I'm a big fan of the self-publishing thing. Good luck to 'em.
The criticisms aimed at self-publishers – too many typos, little or zero editing – are the same criticisms readers make of books published by the major houses. The thinking seems to be, though, that ALL self-published books are poorly written; which is about as plausible as the idea that all books published by the major houses are rubbish and overpriced.
If you go into a book shop and look on the shelves, say there's a hundred books there – how many do you pick up? After being attracted by the title; maybe you like the cover; you then read the blurb and a page or two. Do that a few more times with a few more books and how many do you either buy, or, at least remember in a positive light?
For me, I would say that out of that 100, I'd look at about ten, maybe buy one, and at most keep one or two in mind. And I'm happy to look at fantasy, sci-fi, non-fiction, litfic, and thrillers. The only genres I don't really like are erotic stuff, chicklit, and celebrity cookbooks. I know a lot of readers buy more books than me, but even then, we are all quite used to wading through offerings we think laughable in order to get to that one gem.
When everybody started going on about self-published books, I decided to check a few out, just to see how bad they could be. What surprised me is, while there are a lot that look like thinly-disguised fanfic, there are also a few that could easily be mistaken as being published by what is termed a 'proper' publisher. I also respect the courage it takes for an author to go it alone, especially considering the stigma that goes with that whole process.
We're also seeing more and more recognised authors publishing side projects and new projects themselves. Am I to believe that because their publisher didn't want that particular book, and if their agent couldn't sell it, that the author, for reasons unknown, shouldn't be putting their work out there?
I like reading the reviews on Amazon. The four and five star reviews don't really tell you much, but the one, two, and three star reviews do. Again, I see the same opinions expressed about both major books and self-published ones: Poor characterisation; The author loses control of the POV, leaving the reader bewildered and infuriated, forced to reread previous bits of the book; The book is a direct copy of something else (e.g. Hunger Games is a rip-off of Battle Royale).
Of course, opinions are subjective, but I'm rather enjoying the dynamic readers have of a right to reply that is globally available for all to see. I don't know how much notice authors should take of the criticisms, but after having made a purchase, whatever it is, consumers do also purchase the right to comment.
With all these books mixed in together – and provided self-publishers continue to do the best they can, whatever their resources – I don't see why, across all the various sales platforms and outlets, we can't just buy what we want, regardless of how it gets onto the screen or into our hands. There's no doubt in my mind that the general quality on offer will improve naturally over time anyway. Plus as well, I have read a lot of readers publicly state on Amazon, here, and elsewhere, just how important it is to them to support new talent. If self-publishing provides another way for that talent to be recognised, then we should be happy.
We do still need the big publishers though. How relevant they'll be in a few years' time is up to them. Processes may be put in place which simplify the route of getting a successful SP book from digital into brick and mortar stores. Who knows, maybe Amazon will set up their own high street chain, which would certainly liven things up a bit. Maybe a few high quality self-published books will boost consumer confidence to unforeseen levels. Perhaps the big publishers will come up with a plan that will help them reclaim the percentages they have to give away to retailers.
Lots of things could happen; in a consumer-led business like literature, that means readers will be the ultimate winners, which is how things should be.
Posted: 06/02/2012 22:24:12
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