Self-publishing has become a new and exciting industry with great opportunities for a lot of writers. As a writer though, I often feel conflicted about the pros this has for myself but perhaps the cons it has for the greater literary world that I love. Does the flood of self-publishing depreciate the quality and opinion of the works being produced? Is this actually beneficial for the literary world or is it harmful?
I don't know too much about all the details behind self-publishing, but I believe it is a good thing for the literary world; the writers and the readers both. It is good for writers because it is an accessible option. Everyone is protective of their writing, and many are insecure about sharing it (at least in the beginning). When one can self-publish, it is easier to stay anonymous. And it helps to develop a portfolio for up-and-coming writers. It is a good way to show the publishing industry serious work ethic by finishing and sharing a work with a wide audience. Hopefully, if they take good care to copyedit and proofread the work, the industry will also see potential in the actual work, too. Readers are advantaged in the sense that they, too, have more access to more writing. The only disadvantage might be is if there is a lot of poor writing, it might waste their time. But, I think one can determine early on if they like a text they are reading, and can skip along to another work if they are bored, frustrated, or uninterested. Since cover art is a less elaborate option (if it is an option at all), and since it is, in truth, something that will draw buyers towards a certain publication, writers have to work harder to create something interesting and well written. Hopefully, 50 Shades of Grey is a rare exception of poor, self-published writing that turned into a best seller. – Laura Bowman9 years ago
I myself have questioned how self-publishing will effect both the quantity and quality of materials being published. I personally am not a fan of the self-publish movement. While publishing houses should not have absolute say it what is interesting to mass readers I still feel they serve as a good crowd sourcing and screening. I feel having your work published my HarperCollins goes a lot farther than Amazon publishing. Should it be that way? I feel yes. This publishing house is a leader because it has produced best-sellers right and left. They have the platform to take a book and make it popular just by it coming from their house. We need more publishing houses to start rising up and creating their brand. This would create jobs and give writers a medium for their voices. Self publishing is great, but if it never makes it past Amazon online is that the best it can do? No, it needs a team behind it to make it soar. The literary world has become so segmented, with readers sticking mainly to their genre and publishers, yet if a dedication is formed to a house, and not just an author, they will experience a myriad of texts. -Sarah Patterson – sarahpatterson9 years ago
I've spoken to English professors and writers who generally agreed that self-publishing wasn't necessarily a bad thing, and could be an asset to writers later seeking conventional representation. In the modern era I think it's helpful to get any exposure possible. – merrittcorrigan9 years ago
Self-publishing has rocked the literary world and has pros and cons that you could consider addressing in your piece. Being able to circumvent the publishing companies can lead to the question of what types of authors and subjects these companies support. Unfortunately, the pool is not as diverse as it could be. African Americans, American Indians, and Latinos are some of the most under-represented demographics as characters in the literature that gets published and as authors that get published. So, are publishers hindering diversification (albeit, because they know what will sell) and is self-publishing a way to spread pieces by or about under-represented demographics? Literature can really spread cultural awareness, so it would be interesting to see the rise in self-publishing take advantage of the opportunity to do so. – moepsen39 years ago
And how does one go about advertising? – Candice Evenson9 years ago
I think self-publishing can be a positive means by which important information can get to the general public. Though I find myself relying upon reviews on sites such as Good Reads and Amazon when making decisions on self-published books, my position as a social scientist also informs me that self-selection bias (i.e., those who care the most - hate it, love it - are usually the ones who take the time to review) can occur. A book that may be quite good could get a horrible one-star review from someone and then it's dead in the water. Do authors with the means (be it monetary, connections, advertising, etc.) to circulate novels "in exchange for an *honest* review" have an advantage over those who do not? These are the thoughts that swim through my mind when I contemplate self-publication. Does anyone else have experience with this? – lrremi019 years ago
Especially in the digital era, there are so many new publishing avenues, and publishing was already a very rapidly changing business. Self-publishing in less expensive routes could allow, as mentioned above, for more marginalized voices to enter the literary field. However, there's also the question of quality. One poorly edited book too many could turn people off to reading other self-published works where the authors spent more time finetuning everything. It'd be difficult to make a conclusive statement because quality and reasons for self-publishing are incredibly diverse, but it's worth dissecting. – emilydeibler9 years ago
NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month, is a real challenge that is not for the faint of heart. Every November millions of writers from across the globe sign up and announce to their social world that they intend to stagger through the 50,000 word gauntlet. Why do so many writers fail to follow through, and what are some of the success stories of those who do?
