If you have come to this site after reading Ros Barber’s article in the Guardian about self-publishing, then please know that only half of what I said on her blog was quoted in the article. Yes I did say that, because it’s true, and I was defending her against some self-publishers who were telling her that she should leave her traditional publisher and go it alone as that was the only way to earn money as a writer. As someone who has been both self-published and traditionally published I thought I could give some perspective. However, what wasn’t quoted in the Guardian was the second half of my comment. And here it is:
“I don’t want to give the impression though that I think self-publishing is never as good as traditional publishing – in terms of quality of product. That is not always the case. There are some fantastic self-published books out there that may never get noticed by trad publishers. There are also some awful ones (for many of the reasons you’ve given above). However, I know and highly respect a number of self-publishers who do a great job with both the writing and marketing aspects of the business. My gripe is with the dream industry that has built up around self-publishing. I am very happy with my traditional publishing deals but that does not mean I will never self-publish something again in the future. But if I do it will be with no expectation of ‘making it big’.”
I hope that settles in your mind that I am not against self-publishing just the hype that surrounds it. That is all I have to say on the matter and I hope to draw a line under this now. So if you have brought a pitchfork, please put it down now. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, I’m not going to bother linking to anything. Ignorance is bliss in this case.
