UPDATE: Why did these four established authors go indie? (And where are they now?)

In July 2011, we ran this post about why four established authors were going indie on some projects. Where are they now? Here's the original post with a brief update.

We have four very different writing styles and four completely different publishing journeys behind us. What these four BoxOcto authors have in common is an enduring love and respect for books and an unwavering dedication to the art and craft of writing. And we've all made the decision to self-publish.

There's a pervasive perception that people only self-pub when they've been rejected by "traditional" publishing. That's not the case here. We all plan to continue and expand our endeavors in print publishing. We're not burning any bridges. And we're mindful of the reality that traditional publishing is not about ink, paper and royalty negotiations; it's about a zeal for excellent writing, respect for thorough editing and joy in thoughtful presentation.

So why have we gone over to the Dark Side? Well, there are the esoteric reasons Thomas Jefferson and I laid out this weekend in An Author's Declaration of Independence. But on a pragmatic level, we have four very different reasons.

Mylène Dressler
Mylène was the first of us to go live with her haunting sophomore novel The Deadwood Beetle, the story of an aging Dutch immigrant to New York, a retired professor of entomology whose father was a Nazi collaborator. The depth, beauty and artistry of this novel won thousands of fans (including me) when it was published to great critical acclaim by small literary press Blue Hen (a Penguin Putnam imprint) back in 2002. Mylène's next novel, The Floodmakers was published by Putnam in 2004, and her career expanded to include her unique brand of writing and creativity guruship. She's done fellowships and residencies at the Carson McCullers Center, UT and other lucky universities, and is now in residence at Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina.

Why is Mylène self-pubbing her backlist? Midlist authors make more money doing their own ebooks. We can get 70% of the purchase price when we sell directly through Amazon, and going through any Big 6 publisher, the best we can hope for is 25% of net. Because the book has already passed the gatekeepers, been edited and copy edited and enjoyed (in M's case) excellent reviews, it stands out from the crowd, which is the most difficult aspect of self-publishing now that the gold rush is in full swing and the market is being glutted with hastily produced amateur efforts.

Update December 2012: Dr. M, as her students affectionately call her, is in residence at Guilford College and was recently nominated for a Pushcart Prize for her novella The Wedding of Anna F, which appeared in Big Fiction Magazine. Look for the ebook in 2013.

Colleen Thompson
Bestselling romantic suspense author Colleen Thompson's maiden self-publishing effort was The Night Holds the Moon, an epic fantasy collaboration with longtime pal Parke Roberts, in which a magic flute meant to be handled only by a docile, well-trained virgin is placed - by fate or magic - in the hands of a disreputable young lady-in-waiting. It's a feat of both world-building and storytelling and is a radical departure from Colleen's body of work. With her 20th romance novel in the pipeline, one would expect her to stick with the genre that brought her to the prom, as it were. But that's not where her heart is right now, and if there's one thing a romance author knows, it's the importance of following one's heart. The Night Holds the Moon marks an exciting turning point for Colleen. More about that later this year.

Why did Colleen self-pub this original novel? I've been bugging her to blog about the fascinating backstory on this book, so I won't give too much away. Bottom line: When Colleen and her collaborator were offered a print deal, it came with a request for some major rewrites. The publisher was asking for compromises Colleen wasn't comfortable with, so she and her partner passed on the deal. Cue Frank Sinatra. She did it her way. And because she's a seasoned pro, she had the know-how to do it well. Her publisher controls most of her backlist titles, but Colleen's pubbing her back-backlist, historical romances she wrote as Gwyneth Atlee, including Innocent Deceptions, a Romantic Times Top Pick and nominee for Reviewer's Choice Best American-set Historical Romance of 2002 and the Dorothy Parker Award of Excellence.

Update December 2012: Colleen indie pubbed her Gwyneth Atlee books, which continue to sell well. She's currently working on two books under contract with a major publisher, and Amazon has picked up the rights for several of her backlist romantic suspense titles.

