Hello everyone! Welcome to the first week of this brand new feature! Confident Reads is a way to open communication between readers and indie authors. Several weeks ago I did a guest post at Pages of Forbidden Love about Self-Published vs. Major Publishing houses (you can find it HERE). At the time I had read a bit about self publishing/indie publishing and had quite a lot to say about everything from a readers perspective. The comments that were left (especially by fantastic indie authors) really got me even more interested in the subject. Since then I have read a bit more and studied more about it. I've also noticed that readers have very strong opinions about what they want/need in a book. Confident Reads is to help readers feel confident in the books they spend their money on, and for authors to feel confident in the book they publish. You can find this feature each week (Wednesdays except in September when it will be Tuesdays) discussing a different subject regarding indie books and authors.
To start the feature off I have invited Jeff Bennington, author of The Indie Authors Guide to the Universe (review below), Twisted Vengeance, Reunion and Creepy to the blog to help us understand the difference in self publishing, indie publishing, trade publishing, etc. There are so many terms out there, so what do we use for what? Let's welcome Jeff to the blog!
State of Publishing
In the year 1450 a German blacksmith
named Johannes Gutenburg revolutionized the publishing industry. He wasn’t a
prolific writer. He wasn’t a well-known scribe. And he never penned a lasting
literary work. He was just an average guy, who happened to be a mechanical
genius. Although his past is somewhat mysterious, he changed everything about
how books were published and reproduced.
Since that time, there have been
other printing revolutions, often marked with controversy, excommunications and
even death. Today, we’re experiencing another publishing upheaval. Once again
technology has caught up with the times and is changing the way books are
published, and who gets published. Yet with all the changes in how books are
printed, and how we read, I’m surprised no one has been murdered yet!
With that said, the current
changes in the way literature is produced is still evolving. In fact, I
wouldn’t consider murder beyond the realm possibility where money is concerned,
publishing biz or not.
So what’s happening out there in
the world of publishing? The answer is complicated, but can be summed up in two
distinct phases.
·
Phase 1 - Vanity
Publishers gave traditional publishing a hard jab to the eye with the onset of
print-on-demand (POD) technology, making publishing easier and more affordable
to the masses—specifically writers who did not fit into the “trad” publishers
business model.
·
Phase 2 - Kindles,
Nooks, Sony eReaders, smart phones and iPads have changed the way we
read—knocking traditional publishers out with a deadly 1-2 punch.
• • •
Technology has practically
eliminated the need for traditional publishing in terms of ebook creation and
online distribution. Any writer who prefers the 70% royalty that Amazon
provides over the measly 8-12% royalty offered by most traditional publishers
can easily and cost effectively publish their own work at a fraction of the
cost. Moreover, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords, and Kobo (especially
Amazon & Kobo) have honed publishing into a science … the science of
publishing ebooks.
With ebooks, there is no physical
product to handle. Yet there is still a high value, usually, in terms of what
is actually consumed. And the cost is rightfully less compared to print,
relative to the traditional publisher’s inflated ebook prices ($9.99+).
With that said, I’d like to
clarify a few terms.
Let’s start by detailing who the
players are, keeping in mind that these are my definitions, and subject to
argument:
Traditional
Publishers
– The folks who have “traditionally” served as the literary gatekeepers, and
determined what will and will not be published for the reading public.
Vanity
Publishers
– Publishers who primarily make their money by selling publishing services to authors rather than selling direct to
booksellers.
Self
Publishers
– Author’s who use a “pay to publish” service (Vanity), including shared
publishing (50/50 split in publishing expenses). Authors who use these are
often, but not always, publishing with less control because the publisher
frequently charges exorbitant fees for common and simple tasks. Many
“self-published” authors fall prey to the marketing hype, and lose control of
pricing, and quality because the cost to create a fully professional book is so
high. As a consequence, some authors settle for less editing, basic cover art,
etc. Again, this is my opinion based on what I see every day on Amazon, and in
listening to author complaints.
Indie
Publishers
– Indie publishers, are writers who take full control of their product from
cover design, formatting, marketing, editing, etc. They feel more comfortable
with the processes and technical aspects of the game. Indie publishers operate
like a small press, doing every task in house or subcontracting to those more
qualified. They not only hold the rights to their book, but they do not have to
answer to a third party to make changes or upgrade quality. Indie publishers
often spend far less money on the production of their books and are not
restricted to specific price points, cover designs, etc.
