Well, apparently we’re not the only ones who’ve noticed the bullies bashing independent authors. Author Alanna Brown has, too, in her HuffPo article, Dear Mainstream Authors, Stop Bashing Independent Publishing and Get a Clue:
They’re like the bullies on the playground. Those snot-nosed, mainstream-published authors who think indie writers are not real artists just because they don’t have a traditional book deal. Pooh on them, I say. Pooh! Don’t listen to a single misinformed word from their filthy mouths. They’re just plain bullies. Probably jealous that the indies are making upwards of 70 percent royalties while they take a measly 15 percent. Perhaps envious that they lose almost all control of the release date and cover image, and still have to do their own marketing leg work. Maybe even jealous of those whose ingenuity surmounted the limitations of the goliath publisher.
A marvelously robust Forbes article by David Vinjamuri discusses the ongoing battle between mainstream authors and their blossoming indie counterparts. He observes, “There is something very odd about this war of words between successful authors on different sides of a tectonic shift in the publishing world: it doesn’t exist in many similar industries facing the same sort of technological upheaval. You don’t hear Christina Aguilera or Adam Levine knocking indie bands.”
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Furthermore, such an accessible means of book distribution has ineffable value as a growing form of artistic expression. We’ve got indie music, independent filmmaking, and now, independent publishing. And why the heck not? It’s the Hotel Café of writing. The SXSW of literature. Just because something is distributed independently makes it no less an art form than something released on a mass scale. On the contrary, those whose snobbery requires the green light from yesterday’s monopoly holding publishers must only need it as a stroke to their egos — not as anything to do with the craft of writing.
Who’s to say what is worthy of being read when thousands and thousands of queries pass through one tiny literary agency each year? It is impossible for each query or sample to get its due attention. How is every manuscript to be fairly passed through a tiny funnel of agents and publishing houses? They simply cannot be. Thus, independent publishing is not just an avenue for sloppy, scribbled works likened to rubbish (admittedly, it does allow an outlet for that stuff, too), as many deem it; it is also an avenue for hundreds of undiscovered talents. Even a number of famous classics started as independent endeavors.
The publishing industry is evolving, no matter what anyone says. It’s only a matter of time and progress before we reach a new standard. And enduring a little resistance in the face of change is often a part of the process. So to all indie authors, I encourage you to ignore those sanctimonious bullies. Keep writing, keep reading, keep learning, and keep publishing.
(PG covers the article here. You may also be interested in this one, too, about Jeff Bezos buying the Washington Post.)
So… what do we say to Alanna?
Amen! Indie pubbing is also good for readers! These days there’s much more to read at very affordable prices. So please, indie authors, by all means, keep writing and keep publishing. We love it!
Please note, not all traditionally published authors are bullies (in fact, many have been victims of bullying). But we’ve seen quite a few trad-pubbed authors who are (example: authors who frequent Absolute Write) and their attitudes fall directly in line with the attitudes of the GR bullies. Maybe eventually these authors will get a clue and understand like so many of our blog readers that independent publishing has its advantages.
But we’re not going to hold our breath.
