Nov 26 2009
Self-Publishing: Welcome to the Fuss
The publishing world is changing really, really fast. When I self-published an early incarnation of Heart to Heart: Meeting With God in the Lord’s Prayer about five years ago, Lulu was still new on the scene. I researched self-publishing then, and much of what I learned–though it gave me a great foundation for understanding the publishing industry in general–is all but obsolete now. The conference I attended back in September had at least as much content for independent authors as for those who are being traditionally published–and keynote speaker Mike Shatzkin questioned why, in the Internet age, authors bother with agents and publishers at all.
Recently, Thomas Nelson opened a subsidy publishing branch called Westbow Press. The industry buzzed. Last week, major romance publisher Harlequin opened a subsidy branch of their own, and the industry buzzed even harder–in fact, Harlequin came under fire from major organizations like the RWA and were (ahem, coerced) into changing the name of the new branch from Harlequin Horizons to DellArte Press.
Five years ago most mainstream authors, agents, and publishers weren’t even talking about self-publishing other than the occasional dismissive snort. Now they’re in the midst of a full-blown fuss. An era is ending. A new one is about to begin.
If you want to get a good look at the fuss, check out this post on agent Rachelle Gardner’s blog. I respect Rachelle greatly (though I disagree with her on this issue), and the comments especially will give you a good look at why people are fussing (and in some cases, flat-out panicking). There are some big names in on the discussion, including Michael Hyatt, CEO of Thomas Nelson. Check it out. Tomorrow or next week I may venture more of my opinions on this.
Hi. Thanks for sharing your views about self-publishing. You are right. The publishing industry is changing through the technology’s innovation. This era is a transitory period, so we can expect a lot of fuss from other people who choose not to embrace change. Happy Thanksgiving!
I’ve been thinking about this a lot this last week. The fuss seems to be … everywhere! I’m hoping you’ll “venture” more of your opinions on this as and when you have the inclination and time!
[...] last week I posted a link to a hopping discussion on the changing face of the publishing industry, and promise…. Let me say, for starters, that I commit myself to nothing . Any predictions at this point are [...]