Wow,
never thought I'd title a post with that.
I know
that some of you are grabbing your head in your hands, screaming at the
computer. "Why?" I would have been that person not so long ago.
Here's
the long and the short of it.
The Financial reason. Advances in traditional market
are low right now. Really, really low. Why would I tie up a novel in a one to
two year process for $2500 (on a good day) when I could put it out myself, and
in that two year period make that same money. Perhaps even I would see that
money and then some, depending on my ability with marketing myself and my
books. The traditional route doesn't make as much sense as it once did, nor is
it as potentially profitable.
The Respect Reason Would you rather chase after a
publishing house or have them come to you? I choose to HOPE that by publishing
on my own, they will come to me. And if they don't? I'll survive. I'll just
need each of you to buy 10 books. Seriously though, more and more Indie authors
are able to command great contracts with the Big Six publishing houses. Simply
because those writers have proven their mettle in an industry that is in flux.
Amanda Hocking and John Locke are two such writers who now have contracts,
after starting out as Indie authors, and there are hundreds more.
The Timeline The traditional world of
publishing is 1, maybe 2 books a year. With the way things are now, readers
don't have the patience they once did to wait for a year. By then, they’ve
forgotten about your book and have moved on to the next series and writer. In
this technological age, we should be putting out 3-4 books a year if we want to
keep our readers from forgetting about us and moving on to the next authors
work.
You'll
never get that with a traditional publisher. The fastest they will put books
out is 2 a year, and that is if you are a high seller, someone that they can
bank on. No midlist author will receive that offer.
Valuing Myself and my Work. Finally, and most importantly,
my agent just didn't have time for me, as much as she made a last ditch effort
to connect with me. I've been with her for over a year, the last 7 months she's
been MIA due to personal issues, but even before that, I was having to dodge
her heels to make things happen. That is not my job. My job is to write. I'm grateful
she thought well enough of me to take me on, but that isn't enough, not in this
market. If you are going to have an agent, you need one who is willing to go to
bat for you, one who believes in you and values your work. At least as much as
you do.
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