Today, a longtime writing friend told me that she wants nothing to do with me, which made me very sad. I hope she will reconsider, and if she does, I’d gladly welcome her back as my friend. However, because it’s come to my attention that some of my other friends feel that I come across as a jerk whenever I talk about indie publishing, I feel that I should take the time to clarify a few things.
First, I wish all of my writing friends success, whether they choose to epublish or whether they choose to go the traditional route. This is not a zero sub game and I have never believed that it is. Whether or not my own career tanks, if my friends find success in their endeavors, I will gladly tip my hat to them.
Second, I wish no harm on anyone who is involved in any way in the publishing or bookselling industries. I have less sympathy for multinational corporations and media conglomerates, but I recognize that they employ large numbers of people, and I don’t wish any harm on them either.
Third, I do not believe that writers who choose to forgo indie publishing are somehow inferior to or less intelligent than writers who do. I do believe that everyone should at least try it out to see if it’s right for them, but I recognize that indie publishing is not right for everyone, and that writers should carefully evaluate their skill levels, personal proclivities, and career goals before making that step.
This is my goal: to make a living telling the stories that I love. Those stories fall firmly in the realm of science fiction: grand, sprawling space operas, thrilling sf adventures, poignant and moving tales of alien worlds and cultures, etc.
In my research of the publishing industry, I’ve discovered that it’s become extremely difficult over the past couple of decades to build a career writing science fiction. For whatever reason, publishers aren’t as interested in pushing this genre or serving its readers as they have been in the past. Contract terms have gotten worse, and it’s become increasingly difficult to break in, much less make a living.
That’s why the changes in publishing and the ebook revolution have made me so excited. Writers have more options now than ever before, and I believe that I can better achieve my goal through indie publishing than through more traditional paths.
Now, a little bit you should know about myself: I believe in complete and total honesty. If I see a problem or something that seems to be wrong, I tend to be very upfront and direct about it (and appreciate it when others are the same with me).
This philosophy has its advantages, but one of its disadvantages is that I tend to be a little tactless. If I come across as arrogant, I want you to know that I’m sorry. That’s certainly not my intent, and I’ll try to do a better job of making that clear.
At the same time, I’d like to point out that what you perceive as arrogance may just be my own excitement. All writers are emotionally involved in their work, and because we’re approaching these issues from fundamentally different worldviews, it’s very easy for mutual misunderstandings to arise.
In the future, I’ll try to be more tactful, but I can’t control how others perceive me. I have no doubt that those who are emotionally invested in resisting change will continue to find fault with those who embraces it. Ultimately, I can only be answerable to myself, those who depend on me for support, and my readers.
So on that note, I’d like to finish by saying that after reviewing your comments and giving the issue some thought, I’ve decided to go ahead with Edenfall as my next major project. More on that later, but for now, I’d just like to thank you all for your feedback and support. I’m excited to get started!
