thus far, self-publishing has provided the greatest success for people writing hard genre books, usually either crime fiction or romance, though Howey made it big with sci-fi. It's also been good, however, for people whose work really doesn't fit into a clear box. Non-celebrity memoirists, for instance, have a terrible time getting traditionally published nowadays. They self-publish, and at least their story gets out there and sometimes does something, even if it doesn't make millions.<br /><br />The question for me is whether it's a good idea for an old-fashioned literary middle grade high fantasy with an infusion of sci-fi and lots of vocabulary words. That's not an easy concept either to pitch or to market. ;) I think it could sell traditionally, but I have my doubts whether it would be a quick flier. Which pushes me even more toward going indie.Jenna St. Hilairehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04474588706124865006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22927650.post-10271480962663757742013-03-19T18:15:05.018-07:002013-03-19T18:15:05.018-07:00You echo my thoughts to a T, Jenna.
Could it be t...You echo my thoughts to a T, Jenna.<br /><br />Could it be that we are seeing a shift in the balance between traditional and self-publishing? There used to be a time when one could print anything if he had a patron or put out the money or even did it himself (William Blake), and that didn't reflect in any way on quality. But there is something comforting about so many built-in failsafes in the traditional publishing route.<br /><br />I've read this good book called "How to Write a Breakout Novel," and the author iterates and reiterates that what makes a breakout novel, at the root level, is reader appeal. That is the number one best marketing tool for authors: word-of-mouth. So given that, I can see that self-publishing would be a preferable route. Saves you money, keeps you in control, and gives you a volume of work to build sales off of when people do discover you. But that regards break-out novels, and I don't know if some "literary" stories and other genre books appeal to a big enough audience (I was gonna say "to make it on it's own merits," but I suppose if a book can't do that, it's not going to do well, period).Christiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18107748184124761940noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22927650.post-75277604910867848372013-03-19T11:24:47.053-07:002013-03-19T11:24:47.053-07:00I sympathize with all of that. Feel free to respon...I sympathize with all of that. Feel free to respond in whatever way suits you. :D<br /><br />And now I think I need to track down some self-published fantasy novels and read them.Jenna St. Hilairehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04474588706124865006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22927650.post-40848804948411903832013-03-19T11:06:19.063-07:002013-03-19T11:06:19.063-07:00wow..Lots of thoughts here, and I don't think ...wow..Lots of thoughts here, and I don't think that they're organized enough to comment. I have a fluctuating tendency to like the idea of self-publishing, while at the same time sort of dismissing self-published authors, but then, seeing what comes out of traditional publishing houses makes self-publishing look more and more respectable, or at least..comparable. I think I'd be open to it, over all..in part because I'm kind of disgusted with the 'book-a-year schedule" and in part because I like control ;)<br /><br />I'll try to respond more completely when I have my thoughts together. Or maybe Wednesday?? Mashahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06943998810222103926noreply@blogger.com