Writer’s Quote Wednesday – Self-Publishing

Welcome to another week of Writer’s Quote Wednesday! I hope your week has been good so far. We’re almost over the hump and soon the weekend will be here. 😉

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Colleen Chesebro is a writer, poet, and book reviewer. She hosts an inspiring event every Wednesday on her blog, Silver Threading, called Writer’s Quote Wednesday. Anyone can participate by choosing a quote by a favorite writer and posting it on your blog.

Ronovan, from Ronovan Writes and Colleen have joined forces! He has been linking his #BeWoW blog share (Be Wonderful on Wednesday) now to include: Be Writing on Wednesday. If you would like to combine both posts feel free to do so and link them to Colleen’s post. She will make sure and add you to the quote wrap-up she does each Tuesday. Please make sure and check out Ron’s blog for more writing inspiration and motivation!

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Today I wanted to briefly mention the Publishing Industry. I’m busy working on my Fantasy Angels Series and I’ve been on the fence for some time about whether to send out query letters to agents or skip all that and self-publish. I know there are many aspiring authors who are as confused as I am about this. I found an article by author Hugh C. Howey that was very helpful.

My Advice to Aspiring Authors by Hugh C. Howey 

Here’s a snippet from the article:

Now would be a good time to explain the advantages of self-publishing over traditional publishing. When writers ask for advice, they are often asking how they should proceed with their completed manuscript. I’m going to explain why every author should begin their writing career self-publishing, even if their dream is to be with a large publisher. There’s a lot to say. Bear with me.

Your manuscript won’t change. This is the biggest logical fallacy I see in the self vs. trad debate. The idea seems to be that if you self-publish, somehow your work drops in quality. It’s the same work. The words won’t change because of perceived association with what else is out there. Querying an agent won’t make your manuscript better. Self-publishing won’t make it worse. It’s either a story that appeals to readers or it isn’t.

I underlined that sentence because it tickled me––it’s so true!

Know your gatekeepers. Appealing to readers is the endgame. They want story over prose, so concentrate on that (aim for both, but concentrate on story). Agents and slush-pile readers are often the opposite, which is why they bemoan the absence of literary fiction hits and cringe at the sale of Twilight, Dan Brown, and 50 Shades. You are writing for the reader, who is your ultimate gatekeeper. Get your work in front of them, even if it’s one at a time, one reader a month or year.

Other sentences that struck me as the ultimate truth.

(To read more click on the link above)

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“There’s a bizarre prejudice that exists in the New York publishing establishment that any work outside the tri-state area is being done by trained chimpanzees, that geography screens out sensibility.”

~Kate Braverman

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“The publishing world is very timid. Readers are much braver.”

~Kiran Desai

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“Anyone who says it’s easy to self-publish a book is either lying or doing a shitty job.”

~Nan McCarthy

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“Whatever you may have heard, self-publishing is not a short cut to anything. Except maybe insanity. Self-publishing, like every other kind of publishing, is hard work. You don’t wake up one morning good at it. You have to work for that.”

~Zoe Winters

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The State of Self-Publishing – The Wayfinder – Hugh C. Howey

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I believe it is every indie writer’s responsibility to write the best and most complete book possible before publishing in order to elevate the industry.

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Have a great day! 😀