One often hears writers say, "I'm a published author."
But in today's electronic, self-publishing age, what does that mean?
According to Merriam-Webster, publishing is "the business or profession of the commercial production and issuance of literature, information, musical scores or sometimes recordings, or art," such as "newspaper publishing" or "software publishing."
For authors, that process was once straightforward: bundle up manuscripts, ship to publishers, and hope for the best. In the twenty-first century, this feels as outdated as coke syrup for morning sickness.
This doesn't even get into the differences between commercial and creating writing (more on this in another post). For today, let's just touch on the basics.
1) Blogging is considered publishing.
Yes, that's correct. With bloggers often receiving the same first amendment rights as journalists while being held to the same accountability as journalists.
What this means in terms of publishing your short story on your blog or on an online site or a fan fiction page is this: if you wish to submit the same story to a traditional publisher, be aware some publishers might consider the story already published and be disinterested. That's not true of all publishers. But it is something to consider before posting you work anywhere on a whim.
2) The same mindset applies to pay-to-publish companies and true self-publishing.
Yes, they are very different animals. Both can bite whether or not the work does well.
Some traditional publishers want to see high sales before taking a chance. Others will eschew a work with high sales feeling sales are pretty much exhausted. Neither are likely to be interested when sales are poor.
3) The assumption behind the phrase, "I'm a published author."
The assumption is that your work has gone through a vetting process with a traditional publishing house and was accepted for publication.
But this shouldn't knock the accomplishments of writers choosing one of the options in No. 2. It takes discipline to write a book, even if it doesn't approach the editorial standards or commercial expectations of a publishing house. So take pride in that.
4) Being accepted by a traditional publisher isn't a reward for good writing.
True, traditional publishers generally like good writing and will lean toward manuscripts that need little in terms of editing. But traditional publishers are mostly seeking salable works.
If you've written a masterpiece, but the market won't support it, you'll have difficulty finding a traditional home for it, no matter how stellar the writing, plot, characters, world-building is.
Likewise, if you've written a salable masterpiece, but a particular house has already purchased two like it, you'll have difficulty finding a traditional home for it.
Furthermore, a work may need quite a bit of editing and still receive an offer from a traditional publisher simply because the house feels the work will sell well (after the editing).
5) Being accepted by a traditional publisher doesn't mean your work will sell of that you will make lots of money.
Even if you're a "bestseller."
In short, if your goal for a particular work is traditional publishing, the conservative opinion would be to shy away from any forms of publication, including print and "e." Doing otherwise doesn't necessarily mean death for the work. But it might reduce the odds of living in traditional form.
Then again, publishing online might get it noticed. Or garner fans who help get it noticed. Think Amanda Hocking. Or Fifty Shades.
Just don't count on it. Because like many things in life, there are no guarantees when it comes to writing and publishing.
Except one.
There is absolutely no substitute for hard work and the long tail. Meaning, the more you do to perfect your craft and learn the business side of publishing over the long haul (cliche), the more likely you will find a home within its borders.
But in today's electronic, self-publishing age, what does that mean?
According to Merriam-Webster, publishing is "the business or profession of the commercial production and issuance of literature, information, musical scores or sometimes recordings, or art," such as "newspaper publishing" or "software publishing."
For authors, that process was once straightforward: bundle up manuscripts, ship to publishers, and hope for the best. In the twenty-first century, this feels as outdated as coke syrup for morning sickness.
This doesn't even get into the differences between commercial and creating writing (more on this in another post). For today, let's just touch on the basics.
1) Blogging is considered publishing.
Yes, that's correct. With bloggers often receiving the same first amendment rights as journalists while being held to the same accountability as journalists.
What this means in terms of publishing your short story on your blog or on an online site or a fan fiction page is this: if you wish to submit the same story to a traditional publisher, be aware some publishers might consider the story already published and be disinterested. That's not true of all publishers. But it is something to consider before posting you work anywhere on a whim.
2) The same mindset applies to pay-to-publish companies and true self-publishing.
Yes, they are very different animals. Both can bite whether or not the work does well.
Some traditional publishers want to see high sales before taking a chance. Others will eschew a work with high sales feeling sales are pretty much exhausted. Neither are likely to be interested when sales are poor.
3) The assumption behind the phrase, "I'm a published author."
The assumption is that your work has gone through a vetting process with a traditional publishing house and was accepted for publication.
But this shouldn't knock the accomplishments of writers choosing one of the options in No. 2. It takes discipline to write a book, even if it doesn't approach the editorial standards or commercial expectations of a publishing house. So take pride in that.
4) Being accepted by a traditional publisher isn't a reward for good writing.
True, traditional publishers generally like good writing and will lean toward manuscripts that need little in terms of editing. But traditional publishers are mostly seeking salable works.
If you've written a masterpiece, but the market won't support it, you'll have difficulty finding a traditional home for it, no matter how stellar the writing, plot, characters, world-building is.
Likewise, if you've written a salable masterpiece, but a particular house has already purchased two like it, you'll have difficulty finding a traditional home for it.
Furthermore, a work may need quite a bit of editing and still receive an offer from a traditional publisher simply because the house feels the work will sell well (after the editing).
5) Being accepted by a traditional publisher doesn't mean your work will sell of that you will make lots of money.
Even if you're a "bestseller."
In short, if your goal for a particular work is traditional publishing, the conservative opinion would be to shy away from any forms of publication, including print and "e." Doing otherwise doesn't necessarily mean death for the work. But it might reduce the odds of living in traditional form.
Then again, publishing online might get it noticed. Or garner fans who help get it noticed. Think Amanda Hocking. Or Fifty Shades.
Just don't count on it. Because like many things in life, there are no guarantees when it comes to writing and publishing.
Except one.
There is absolutely no substitute for hard work and the long tail. Meaning, the more you do to perfect your craft and learn the business side of publishing over the long haul (cliche), the more likely you will find a home within its borders.
No comments:
Post a Comment