Disclaimer: Now, before you pile on me, that's not really my title but the one chosen by the second of two posts this entry is based on. I'm an indie myself and have only worked with other indies so far and have only positive things to remember from these collaborations.
That being said a post on the facebook page of the - paid - San Francisco Book Review has the collective pants of the indie community in a twist. And to be fully honest here, I don't really understand why. But first things first. Here's the post that got all the hissy fits going:
Apparently many of my fellow authors and artists have taken exception to these statements by "Heidi". Not only that, they have been perceived as open insults.
Sure, there are plenty of bad apples among traditionally published novels, be it content-wise, be it the cover art or the quality of the editing. But even acknowledging this is she really wrong in what she says? To use the words of a fellow author, call me dangerous, subversive, or disloyal, but I see absolutely nothing wrong with her comments. She's essentially saying that if you do go the independent route, make sure you do it right and present yourself professionally. And she is correct. If anything we indie authors aren't beyond criticism, and whether or not "Heidi's" statements are professional, there are many bad apples in our midst that deserve that kind of lambasting.
Sure, there are plenty of bad apples among traditionally published novels, be it content-wise, be it the cover art or the quality of the editing. But even acknowledging this is she really wrong in what she says? To use the words of a fellow author, call me dangerous, subversive, or disloyal, but I see absolutely nothing wrong with her comments. She's essentially saying that if you do go the independent route, make sure you do it right and present yourself professionally. And she is correct. If anything we indie authors aren't beyond criticism, and whether or not "Heidi's" statements are professional, there are many bad apples in our midst that deserve that kind of lambasting.
As a reviewer - ask any of the indie book review blogs and sites out there - she will get dozens, hundreds of requests on her desk each day. I imagine that onslaught quite rapidly lowers one's threshold for bad quality and bullshit. And there just is no denying that a significant part of the indie writing community fails to do its homework when asked to present their work - which they want to sell - in something approaching a professional manner.
There are tons of authors out there who don't employ any kind of editing service, and be it a friend who simply proofsreads their manuscript once. Equally, there are tons of authors who think that their sixth grade painting skills or half an hour with Photoshop enable them to be presentable cover designers. They do not.
"Heidi" has a point. Books are judged by their covers. And incidentially, so are authors. What does it say about your thoroughness as a writer and salesperson (because, lets face it, we are both) if you're not even willing to invest $100 into the "packaging" of your product? Guys, I'm writing in a niche genre. Do you really think that as a first-time author I would've gotten the sales figures I have if my novel's cover had been done by myself by slapping three images together in Photoshop?
Conversely, would I have bought Will's excellent East Wind Returns, or Steven's The Jakarta Pandemic, or any of the other great indie books I've read this past year if their covers had been done in purple crayon and the samples had been riddled with mistakes? Of course not!
The brunt of the reaction "Heidi" gets can be summed up as "How dare she!" and "She's unprofessional!" I'm sorry, folks, she can dare because it's her job and she's not unprofessional for pointing out when she's knee-deep in crap. At least where I'm from calling things what they are isn't an offense worthy to enact a witch hunt. Secondly, if you truly expected a nuanced treatise on the whole trad vs. indie publishing issue from a friggin' Facebook posting the joke's on you. And last but not least, you're not going to get recognition by the established reviewing and publishing community by throwing a hissy fit every time they actually manage to shine a light on the problems that do exist with indie and self-publishing.
Conversely, would I have bought Will's excellent East Wind Returns, or Steven's The Jakarta Pandemic, or any of the other great indie books I've read this past year if their covers had been done in purple crayon and the samples had been riddled with mistakes? Of course not!
The brunt of the reaction "Heidi" gets can be summed up as "How dare she!" and "She's unprofessional!" I'm sorry, folks, she can dare because it's her job and she's not unprofessional for pointing out when she's knee-deep in crap. At least where I'm from calling things what they are isn't an offense worthy to enact a witch hunt. Secondly, if you truly expected a nuanced treatise on the whole trad vs. indie publishing issue from a friggin' Facebook posting the joke's on you. And last but not least, you're not going to get recognition by the established reviewing and publishing community by throwing a hissy fit every time they actually manage to shine a light on the problems that do exist with indie and self-publishing.
No comments:
Post a Comment