This is a very interesting topic to me, since I am currently participating. I am already behind schedule :( . For me the issues are time, loss of interest in my characters/plot, "writer's block, and the feeling that what I'm writing is pure garbage. – Tatijana9 years ago
I understand completely. I`m doing my first one. I was dead tired that last two nights, but I forced my way through the 1667 words needed to stay on track. I hope you hang in there. Just write anything. Editing while you write will kill your creativity and your drive. That`s what make NaNo so great. Good luck. – SWBiddulph9 years ago
One of the things about NaNoWriMo is that it is often forgotten that it is more about quantity than quality for the one month. One of the biggest issues, something that I've done, is think that every sentence has to be perfect before moving forward. This, along with many other factors, could be what makes so few complete the task. – Austin Bender9 years ago
I like this topic; again, I'm interested since I'm also participating this year. Time commitment is probably a big one, as well as self-doubt. I think I heard a quotation from a well-known author once that summed it up nicely; he said that he either thought that he was the best writer in the world or the most talentless (it might have been John Green). Anyway, I think that sums up the plight of the creative writer very nicely; you're constantly plagued by doubts that you're not good enough (although, arguably, that's the side of you that pushes you to improve). – laurakej9 years ago
It's also important to consider the question of why so many people outside of NaNoWriMo fail to finish a novel. Taking too long to get through the first draft can burn a lot of people out. Given that the publishing climate is always in flux, time to write a novel can affect one's ability to pitch it successfully. If nothing else, NNWM helps to build the discipline required to actually get from the first to the last page of a draft. – iatakpa9 years ago
Actually, iatakpa, your response is the one I was looking for. That's the real nugget of NNWM--finishing something for once. Take a 50,000 word rough draft and turning it into something worthwhile is a whole lot easier then writing the 50,000 words. Good point. :) – SWBiddulph9 years ago
I think many writers fall through because of writer's block. In hindsight, writing 50k words seems like something you could easily do in 30 days if you stay on top of it, but once you get writing, you sometimes hit that wall. It becomes discouraging. I did NNWM once and I finished it, but it was challenging. It did teach me, however, that writer's block is an illusion, that the objective is to first get words on the paper (however ridiculous they might sound), and then later fix what you wrote. – Christina Legler9 years ago
Well, aim high and see what happens. I have not done NNWM because the time commitment, but I can see the advantage of cracking down and just writing as much as possible, whether you finish or not. – Candice Evenson9 years ago
As someone who participates and leads a region, I'd be intrigued to hear the reasoning and see if there's a common trend. I do think discouragement and losing passion around the halfway mark are issues NaNoWriMo participants face. Once you get yourself muddy with an idea, it can get harder to see the path to a 50K first draft. Priorities shift and excitement wanes. You start thinking of plot holes and want to reread, edit, and fret, which takes up much time and energy. – emilydeibler9 years ago
With the increasing abundance of resources to help writers create, publish, and advertise their works, comes an increase in new less experienced authors. It seems that everyone who wants to be an author can! This gives people, who otherwise would never have written a book, the opportunity to share their stories, but how does this affect the quality of literature? How do we decide what is worth reading?
Accidentally submitted the revision before I was finished and can't edit the revision. Writers in the title shouldn't have the apostrophe. There are also a couple grammar mistakes in the body of the post itself. – nsnow9 years ago
This is interesting! Would be good to explore how although anyone can now write, becoming an author and making a living out of it is a lot harder than before. It's quite paradoxical but does make sense, and would be interesting to research. – Rachel Elfassy Bitoun9 years ago
Things to consider:
Websites like http://nanowrimo.org/ that motivate people to write their book in a month. This gives people a community of motivation and also a written commitment to finish books they may usually have never started or given up on.
Amazon's self publishing gives author's a free way to publish the books straight to ebook format. They no longer need to go through the hoops of a publishing company and/or editors.
