There's been a lot of comments on the Authors Guild article "Publishing Ecosystem on the Brink", and for reasons I don't understand, my comment was removed. Here's what I said:
I'm frankly sick of all this sturm und drang.
As a reader, I'm discovering independent authors who (like me) have come out of traditional publishing backgrounds with serious craft skills and are now free to take the creative risks traditional publishing can't afford. Seven of my top ten favorite books in 2011 were indies.
As an author, after a dozen books at Big 6 publishers, I've started my own digital imprint, released my backlist and a new novel, and started gathering a coalition of seasoned, professional authors who are ready to stop bitching, take control of our careers, and build our brand in a way that brings added value to our continuing relationships with our agents and traditional publishers.
Our goal is to make the most of the creative and financial opportunities offered by indie publishing, while bringing with us the best qualities of traditional publishing: craft excellence, artistic integrity, careful editing and thoughtful presentation.
Next month, Neal Pollack and I will be participating in a panel at SXSW -- "Self-Publishing: A Revolution for Midlist Authors" -- and I can't wait to brainstorm about the amazing possibilities for authors, publishers, agents and especially for readers.
I think this is the most thrilling time in publishing since Gutenberg, and I'm incredibly grateful to be part of it.
I'm frankly sick of all this sturm und drang.
As a reader, I'm discovering independent authors who (like me) have come out of traditional publishing backgrounds with serious craft skills and are now free to take the creative risks traditional publishing can't afford. Seven of my top ten favorite books in 2011 were indies.
As an author, after a dozen books at Big 6 publishers, I've started my own digital imprint, released my backlist and a new novel, and started gathering a coalition of seasoned, professional authors who are ready to stop bitching, take control of our careers, and build our brand in a way that brings added value to our continuing relationships with our agents and traditional publishers.
Our goal is to make the most of the creative and financial opportunities offered by indie publishing, while bringing with us the best qualities of traditional publishing: craft excellence, artistic integrity, careful editing and thoughtful presentation.
Next month, Neal Pollack and I will be participating in a panel at SXSW -- "Self-Publishing: A Revolution for Midlist Authors" -- and I can't wait to brainstorm about the amazing possibilities for authors, publishers, agents and especially for readers.
I think this is the most thrilling time in publishing since Gutenberg, and I'm incredibly grateful to be part of it.
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