One interesting thing about making the shift from traditional to indie publishing is that it changes your perspective on what it means to be “published,” and not in ways that you might expect.
Before I made the shift, I felt as if I were at the base of a giant mountain, where climbing to the top meant getting published and that was all I could see. Sure, I knew there was more to it than getting that first book deal, but I figured I’d learn all about that at some point later–and besides, there’d be people along the way to help me.
Once I started indie publishing, though, my paradigm changed completely. Instead of focusing all my efforts on trying to land that lucky break, I started thinking in ways that were much more concrete and practical, like “how can I build my readership?” “how high (or low) should I price my books?” “how can I improve my ebook formatting?” etc.
All of a sudden, it was as if I were on top of that first mountain, with a whole range of even taller mountains to climb. And while that’s a very daunting place to be, it’s also quite encouraging, because I can see what lies in front of me and figure out what path I want to take.
One of the side effects of all this is that “getting published” is no longer a big deal to me. Whenever I see aspiring writers obsess over getting an agent or a book deal, as if that’s the single greatest thing that could ever happen to them and all their hopes and dreams hang on the balance, I have to stop and scratch my head.
Don’t get me wrong; it’s still a big deal to get picked up by a major publisher, and kudos to everyone who is. It’s just that that is not and shouldn’t be the end of your publishing journey; it’s only the beginning.
For this reason, I really don’t like the words “published” or “author” anymore. People throw those terms around as if it makes you part of a select elite, one of those godlike beings who lives up in the clouds and periodically descends from On High to grant blessings to all the poor unpublished wastrel folk on the surface. That’s complete and utter BS, and I never ever ever want to buy into it, not for an instant.
The problem is, so many people still do. They still think that there’s some kind of a divide between them and Big Name Authors, like peasants in the face of royalty. They labor endlessly over their manuscripts, terrified that one misplaced comma will forever their chances of fulfilling their hopes and dreams. And whenever anyone tries to tell them that there’s a better way, that it doesn’t have to be like this, they cling to the old paradigm like battered women who refuse to get help–or worse, like religious zealots who dream of being martyrs for their cause.
It used to be that self-published writers were the ones who constantly obsessed about being “published,” but now, I think it’s the exact opposite. Sure, there are crazies in both camps, but it seems that the balance of aspiring professionals–the ones who actually treat writing like a business–are turning to independent self-publishing.
The point is, I don’t like to think of myself as an “author,” or as an “indie published” whatever; I like to think of myself as an “indie writer”–or better still, just a “writer.” All the other terms are just too misleading and destructive.
There are authors and then there are AUTHORS. I hear what you are saying but just like in any professional field, there are going to be superstars who command respect. And of course who they are is different for each person. For me…the three authors who are alive to whom I would be extremely humbled before are George R.R. Martin, Neil Gaiman, and William Gibson. When they are at their best, their works seem like such works of genius that I would feel like an insect if I were in the same room with them. And this feeling, I think, is where some of the “validation seeking” comes from. I know that traditional publishing might serve to fill some of this gap for many people because the ones that we grew up idolizing got published under a certain label. When you point it out like you do so clearly in this post…it seems silly. But human nature is oftentimes silly as we go about seeking approval from those that have come before us and have established themselves as titans in an unforgiving industry.
I haven’t met either of those three authors, but I hear George R. R. Martin can be a bit of a jerk in person. I suppose the only author I’d really go ape crazy over–well, both of them–are David Gemmell and Michael Ende, but unfortunately they’ve both passed away. But I wouldn’t be trying to suck up to them at all; I’d just be in awe and have this huge fanboy moment, which is something completely different.
I guess what I’m sick and tired of is all the suck-upage in this industry. If you go to any agent/editor blog, even the anonymous ones (which can be EXTREMELY degrading in the way they treat writers, especially beginning writers), there’s always at least a dozen comments after each post that contribute nothing except to say “you’re the man!” and almost all of them are from writers who are looking for a leg up…man, it pisses me off. I mean, I’ll post very favorable comments on Dean and Kris’s blogs, but I’m also not afraid to bring up something controversial and play the devil’s advocate.
All this suck-upage–it’s got to stop.
There are oft radicals in every camp that polarize their comrades, but it seems to me that the contempt in traditional and legacy publishing (both in the industry and the content creators) for the self-published is growing. Understandably so – they’re seeing shrinking sales in a desperate economic time. Publishing is in a tumultuous period of change, and where it will be five years from now is anyone’s guess. I’d love to be published, but I know that instead of wasting time dealing with publishers that might not be around tomorrow let alone after that five years, I can focus on improving my writing by going directly to my readers, building an audience and actually learning and internalizing how marketing and publishing actually works.
I’m inclined to agree with you on the “author” title though – I like being a writer first and foremost so much more.
I’m not so sure that established authors and publishers are quite so contemptuous of indie publishing; Dan Wells just released a self-published ebook under the advice of his agent (who, to my knowledge, isn’t getting paid for it), and I think Brandon Sanderson is thinking of doing an indie ebook release. Instead, I think most of the contempt comes from aspiring writers, who for years have focused all their efforts on getting picked up by some agent or publisher who will magically turn them into an Author, and now feel that that dream is threatened. Fortunately, those aren’t the kind of people who will be around in five years, in the traditionally published world as well as in indie publishing.
One of the things I like best about calling myself a writer rather than an author is that “writer” to me connotates a love of writing. “Author” to me is a brand that means “having written”. On the days I don’t write, man–I can really feel it. There’s like an empty ache that begs to be filled. It’s like an addiction and I can’t be happy unless I’m writing. Therefore, writer. One who writes.
I approve!
That’s a good point. I would much rather be an am-doing than a has-done.