This Isn't Going to Win Me Any Popularity Contests

...but I'm going to say it anyways.

No comment for the moment on Harlequin Horizons, vanity publishing, etc, because it's been said to death by people more eloquently than me, and I've made my opinions known simply by what I retweet and post on Facebook.

There is something I'd like to comment on. And this is going to be long and rambly, so prepare yourself.

One of the lines being used to sell this service is the bit about how publishing is changing, and this is a new way of doing things. People are coming out of the woodwork to talk about how self and vanity publishing is the future. There's this utopia they see in the future where readers have all access to everything under the sun and the best will rise to the top.

Ahem.

Now, a few years ago I remember this commercial. I seriously don't remember what it was for. But there was an auditorium full of students, and this one kid stood up and started saying, "What if everyone could publish their book?" and went on and on.

Okay. Here we go.

Imagine a world where everyone can publish their book. Everyone. Just like that. No vetting. No editing. Just...click: publish. If you have money.

I don't want to live in this world.

Why? Because I value storytelling.

I will be accused of being an elitist for saying this. Or some old dinosaur. I'm "the man" trying to keep good books down.

But I don't want to live in a world where all writers have to pay to see their books in print, because that means individual people with money will be the sole ones deciding what reading material I have easy (or any) access to.

Everyone self-publishing means a level playing field, you say?

Can't remember where I read it earlier, but something like 80% of people surveyed felt they had a book in them. If only HALF of those people just wrote and published those books...can you just imagine what the marketplace would be like? Who the hell has time to browse millions and millions of books?

Oh, wait, the best will somehow magically rise to the top, right? Um, with that many books? No. Most people would just give up searching and go watch TV. So the books that get read will be the ones that get advertised, 99% of the time. Like books are NOW. Except instead of publishers advertising books that multiple people have read, enjoyed, and worked on to create a product for like-minded consumers, it'll be the writers with money to throw around who do the advertising. Sure, there'll be a tiny number of success stories with good books that word of mouth propelled along. But, by and large, it'll be the ones who have the most money to throw around that'll be read the most.

Oh, ebooks, you say? Wave of the future? No more bookstores--only online sales? And with Lulu, there's no start-up fee, so no upfront cost. Um, yeah, online sales are up, as are ebooks. Know what people are ordering, by and large? EXACTLY the same stuff you find in bookstores. That's what makes up most online sales of commercial fiction. And those sales, still, are minuscule compared to bookstore sales. Shelf space is, also, quite expensive. So, again, even in the "level" playing field of online sales, it'll be wealthy people with money to throw around who get your attention.

As for good things rise to the surface: Twilight. Need I say more?

Right, yes, your next point, which is also Twilight-related. "Commercial publishing produces shitty books I don't want to read anyways. They're just as bad as subsidy published books."

Okay, so...what's your point, beyond the fact that the average reader is apparently fucking stupid for going gaga over that book (which doesn't help your point--Twilight would be successful even in this utopia)? Yeah, shitty books sometimes get commercially published. But the majority of them, even if they're not your taste, aren't bad. I'm notoriously picky and even I can point out when something not to my taste is still good.

Variety is the next one, right? Tired of seeing the same old books on shelves? Everyone publishing their opus will mean more variety for readers?

You know, we already have a solution for that problem. It's called SMALL PRESS.

I had issues years ago too--couldn't find the stuff I liked to read in Chapters. So I hit used bookstores and did special orders to get Louise Cooper's out of print stuff, which was unlike any other fantasy I could find. Then you know where I started to shop, years later? Mundania Press. And this isn't an ad for the company I work for. Elaine Corvidae, Jeff Strand, Adrienne Jones, Louise Cooper's backlist--these were unique authors with great books that you don't see elsewhere. I'm proud to shop quite often in small press.

If we lived in a world where all writers had to pay (or, hell, even give away for free) books instead of being paid to write them, it's entirely possible that works by those authors never would have seen the light of day. You know what? My books wouldn't. I can't afford to pay someone to publish my work. I can't afford to spend hundreds of hours of my own time writing--which could be spent doing a job that'll pay the rent--and then thousands of dollars publishing and marketing.

So the next assumption: all my bitching here is just proof I'm just afraid of vanity published books outselling me, and those authors taking over my readership. Well, you know, in this magical utopia of vanity press everywhere, yeah, it sure as hell is a concern that people who are already low-income will be trampled on because they can't afford marketing or distribution for their books.

Now I'll repeat something tangentially related that I posted on Dina James' blog today, which is also likely to ruffle feathers, but what can you do.

You totally nailed what bothers me so much about vanity publishing as well--or, more specifically, that group of people who think they're being cool by skipping any sort of vetting process and just putting their book out anyways.

It's insulting.

It's insulting to the profession of writing. Writing isn't about having your name on a book--it's about being a good storyteller. Publishing is not about an author's name on the book--it's delivering good stories to readers.