• • •
So who receives the benefit from the publishing revolution?
Answer: Readers, Authors, and ebook
distributors.
From my experience, the distance between the reader and
author is shrinking, making reading a personal experience that actually results
in a reader/author relationship that was not previously possible. Lower prices
are driving readers out of their comfort zones, trying new talent, and enjoying
what they read. What they are discovering is down-to-earth writers who are
approachable and available. I see this in my social media experience and in the
online presence of many other authors.
So now that the fat is removed, and the middleman
eliminated, writers and readers can thrive in a world with a greater variety of
literary choices and lower prices. In my opinion, excellent books will rise to
the top and those with less quality will sink to the bottom. Unfortunately
marketing will still play a part in who is visible and who is not, and that is
a shame because there are a lot of good indie/self-pubbed authors who do not
enjoy marketing. Still, the authors who look at their writing as a lifetime
commitment will grow their audience and continue to attract fans, while those
who are not in it for the love of the craft will fall away, frustrated and
weary from the work required.
I believe publishers will continue to be the predominant
force in print and big name authors. The vast majority of authors, including
many previously trad-pubbed authors, will choose to bypass the mainstream
publishing route because there is more money to be made and they are more in
control of their work—nothing wrong with that.
In a nutshell, the world of books has changed. But who knows
what’s around the corner? You never know, one day Amazon could develop
something like mind chips, with an auto download into your memory. Sounds far fetched now, but who would’ve ever
thought we’d be reading books from a hand held computer? You can even rate and
share a Kindle book immediately upon completion, giving the author
instantaneous feedback.
These are good times for readers and writers.
As in all things, times change, and change is always hard to
accept. Scribes were needed for thousands of years, until Gutenburg came along.
Likewise, third party publishers were needed to create and distribute
books/ebooks for a season. Today, writers can bring their work directly into
the hands of readers with just a few clicks... and with an equal number of
clicks, readers can become the new
gatekeepers.
Jeff
Bennington
Bestselling
author of Reunion, Twisted Vengeance, and Creepy.
Blog #1: The Writing Bomb
Blog #2: The Kindle Book Review
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My Review: I'm not looking into publishing my own book just yet, but I've been very curious about it and doing a lot of research about publishing indie. I also work with indie authors a lot and try to read as many of their books as I'm able. Learning more about it all is just me, I like to know the ins and outs. And I think if more readers learn about it they may be more open minded to read it. I'm also trying to help open communication so everyone on both sides (readers and authors) know what the other wants and needs.
That being said, this probably isn't the first book I would recommend to readers who don't write. There are books that compare traditional publishing and Indie publishing a bit more and in a way that readers that aren't writers will understand more. But this is an absolute must read for every Indie author out there. They need to know how important the cover is to us readers. They need to know how much they NEED to hire an editor if they want people to buy their books. And on top of that this helps with learning how to do a blog tour, get review copies out, etc. It tells you where to go to get printed books and the good and bad from each company (per Jeff's experience). Some know most of this already, but it's not going to hurt them to read it anyway cause I guarantee that you'll learn SOMETHING from this book.
This is also a bit lighter reading compared to many 'how-to' books out there. I would suggest this for if you are thinking of indie publishing as a starting point because it's not as overwhelming as others. It also has some very motivating and encouraging words for those who are indie publishing.
I give this one a firm 5 stars because it's well written and very informative. And I don't usually comment on covers, but I think this one is pretty great. It's eye catching but simple and it looks very professional.
Disclosure: I purchased this book myself and was not paid or compensated in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.
For the comments, do you agree with Jeff's explanation and descriptions? Do you have any questions? Please let us know! (Author feedback is also welcome.)
For next week:
We are going to discuss covers. What we want/need in a cover as a reader.
I would like some feedback regarding this. Please fill out the form and let us know your thoughts. You may be anonymous, or you can share who you are, your choice. These thoughts will be shared on the blog next week (if there is a lot of feedback I may not be able to share them all).
For the authors, do you want to know what readers think of your cover? Fill out the form and link to your cover. I will put it up next week along with a form so readers can anonymously share their thoughts. The thoughts will not be posted for anyone to see and I will email you with an invite to view the google form.
