It was a hot and muggy night....
I couldn't sleep and found myself thinking about the latest Trad Pubbed Big Author to spout off about the evils of self-publishing.
In my near-sleep, dazed state, I waxed eloquently in my mind about my thoughts and feelings on the subject. I could've filled pages with witty and heart-felt prose.
In the light of sleep-deprived day, I'm finding it hard to get started. For one thing, I'm late to this party and there are other bloggers, more popular and prolific than I, who have covered the subject in depth.
I kept out of the Jodi Picoult mire. I'd only read one of her books prior to the gaffe and was only mildly impressed.
But when Sue Grafton made sweeping statements dissing all self-publishers, well, it HURT. Unlike JP, I am a fan of Sue's. I've read all of her books. I'd recently filled out an interview where I listed her as an influential author. I learned so much about writing detailed settings, creating three-dimensional characters and plotting mystery/suspense from reading her books.
Why do successful Trad writers even have to chime in? Aren't they already famous/rich/fill-in-the-blank? What can they hope to gain by tearing down other writers? All they manage to do is show that they are biased, judgemental and out of touch with the current publishing scene.
I'm happy to hear that she came back and ate a little crow. I'm not 100 percent sure it's because she realized the error of her arrogant way, or if she was doing damage control. She certainly didn't gain any new fans with her interview, and I'm afraid she lost more than a few old ones.
Me included.
(For the record: the only time I've worked harder than I am right now, is when I gave birth to four kids in less than six years--referring to her lazy comment.)
I've kept out of this. I don't see what any author has to gain by alienating their audience. And since when did the elders start eating their young?
ReplyDeleteI do what is right for me.
One thing I've learned in life, no matter what you do, there will always be someone who will think you should have done differently. All that really matters is...are you happy with your choice? In my humble opinion, as long as people like your stories, no matter how they are presented, you are a success. Hang in there! I for one enjoy your novels.
ReplyDeleteOne thing that occurs to me (and I've seen it mentioned elsewhere), is that authors like Grafton and Piccoult talk as though big-name, super-successful authors are the norm for traditional publishing, and just the exception for self-publishing, and that is simply not true. The majority of traditionally published writers are almost if not just as unknown as self-pubbed writers, and certainly the level of editing that the large percentage of traditionally published books receives is just as poor if not more so as self-pubbed. The huge successes are rarities no matter which medium one chooses, and the level of polish and care the writer takes with his or her work is based solely on the writer, not the publishing avenue.
ReplyDeleteWhew. Getting off soapbox now ...
I feel your pain/irritation. Thanks for the post.
ReplyDeleteShew, girl! I figured out how that kept happening after I had two kids in less than two years! *snort* :D
ReplyDeleteNo, I couldn't agree with you more. Why are they even commenting--unless it's to say, "I'm wishing all writers who are committed to the craft and to their art will do well." I think everybody's thinking about this topic today. I even had some thoughts about it... :D <3