tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post6455178063394232897..comments2024-02-22T07:47:22.661-05:00Comments on The Bathroom Monologues: Quality: Self-Pub Vs. Traditional-PubJohn Wiswellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07416044628686736927noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-2482112759633279572012-03-28T16:33:25.049-04:002012-03-28T16:33:25.049-04:00Thank you for bringing my attention to it. I went ...Thank you for bringing my attention to it. I went back and found her reply, though it doesn't actually provide any evidence for her claims. The one article she linked in another, older post is actually about traditional publishing as a mechanism for sifting through poor fiction, not the claim that it's a guarantee of quality. I'm not surprised the rest of her response was a question of my experience rather than the presentation of evidence to educate me, but I was pretty disappointed. Her arguments in that post remain hefty strawmen. Any argument that's led by "The gist of the argument is this: Only traditional publishing companies can publish a quality product" without a quote, source or actual piece of evidence attached tends to function that way.John Wiswellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07416044628686736927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-57878257176440136512012-03-28T11:21:54.913-04:002012-03-28T11:21:54.913-04:00Kris has responded to your comment on her blog. I ...Kris has responded to your comment on her blog. I thought that you'd like to see that if you already hadn't because her arguments actually AREN’T strawmen arguments.David Tannerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14428680469249520153noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-77393866037755274832012-03-25T23:39:33.763-04:002012-03-25T23:39:33.763-04:00More power to ya' if you could plow (or plough...More power to ya' if you could plow (or plough if you prefer) through all of Rusch's article. I'll take your word that she did & said. I pretty much agree with your opinions, except I wonder about "But does it indicate that most self-published books don't meet the level of quality of high-end traditionally-published books?" being the crux of the weakening SP stigma.<br /><br />I think we can all theorize about that and never prove anything, especially because we couldn't agree on how to judge such quality.<br /><br />And yet ...<br /><br />Earlier this month, I declined to edit a new writer's novel because it was so poorly written. There was little to edit--it needed rewriting by someone who can write reasonably well. The author had been all ready to find a publisher.<br /><br />Last week I turned down editing a novel that I had read to critique. It was so beautiful and had only a couple of typos. In fact, I felt guilty taking the new writer's money for the critique, when all I could say was, "I hope you'll let me help you find an agent." She had asked me also to format the work for self-publishing.Georganna Hancock M.S.https://www.blogger.com/profile/13989653997711727130noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-71971378537870384722012-03-25T22:54:28.229-04:002012-03-25T22:54:28.229-04:00I have talented friends who are self-published and...I have talented friends who are self-published and have put serious time and effort into their product and I believe they are equal to that of anything you'd find on the shelf in Barnes & Noble. The books are well edited and have great covers. Yes, self-publishing gives you all the control you want, but what it doesn't give you is the distribution, such as foreign rights. We all have Twitter followers and Facebook friends in other countries and you can make your book available on AmazonUK, but can you translate it into German, Spanish, or any number of Asian languages? Can you really access the global market on your own? Can you even reach middle America on your own? I don't know that I can and after watching what my friends have gone through in terms of marketing themselves, I know it's something I personally don't have the time to invest in on my own. Self-publishing isn't the right choice for me right now. It doesn't mean that it can't be or won't be down the line, but right now it's just not an option I have the time to invest in. <br /><br />But more than anything I really don't understand why it's always an us vs. them argument. Self-publishing is right for some and not for others. Neither side is better. There are a lot of self-righteous attitudes on both sides of the argument and it just makes me tired. We all want to reach readers, whatever path we choose is personal and we celebrate whatever choices our fellow writers make.Danielle La Pagliahttp://www.daniellelapaglia.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-60341126658242310092012-03-25T15:24:19.931-04:002012-03-25T15:24:19.931-04:00I think you've hit at least one nail o the hea...I think you've hit at least one nail o the head with "all of the voices". It's been my experience that the self-pub world has a far higher percentage of absolute trash, and it's difficult to sort out the true gems from the overwhelming volume. I read as much as I can from all sources and all genres, but if I'm in the mood for a really great book, I use the tried and true method - asking people that I know well (and who know me well) for recommendations, and the publisher doesn't matter.Lihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08831231531918915804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-74031931133333529912012-03-25T11:39:50.130-04:002012-03-25T11:39:50.130-04:00I'd bet! Especially when you're just uploa...I'd bet! Especially when you're just uploading to Smashwords and Amazon, you almost don't have an authority over you, I guess barring some policies about extreme content. This door might even swing both ways, with an inexperienced writer in control creating an inferior product that would benefit from checking, and a highly competent writer not being held back by someone else's unuseful predilections. That's an interesting point, Jill. One hopes that the market and mavens sift the latter type out and raise them up to prominence.<br /><br />It does suck that the incredibly diverse modern publishing market lacks the likes of Max Perkins. Or maybe we just haven't heard of them with all the voices?John Wiswellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07416044628686736927noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3337042377966398742.post-3086830323398880832012-03-25T11:33:36.496-04:002012-03-25T11:33:36.496-04:00One thing to keep in mind in the traditional VS in...One thing to keep in mind in the traditional VS indie discussion (in addition to quality) is control. A trad publisher may overrule you on some things. I've been published both ways & the quality is actually better in the indie stuff... and the control I have there is satisfying!Jillhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05152599507268946811noreply@blogger.com