Saturday, June 25, 2011

I Am Indie. Hear Me Roar.

The world of publishing is changing practically every day. We've seen the rise of e-books, self-published authors (okay, really only one so far), and independent publishers. And in my opinion we're starting to see the decline of the traditional publishing methods.

Self-publishing used to be and may still be considered less "reputable" and less "impressive". But more and more writers who self-publish are taking the time and making the effort to put out high quality products, and are experiencing moderate success. I actually briefly thought about self-publishing a book a couple of years ago, and many friends gave me funny looks and hurled negative opinions about that method at me. And I agreed with them, but having read some really great self-published works, my opinion has changed. I've educated myself and have found great books by some great authors. It's kind of like the blogosphere, really. There are a few bad seeds that attract more attention than the good ones, resulting in a bad name.

The next publishing route that is quickly growing is having a book published through a smaller publisher, or also known as an "independent" publisher. I myself am signed with one (Pendrell Publishing) and so is our very own Kelley York (Entangled Publishing). I really think indie publishers have it going on, so to speak. They all seem to have a hands-on approach and allow the authors to have the same involvement. I've learned a lot from being with Pendrell and I wouldn't want it any other way :-D. And I think this personal interaction is what's drawing people in and the amount of involvement an author can have. The bigger houses still play a major role in publishing and are still great companies, but there's something about indie publishing that's taking root and growing.

In my opinion, readers don't really care who publishes a book just as long as the book itself is good. And isn't that all that matters? A good book is a good book, right?

So, what are your thoughts on self-publishing and smaller publishers? Does it matter to you who a book is published by?
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9 comments:

  1. Wendy HigginsJune 25, 2011 at 11:32 AM

    The publisher does not matter to me. If I hear about a good book, I'll pick it up. The great thing about smaller publishers is that they can get it out there fast. DJ, I think both you and Kelley signed after me, and you're getting published way before me! It's exciting to be able to move forward as quickly as possible. And with the social media outlets, self-marketing holds a world of possibility.
    Another "new" thing that's becoming more popular is paperback original. Leigh and I are both going straight to paperback. I was not so thrilled about that at first, but now I can definitely see the benefit of it.

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  2. AnonymousJune 25, 2011 at 12:39 PM

    Nope, doesn't matter to me who the publisher is (or if there is one at all). And I don't think that it matters a whole lot to the general reading population. Until I started writing and querying, I never once flipped a book to the spine to see who the publisher was. It just never would have entered my mind to do that. I have read several amazing self pubbed books lately, Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire quickly shot up to one of my favorite books ever, and it is self published. There is good and bad fiction out there, self published and otherwise, I try not to judge a book by the name of the publisher! :)

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  3. LupLunJune 25, 2011 at 12:59 PM

    Yes, but not for the usual reasons. It's because self-published books don't show up on the stacks of the local library. I get most of my reading material there, so obviously I don't read a lot of self-published works. Really, that's probably the best reason to stick with a traditional publishing house: greater exposure.

    -LupLun
    Lupines and Lunatics

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  4. Trisha WolfeJune 25, 2011 at 1:30 PM

    Couldn't agree more DJ! I've read Lani's book from Pendrell and loved it. That house promises great quality work. Can't wait to read yours! I'm signed by an independent publisher and so far I'm loving the process. I even have a say in the overall cover design. And instead of my book coming out in two years, it's coming out in less than one =) I will always read books by the big guys, but I'm finding I love indie pubs and self-bubbed books just as much. If it's a great story, its a great story. Period. Great post!

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  5. HeatherJune 25, 2011 at 1:44 PM

    It doesn't matter at all to me who it was published through or if it was self-published. What matters is if it's good. Just like you, I used to be hung up on this and believed traditional was the only way to go, and just like you then I started reading some outstanding self-published books and terrible traditionally published books. I think there are good books on both sides of the fence. It's all about what the authors put into it, like you said. Congrats to you and your friend on going indie!

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  6. DJ D.June 25, 2011 at 5:49 PM

    LupLun ~ I agree, being with a traditional house does give an author more exposure. Thankfully, though, more and more smaller houses are getting their books in stores. :-)

    Everyone else ~ I, too, love that my book will come out quicker than others because I don't think I could stand the wait, haha. I also loved having say in my cover. I mean, what author doesn't want that? :-)

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  7. Miss ColeJune 25, 2011 at 6:45 PM

    I think if you work hard at it and really sell yourself, self-publishing is a fantastic opportunity. It's definitely sitting at the back of my mind as a possible option.

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  8. Jolene PerryJune 26, 2011 at 12:30 AM

    I LOVE finding awesome books no one's heard of. LOVE it. So yeah, I'm completely on with Indie publishers. There are some really amazing books out there b/c of indie pub houses.

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  9. Sarah NicolasJune 26, 2011 at 11:03 PM

    I think for most casual readers, who the publisher is doesn't matter so much, but they still lean towards those that are traditionally published. If it's not available in a brick and mortar store or they haven't heard about it from a friend, they're probably not going to buy it. At least, that's what I see from all of my friends who aren't writers or heavily ingrained in the published world.

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