For the people who do it after being rejected over and over and over again by every major, small, and e publisher...why in the hell would they WANT to put a book out there that everyone routinely rejected? I'd be embarrassed to put out a book that NO ONE thought was good enough to publish.

I grant you that often books are rejected not due to quality but due to marketability. However, if it's a case of niche fiction, it's highly likely that there is still SOMEONE out there who would publish it. E-publishers often specialize in niche fiction. But if even they have rejected it, and the writer has only received form letter rejections with no mention of "We love this but can't sell it"...um, gosh, MAYBE the damn book sucks and he or she should write a new one.

For any writer who is so daunted at the prospect of writing a new book because he or she can't sell the first one that they'd rather vanity publish than write something else...that person is not a writer. That person has no place doing this job. If you want to be a novelist, get used to writing novels. If you spend ten years on one book and resort to vanity publishing to see it in print rather than just write more books and become better at the craft, you're not a writer. You're a douche bag.

Publishing and editors are not the enemies of writers. Writers GROW in publishing. They become better storytellers because they're not operating in a vacuum. Anyone who thinks they're too good to grow as a writer has no business being in this profession.

Now, to be clear, I don't think that every self-published novel is bad. I don't think all self-published writers are bad writers. I HAVE SELF-PUBLISHED WORK. Seriously. Go click the "serials" link above lest you doubt me.

I also, believe it or not, don't think that the enemy of commercial publishing is self-publishing. I don't think we should be at odds with one another. Not once have I said anywhere that there isn't a place for self-publishing (in my quoted comment above, as well as in the original entry by Dina, we were both speaking about specific instances of vanity publishing).

The real enemies are a) potential readers choosing other forms of entertainment, such as television, over books, b) lack of standards all around and the willingness of writers to stagnate, and c) the devaluing of written work.

Self-published writers: want to be taken seriously? Cut out the hippy talk of the pay-to-play future where everyone is magically on equal ground and skipping through the tulips and demand more quality and standards in self-publishing. When you run into people who talk about sticking their glorified fanfic that's been rejected by everyone under the sun between two covers and calling themselves professional writers, lay the smack down and tell them they're douche bags. Show some fucking respect for the profession, which you consider yourself a part of. Don't operate in a vacuum--pay for an editor. Hell, pay for two or three. Take workshops and join critique groups--just because you're not aspiring towards commercial publication doesn't exempt you from honing your craft. Demand more of yourself.

See, the problem with self-publishing is, obviously, the lack of a vetting process. Everyone who thinks they can write decides to publish. I deal, daily, with the slush pile--books are rejected for GOOD reason. If YOU want self-publishing to stand on its own as a viable option, stop advertising it like it's the greatest thing since sliced bread. Stop giving the illiterate a reason to part with their money in the hopes that they'll be real authors. Stand up for quality, stop lining the pockets of vanity publishers, and say, point blank, that no, not everyone should be published. You should be just as fucking insulted as I am by the idiots who think that their thinly veiled knock-off of Lord of the Rings is entitled to publication and being in the same market as your book you worked hard on.

Commercially published authors, that goes for you too. Selling ten books doesn't mean you stop learning. There seems to be a trend, sadly, that when an author is selling quite well, he or she just seems to start producing the same book over and over. Well, fucking stop it. If two books a year is too much of a pace for you, either buck up or slow down. But don't become complacent. Push yourself. Write something new. Try something different. Demand more of yourself.

And you know what? Let's not show disdain for all self-published authors. There are some out there who are serious about writing as a profession. When you run into one of those authors who is working hard and setting a high standard for his or her work, support that. I'm not suggesting you buy every vanity book you come across. I'm not suggesting you lie about the pitfalls of self-publishing. But if someone can show you they work just as hard as you to produce a quality product, don't snub them. They're doing something really difficult without the support you have with a publisher--being rude will just reinforce the us vs. them mentality, and that's not necessary.

Commercial authors and self-published authors alike ought to have the same goals: produce quality books for readers. Not see our names on covers. Not realize our dreams of fame and fortune. Those things are nice, sure, but they're not the purpose of storytelling.

We, as writers, need to demand more of this INDUSTRY. We need to demand better of ourselves as content providers. And any editors/publishers reading this, especially smaller epresses: we need to demand better editing too. I know sales are down. I know the economy is bad. But, you know, we're not going to turn things around by not demanding quality from ourselves and our employees.

So...can I imagine a world where everyone self-publishes their books? Yes. I don't want to live in that world. I don't want to envision it. And I don't want readers to live there either. If self-publishing is the future of publishing, mark my words, it'll be the death of paid, quality storytelling, and if THAT is what you're looking forward to, you have no place in this business. If it's more variety for readers you're after, support QUALITY writing and high standards, no matter where it comes from.

I want to live in a world where only the people who work hard, hone their craft, and grow as storytellers are published, and it's that world I think we should be aspiring for.

Comments are welcome, kids. Haven't received hate mail in awhile, so feel free to send it along, but love and hugs are always more appreciated.

But then again, I'm not looking to be popular.