Bookbub provides advertising of books and coaxes people into reading them since they are free or reduced price. All these loopholes can let lower quality writing filter out to the public without being corrected/fact checked. – Tatijana9 years ago
Great topic. It may be worth going into some success stories of self-published authors too, such as Hugh Howey's Wool series or the evolution of Scott Sigler's Ancestor from free audibook to current TPB. – mattdoylemedia9 years ago
This is an amazing idea, and one's answer to it really depends on what you think the goal of writing is. Some more traditional, ivory-tower, "Great Books" viewpoints on literature is will probably be really frustrated at lots of subpar, self-published authors, since the goal is to produce technically excellent literature with sweeping, universal themes. However, if the goal is self-expression, and the ability to understand other people, then having a multiplicity of voices is wonderful, because it lets underprivileged writers, who might not have otherwise had a voice, get heard. – thekellyfornian9 years ago
I think this would have to focus on the many avenues of publishing and less on the actual act of writing. Everyone has always been able to write, but now we're in a time when Amazon and other websites allow you to publish your work and sell it. Also, maybe mention the most commonly purchased genres from self-publishing. – Austin Bender9 years ago
Horror as a genre has evolved so much since the first stories were written. Today Dracula would be considered tame while during the time it was written, it was considered too scary. The same with Camilla, one the first vampire stories which predated Dracula, it was even more scandalous since it involved a lesbian vampire. Today we have the writings of Stephen King and Dean Koontz that reach far out of most people's comfort zone.
It seems that society has a whole has become desensitized to the fear of horror writing. Is it because we are subjected to it so much?
Are you suggesting writing a piece which examines the way society has become desensitized to fear? Or a study on the way horror writing as evolved alongside societal norms? Or maybe neither of those things? Can you provide a bit more information on what it is you'd like to see done with this interesting idea? – Bo9 years ago
Thanks for the note! I went ahead and updated the topic based on your suggestions. – Hpfan289 years ago
Interesting...Personally, I think it is the topics that do appear feasible in horror movies, which inflict the most terror in a viewer's mind. For example, yes, Dracula would be tame, because most of us do not believe in vampires, especially one's that morph into bats, sleep in coffins, etc. Yet, when the bad guy is recognizable, the viewer is more likely to place themselves into the role of the tormented victim. This is similar to the discussion of terror versus horror. Terror is when a fearful object makes one nervous or upset, but does not arose heightened emotions because it is so far from one's realm of existence. Whereas horror is closer, tangible, believable, and instills fear because it exists within a viewer's realm of existence. One of the scariest movies is "Silence of the Lambs," due to the psychological content and the reality of serial killers.
In regards to us being desensitized...I think if a good horror movie was made, people would be frightened, especially due to being subjected to paranormal one thousand and twenty. – danielle5779 years ago
Interesting, I would recommend mentioning the increase of jump scares in modern, mainstream films. – Austin Bender9 years ago
Reflective writing has great power to aid in self discovery, to strongly connect the author and the reader and to transform both. The best reflective writing goes far beyond a brief diary entry and compels careful attention from both the writer and the reader. When done well, both the writing and the reading of it are mindful practices.
I think this is a fascinating idea. My worry is that it may prove extraordinarily challenging to discuss the issue without becoming bogged down in academic jargon. Not that it would be impossible or that it wouldn't prove enjoyable, only that delving into such a topic could be somewhat confusing. I'd love to write on this topic, but I fear the only way I could do so is by offering my own personal writings as examples of elements of the broader idea. Is something like that acceptable? If so, I'd totally be down to have this as my first attempt at a published piece. – Bo9 years ago
Hi Bo, I think your own personal writing is an essential grounding for this kind of reflection. You can see a blog where I have some of my own writing and that of some of my students here: http://bit.ly/MakingMeaningofGettingAway – jaa9n9 years ago
I love this idea, but when reading your description, I was wondering, what do you believe is "at stake?" This post would benefit from your providing some questions that plague you; something that intrigues someone to see this interesting topic and then decide they want to explore this topic and share their enthusiasm. I agree with what you say here, but what if you ask, "can reflective writing ever be a truthful depiction since it is fueled by emotions?" – danielle5779 years ago
Blogging has become a large part of Journalism, both for professionals and amateurs. What are the positives and negatives of this?
