Friday, March 23, 2012

To Self-Publish or Not

This post might be a bit muddled as I'm trying to think through my thoughts on this topic. Over on SMFS a poster brought up the question of whether to seek publication in zines for her short stories or to just publish them herself. The answers were varied but seemed to tend toward self-publication via Amazon.

When I was growing up as a writer self-publishing was frowned upon. You needed to earn the right to call yourself a writer. And so I submitted my work to newspapers and regional magazines with some small success then started submitting short stories to the wider world of publishing with not so much success. But along the way I kept learning what I was doing wrong from wonderful notes from the editors who read my work. And that's something that self-publishing as a beginning writer can't do for you unless you're smart enough to hire an editor to fix your work before you publish.

The problem with most beginning writers is the belief that once they have it down on paper (computer screen) it doesn't need editing, it's brilliant because they wrote it. And believe me, I understand that belief. It was only through working with editors and other writers that I realized just how much I had to learn. That's when I started cracking the books. Not just writing books but novels and short stories that could show me what makes a good or bad story. Then writing and writing some more. Writing isn't just about getting the words down, it's about craft. It's about using the right words to get your meaning across. It's about learning how to bring your characters to life. It's not about pleasing just yourself, but pleasing the readers, too.

The online zines are an excellent training ground for new writers, especially the ones with editors who care about the work and strive to help writers put their best story forward. But even the ones who don't edit help, because you can see your own mistakes there on the published page and many times the readers will let you know when you've failed them, by their comments or lack thereof. You can even judge the improvements in your writing by going back to some of the first work you had published and comparing it to where you are now. I hide my head in shame when I read some of my old work and wonder what those editors were thinking!

One of the biggest pros for publishing online is the ability to build a following that will know your work and your name. That name recognition, especially if coupled with good writing and stories, will translate into sales if you do choose to self-publish your work. It also brings your work to the attention of other editors and publishers who are looking for stories for their zines and anthologies. And yes, I speak from experience on that point. The thrill of having an editor ask for one of your stories is, well, thrilling.

Writing is a continuous learning process. One that gives you both pleasure and grief in abundance. If all you're seeking is money, then self-publish, especially if you've reached the point where you're a good writer and know the value of an editor for your work. New writers will find out the hard way, through bad reviews and lack of sales, that they've got a lot to learn. But of course, there's no easy way to find out that you're not as brilliant as you think you are.

I don't know if anyone will find any wisdom in this post, it is, after all, just a bit of musing on my part. The truth is, I don't know the answers myself. Some writers, both experienced and novice have found tremendous success in self-publishing, others not so much. There's no easy answers to be found in this new publishing world. Only more questions.

8 comments:

Thomas Pluck said...

I considered it as well, but then I thought. I've bought a couple short stories from writers I'm a big fan of, like Lawrence Block, for 99 cents. I'd be more likely to buy an anthology or collection for $2.99, however. I also don't buy one song on iTunes, for some reason... I'll get the whole album for $7.99, which I think is a fair price.
An author I hadn't read before? I'd be very unlikely to buy a story from. Would I sell a flash fiction piece for a buck? Maybe three of them.
We almost expect short stories to be free. To get 2 in a magazine we paid $5 for, or read it on the magazine's website. I'd be more likely to buy a newcomer's novel for $3-5 than a story for a buck, but I'm having trouble explaining why.

I'd tell her to cut her teeth in magazines/web until she's gotten good reviews, then aim for paying markets, then sell stories on Kindle and see what happens.

Al Tucher said...

Thanks for showing the courage to think aloud, Sandra.

I may yet self-publish my Diana novels simply as a way to bring them out, but I'm working with editors first, as you suggest. As for short fiction, I have been very grateful for the input I have received from both editors and readers of online publications.

EA said...

Sandra, in my opinion you hit the nail on the head. My advice for writing career-building via short stories is to start with online zines. There's a vetting process, which you correctly describe in your article, and getting selected means someone other than yourself is supportive of your work. If a writer can't get a short story published anywhere online when it's offered for free, the answer is not to self-publish. The answer is to write more, get feedback from an editor and sharpen the material. If half-baked material goes out there, and you make some sales because you're a good promoter, readers will quickly abandon your name and products. There's no substitute for the hard work that goes into writing fiction. If I could only find a pill that would do it, I'd be a zillionaire! (In fact, I'd be first in line for it myself.) :-)

sandra seamans said...

That's good advice, Tom. It's such a screwy world for writers at this point, that it makes it hard to know what to do.

That might work to publish one novel, Al, so people can get to know Diana if they haven't already read your shorts. Maybe put out a collection of shorts along with the novel to introduce her.

I'd be second in line, Elaine. :)

Chris said...

I'm a little nervous when I don't get some editorial input on things I submit. Having been published as a "journalist" quite a bit before I tried writing short stories, I was already familiar with how it works. I think the whole idea of being "edited" can be a shock to people who haven't experienced it before.

The first fiction editor I spoke with happened to be Ms. Elaine Ash, two comments above, when BTAP accepted my story, "The Pickle." We didn't change much, but had a long, wonderful conversation on the phone about writing in general. That was very helpful.

My most recent published story, in the latest issue of Needle was unpublishable as originally submitted. I kind of thought it was but I submitted it anyway. Weddle and I talked about it a bit, then I had an idea and redid a bunch of stuff. And it worked out.

It never would have been the story it is without that editorial input. I can say that about every story of mine (which isn't many really; I'm not a very prolific short story writer) that has been published. I think about self-publishing stuff now and then, and if/when it happens it will still go through an editor I trust.

sandra seamans said...

That's the best part about an editor - they can see the things you've missed or the different places you could take a story.

G. B. Miller said...

Good post.

I wrote about this a few months ago back when some of my blog readers were coming out with new self-published works.

The hard lesson that I'd learned while I made an early attempt (minor fail) was that in order for someone to take a shot at your self-pubbed book, you had to have a solid background/reputation in your chosen genre.

Without that solid background/reputation/body of work going for you, no one would be willilng to shell X amount of dollars for your work, no matter how good it may be.

While I've only had two short stories published, of which one was a direct result of some sage advice by Elaine, the advice I've gotten from her and others over the past few years has helped me in more ways than I can seriously count.

sandra seamans said...

Yes, I think readers have to be aware of a writer on some level, G, for them to be a success. One of the reasons I believe the online zines are so great in helping a writer build a career.