tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872447660964013545.post2310816233493577662..comments2024-03-18T22:39:50.137-07:00Comments on A Kindle World blog: WSJ checks out the digital-age 'Vanity' PressAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05109282436243758435noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872447660964013545.post-36105637181933441292010-06-06T09:54:26.120-07:002010-06-06T09:54:26.120-07:00I apologize for offending you with the last paragr...I apologize for offending you with the last paragraph. I was certainly exaggerating when I said "99 percent." <br /><br />The reason I have this attitude is because I've met quite a few self-published authors, and with one exception (an academic who had trouble finding a publisher for a book on a controversial topic) they are essentially amateur writers. When these folks tell me about their new novel and urge me to order a copy, I ask, "Who's publishing it?" Then they pretend that they don't understand my question, or become very evasive or irritated.<br /><br />I think self-publishing operations like Lulu are very useful for certain types of books; for example, local history or geneology books with a limited audience, textbooks for specialized college courses, or books that have gone out of print because the publisher has lost interest and the copyright has reverted to the author.<br /><br />However, I also think that selling a fantasy to aspiring writers is a BIG part of Lulu's business; that fantasy is "never mind those mean old big publishers; just give us your credit card number and we'll make you a bona fide published author just like Dan Brown." Lulu wouldn't survive without those customers. SF writer Ann Crispin has written frequently about this problem on her blog and has repeatedly urged serious aspiring writers to avoid self-publishing. Garrison Keillor recently wrote an editorial about this too.<br /><br />I agree that the major publishers are in trouble, but it's not because people are publishing their bad novels on Lulu.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872447660964013545.post-66383894457132904382010-06-04T12:05:09.164-07:002010-06-04T12:05:09.164-07:00Anonymous, I enjoyed your note up until the last d...Anonymous, I enjoyed your note up until the last disdainful sentence about 99% of those going the self-publishing route. <br /><br /> It's attitudes like those that have led to the situation that is upsetting the traditional larger publishers. <br /><br /> Yes, intelligent, serious authors will need to pay to get their books edited and to get help with the design, etc. As we've seen the Amazon setup also gives unusual exposure that is not possible unless you are accepted by a large publisher and they have been known to reject author works that have gone on to better things via another route.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05109282436243758435noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872447660964013545.post-27192209658950911282010-06-04T10:41:07.383-07:002010-06-04T10:41:07.383-07:00I'm a professional library cataloger who has h...I'm a professional library cataloger who has handled and used thousands of books in my long career. I've cataloged many self-published books, from crude-looking books assembled at Kinko's to the more slick products from Lulu.com. I'm also a published author.<br /><br />There is a tendency to assume that publishers provide nothing but marketing and distribution. Not true. Publishers provide editing and design services that are light-years ahead of what most authors can provide on their own. There is nothing more eye-opening than sending a "perfect" manuscript off to a publisher and having it come back with hundreds of copyediting marks in red pencil, identifying real problems you never knew were there. Professional editing vastly improves books; they look better and read better. Publishers also have graphic designers that can produce a striking, artistic cover.<br /><br /><br />People say this stuff doesn't matter -- that MS Word's grammar/spelling checker is enough, and grabbing a public domain photo off the web takes care of the cover. But having worked with all kinds of books over the last 30 years, I can tell you that it definitely matters. A Lulu book may superficially look okay, but once you dig into it, you start to feel that something about it is "off." Dozens of subtle flaws keep pulling you out of the book. It doesn't disappear in your hands as a professionally edited and designed book will.<br /><br />Incidentally, Lulu does offer thorough design and editing services, but the price goes WAY up. The same is true if you hire a freelance editor or designer yourself. It will cost thousands before your book has sold a single copy.<br /><br />These issues don't go away with digital publishing. Almost every Kindle owner has had the experience of downloading one of those free public domain books and discovering that it's an unreadable mess.<br /><br />Of course, a lot of self-published authors are never going to care about this stuff. I'm convinced that 99 percent of people who go the self-publishing route just want to dazzle their friends and relatives by saying "Got a new book coming out" at parties and family gatherings.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com