Can You Read?

[A. E. Lowan]

Don't ever assume that being a published author is easy.

If it were easy, everybody'd do it. But pain fades, chicks dig scars, and glory is forever. In my mind, publishing is immortality. Writing itself is, too, but it gets you fewer drinks at the pub.

 

[Prince of Spires]

There’s definitely more genre stuff in self published works for sure, seeing as some niches are ‘not commercial’ to start with. I don’t think it makes a difference at this point, just maybe the overall writing quality is better in trad published stuff because it has to go through the wringer a bit more before it gets out into the world.

I'll go with yes and no on this one.

There are a lot of indie books out there. And a lot of them are terrible. It's all too easy to hit publish and release something that might not even qualify as a complete first draft.

However, those books tend to sink to the bottom of Amazon, to never see the light of day again. There are also plenty of books out there, written and published by indie authors that are as good, if not better than the average stuff trad publishers put out. Those books are also indistinguishable from trad books. These are people like Will Wight, who write great books (if they're your thing). Many of them use editors, though not all do. So it's not necessary. What is necessary is to have a desire to put out a book as good as something a trad publisher puts out, and a process to get there.

even small press or micro publishers like us (soon to be ),

Is there something you want to share with us...?

 

[A. E. Lowan]

Is there something you want to share with us...?

No.

 

[dollyt8]

Ten years ago, I would read 800 page novels in a matter of a couple days. Then when I started working full-time I just stopped reading. I've only really been reading again for a couple months, and I'm definitely slower than I used to be. I have a hard time concentrating and I struggle with it, but I'm getting back into it slowly.

 

[A. E. Lowan]

Ten years ago, I would read 800 page novels in a matter of a couple days. Then when I started working full-time I just stopped reading. I've only really been reading again for a couple months, and I'm definitely slower than I used to be. I have a hard time concentrating and I struggle with it, but I'm getting back into it slowly.

That's what kills me about the whole thing. I'm hyperlexic and I have hypergraphia. I'm literally built to eat books, and then spit them out again in new and (hopefully) interesting forms. The words are coming back, thank heavens. Slowly, but they're coming back and I'm making notes and scenelettes and the next book is going to be awesome sexy.

Now if I could only read. We have so many amazingly talented friends and I feel like not only am I missing out, I'm also letting you down.

And I think that hurts the most of all.