::Opinion:: New writers *should* self-publish
Egad! She said the ‘s’ word! No, no, no! That’s not allowed if you’re a writer and actually want a foothold in the writing industry. (note: entire previous statement written with element of sarcasm). 8)
To start, let me ask that you not get mad at me for my opinion. It is … in fact … just that. But instead, hear me out … and don’t comment unless you’re read my entire case. 8)
Maybe instead of my chosen title, I should have written: “If rock bands do it, shouldn’t writers?” but I doubt that would have had the same effect as my current one. You know … like the front page news headlines … they catch the eye first because they are often controversial.
Now you’re saying: “How in the world are writers and rock bands in any way, shape or form related?”
Well … think about a new/fledgling/’just getting started’ band for a second. You know … the garage players who are loud, obnoxious, play all-night long and drone beats which might keep you up. Or entertain.
These bands might be young. They might be old. They might have a day of experience, one year or 10. Most are just trying their best to work their way up the musical ranks. They play in their garages, at their friend’s houses, in local venues, coffee shops, anywhere they can take their music and put it in front of the general public. They know there are a whole lotta people who can sing or play an instrument, but only a teeny-tiny-eensy-weensy percentage actually get on the radio or record a disc for ‘a label’.
Yet, they still do it. These musical groups put themselves in front of audiences, sometimes just a few, other times dozens or hundreds or … more? Who knows?
If the band is good, they might start building a fan base. If they suck they’ll hear about it …fast.
Let’s assume the band is half-decent (enough that someone other than their Mom comes to their gigs). They might get another opportunity to play, and then more people might come. The group goes from playing for free, to playing for charity events, then making $5 a ticket, then opening as a cover for a bigger group, then … well … the sky’s the limit, right? Or they might just become known as ‘that local band’ that everyone wants, but who never ‘hits it big’. Are they any less successful? Maybe financially, but is that what got them started in the first place? Probably not.
The key is that they love music. They started a group, began to practice, learned their industry, practiced, practiced and practiced more and put themselves out there for the public to hear and decide their fate without ‘a major label’.
Now, let’s switch to the context of writing. If I say ‘self-publish’, the backlash begins. (That’s a little tongue-in-cheek, but at the same time … well … not). But … I suggest that writers, who do not self-publish, are like rock bands who never take their music outside the confines of their garage.
We are sitting with our ‘instruments’ [pen, paper or laptop] in our ‘garage’ [home, coffee shop, bathroom or wherever you write], sequestering our work in hidey holes, showing it only to our neighbors and family, or the few ‘readers’ we can gather who may be hard pressed to tell us our work is anything but ‘great!’.
We budding-novelist-writers are told, repeatedly, not to publish our work, not even to post in blogs because … well that would be publishing it and the big-publishing-houses won’t pick it up if it’s ‘already out there.’ That’s sticking us back in the garage.
How are we to prove we’re any good if no one sees the work?
We can’t. Our chances become worse than winning the lottery.
Instead, we writers should be out there, writing our ‘songs’ [novels, shorts, flash] and showing them off. Not all of them will be good. Some of them will be crap, but we’ll learn … quickly … that what we produce is worth something when we start to get ‘groupies’ [readers].
Come back to my original but alternate title: “If rock bands do it, we writers should, too.”
Self-publish for the purpose of getting your work out there, but like those bands, practice until your fingers hurt [type or write constantly in the genre you love and about the topics you love]. Fine tune your instruments [edit, revise and edit again]. Test the volume. [have beta readers give their opinions] Before you sing that first note … [thank your fan] and next time, thank them all.
Now, if you choose … feel free to give me your opinions. π Are we, or are we not … sitting in our garages hoping the agent will pop by and pick up an unknown or are we willing to use technology and the power of self-publishing to build our careers so that one day, that agent will see us in a completely different light?
*applauds*
What an awesome way to put it!
I agree with the whole argument, as my blog would tend to prove. I learned a lot more from readers’ feedbacks on my blog than I would have sitting alone. And there is nothing to build up confidence like a fan base. Rejections stopped to matter as much because you know a handful (or a lot) of people believe in you.
So not only does a fan base help you get noticed and teaches you a thing or two, it helps you push through the hard times.
Yes, it requires that you work a little more if you want to publish stories on a blog AND complete a novel to ship to agents. Yes, it requires money if you want to go the self-publishing route with your book.
Yes, every effort is worth it, in my opinion.
One of my friends used to call keeping story to yourself “intellectual masturbation”. It might work for a time but eventually, you ought to start dating (with all the good and bad that comes with it). π
Funny you should mention this, me dearie. In a world which is growing rapidly more difficult to find representation (because, let’s face it, most publishers won’t even consider peeking at your work without it), I agree that aspiring authors should start thinking about taking matters into their own hands. Self-publishing does not mean your potential career is dead. On the contrary, if you self-publish, or even epublish and you successfully market your book to the degree that you build a decent fanbase, this would surely make agents/publishers sit up and take notice. One: people like your work. Two: you’re obviously willing to go to such lengths as making human sacrifices and praying to the alter of whichever god you believe in to achieve your goals (Because self-promoting is the HARDEST part of self-publishing). And Three: as an aspiring, and unpublished author, finally … FINALLY … you have something of substance to stick in your resume to encourage agents to pick you over thousands of others all waving their hands in the air with their tongues stuck out while they urge their little rears into the position of ‘noticed’.
If you want to succeed, if you have goals you want to achieve and getting your stuff out there and read is waaaaaaaaay up at the top somewhere, then you gotta do what you gotta do, girl π
Just my opinion 8) (sorry, couldn’t help creating some sunglasses :P)
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by AheΓ―la, Aimee Laine. Aimee Laine said: ::Opinion:: New writers *should* self-publish https://www.aimeelaine.com/blog/?p=8054 Let the head banging begin! π […]
Aheila : that is toooooo funny. OMG! π LOL Thanks for the applause!!
Julie : Gotta love the shades smiley!! Taking notice is what it’s all about … fan base, agents, editors, publishers. It all comes down to … $$. π
Great post, Ms. Aimee! π
Thanks Claire!!
Well said, Aimee! Speaking as the wife of someone who not only was part of a garage band but built a recording studio in our basement, I have always found it mind-boggling that self-recording in the music industry is so widely accepted while self-publishing in writing has some sort of stigma attached. Thankfully that’s beginning to change.
Thanks, Carol! I’m so glad I’m not the only one who *sees* this. π π