One negative is certainly that the "anyone can do it" mentality over-saturates the market. It can be difficult for people to sift through the slush to find actual valuable information, not just random spurts of someone who can fake experience and their intelligence on the subject. – Christina Legler9 years ago
While one positive is that blogging can give a voice to the people who may feel they are not given a chance to be heard. They can share their opinion on popular topics, participate in open discussions, and give new viewpoints to different stories. – Megan Finsel9 years ago
Interesting, it would also be worth commenting on how this affects the more 'traditional' film critics, such as those established with print newspapers versus online critics, especially when it comes to making a living. – IsabelleMilton9 years ago
While I think this is a good jumping off point, I think it presumes too much, e.g. that blogging is simply being accepted by everyone. I think this topic could includes points about what needs to change to further normalise bloggers, such as a way to find an appropriate convergence point for amateurs and professionals. Also, indication towards a paradigmatic shift about what journalism will be into the future. – Matthew Sims9 years ago
Unsupported claim. Blogging and journalism are different things. – T. Palomino2 years ago
(Note: I am very interested in seeing this topic become an article. Being a self published author who struggles to advertise my books successfully, I'm in need of a few fresh ideas, both ideas presented by the article itself and by the comments that will follow. Thanks so much to whomever writes this!)
In today's world, many people aspire to become full-fledged authors. However, agents and publishing companies can only take on so many clients. Thus, many people resort to self publishing, meaning that every work they produce must be advertised by themselves. There are many ways to advertise a book, both on the internet and off, but where do self published authors find the best venues to promote their books? What techniques could be employed by authors to draw attention and interest to their books? List techniques or venues on the internet and off, as well as how authors of fiction can promote their books in contrast to authors of non-fiction.
I think this is an interesting topic, too. I've self-published a book myself and struggle with marketing it. I did find, however, that giving out ARCs and holding free giveaway contests (like on Goodreads, or on my blog) helps generate interest and even reviews. Needless to say, they won't always be GOOD reviews, but the old mantra, "Any press is good press," applies here. That's just been my experience, though. I'd love to hear what more successful self-pubbed authors have to say! – Christina9 years ago
I really like this idea. I think you could develop a very intriguing article that a lot of people reading this magazine would find extremely helpful. I think you could utilize a "step-by-step" section within this article to break it down even further and help self-publishing become even less daunting. Love it! - Emily
– emilykirsten9 years ago
The obvious [url="http://www.google.co.uk"]answer[/url] is no, you shouldn't, but at the same time it does raise questions about what we are doing as a society and what we are missing out on. Instead of going and achieving dreams and accomplishing goals we are sitting in front of a YouTube screen watching others enjoy themselves. A good example of this is a YouTube star that goes by the name of PewDiePie. PewDiePie is famous for his videos where he will play video games and make comments about them. Sounds like a fun little hobby, but for him it is a full-time job where he raked in over $7 million dollars in 2014 himself and at one point was purchased by Disney. Now what does that say about a society when instead of playing video games we now watch other people have fun playing them. It is odd that we have the need to watch someone accomplish their goals or dreams and never actually accomplish any of ours. Another good example is how important celebrity gossip has become in our society (An easy pun on this article). Of course you must have heard of the Kardashians, or maybe a hundred other celebrities who you have heard of, but know nothing about. What is our strategy, why do we sit and eat up all of this information when it has nothing to do with us in our daily lives? We want to accomplish something, but by talking about all of this nonsense nothing is actually being accomplished. Maybe we should stop talking, complaining, or making a mockery of things that do not pertain to us and start dealing with stuff that does. By doing this we may actually be accomplishing what we want to do instead of eyeing up what other people are accomplishing. At the same time, sure some people do like making jokes of other people that they do not know, or complain about them and they do receive benefits. Looking back at the Shia LeBeouf video, there are pun videos that have received tens of millions of views. "Shia LeBeouf - Just Do It" is a complete joke on itself. It is entertaining and funny with a bunch of stupid motions thrown in. That is what we need. We need something that is entertaining to watch, yet at the same time the video to be motivating. While it is a joke to itself he is doing what he wants and he is trying to get other people to do it too through the<a href="https://www.google.com">power</a> of motivation.
– JustinMcElroy9 years ago