Joni Rodgers
When I signed a deal with HarperCollins for my memoir Bald in the Land of Big Hair back in 1999, "electronic rights" referred to film, TV and audio adaptations. The memoir tells about how I wrote my first two novels and began my publishing career while undergoing treatment for lymphoma, a virulent blood cancer, and Lifetime was interested in optioning rights for a television movie. With my long-term survival in doubt, my husband and I felt - as desperately as we needed the money - a movie about our family could be confusing and unhealthy for our children (then 7 and 9) if I wasn't around to see it. My agent withheld electronic rights. The book came out in 2001, got rave reviews, and propelled my career into high gear. Fast-forward ten years. The book is still in print, I'm still alive, and the ebook revolution has arrived. (Not sure which of these astonishes me the most!)

Why did I self-pub my memoir? Once again, it's about the Benjamins. I make more per copy. More important, I saw the opportunity to begin my own ebook venture with this bestseller as a flagship title. Blessed with generous reviews and built-in buzz, it's going to provide sturdy coattails for my backlist fiction (coming out this summer) and a new original novel I'll release this fall. HarperCollins has been enthusiastically supportive of my self-pubbing endeavor and even helped me gain permission to use the fantastic original cover (designed by Chip Kidd) because they know I'm more valuable to them if I'm thriving creatively and commercially.

Update December 2012: With BLBH enjoying steady sales and a fresh influx of glowing reviews, Joni indie published two mystery novels and a mini-memoir. She's currently working on a ghostwriting project with a major publisher and preparing to launch her own online indie bookstore.

Barbara Taylor Sissel
Bobbi is the baby of our publishing sisterhood. Her story is more typical of the self-publishers who are basically sick of the wrongheaded query process. Her writing is not typical at all. We've been part of the same critique group for six years now, and I'm continually astonished by the transcendent quality of her prose. Her fiction is issues-driven, rich in imagery, peopled by believable, engaging characters. Her first novel was pubbed by a small literary press several years ago, but Bobbi is reclaiming her publishing virginity and considering the forthcoming novel The Ninth Step her debut. And rightly so. She isn't the same writer she was back then, and Lord knows this isn't the same publishing industry.

The Ninth Step is a riveting and richly human story about an alcoholic's search for redemption in the wake of a fatal mistake, a woman's search for answers in the wake of harsh disappointment, and a family's search for peace in the wake of wrenching loss. I loved this book and can't wait for readers to get their hot little Kindles on it. Watch this space for release details!

Why is Bobbi self-publishing her debut novel? In a word, she's ready. Since her agent left the biz, the time-suck of querying, rewriting, waiting months for response simply doesn't make sense for her. Because the caliber of her writing is so high, she seldom gets the form rejection, and this drags the process out even longer. She's open to being edited, but she's wisely reluctant to follow market-minded agents and anyone else who wants to lead her too far from the path she's chosen for herself as an artist. Without giving an inch of her artistic integrity, she's asked for and received feet-to-the-fire editing, and she's investing in a beautiful cover that will open the door and welcome readers into the warmblooded world she's created. For Bobbi, this is about the art of publishing in its purest form: a skilled author, whispering directly into the ear of a discerning reader.

Update December 2012: With the success of her indie titles lighting a fire, Bobbi was signed by a fantastic New York agent who quickly landed her a big fat 6-figure 2-book deal with large mainstream publisher. The first of the two, Evidence of Life is now available for pre-order.

You'll find a continually updated carousel of BoxOcto author ebook titles in the sidebar on the left.

Now FeedMe: Sling Words by indie pub diva Joan Reeves

I'm on a learning binge, educating myself in preparation for a major push in my indie publishing endeavor. Last night Colleen and Bobbi turned me on to Joan Reeves' terrific blog, Sling Words. Having succeeded in both the traditional publishing world and as an indie author, Joan is a go-to girl whose advice packs a lot more weight and wisdom with a loss less anti-establishment rhetoric.

Look for Sling Words on the right in the Brave New Ebook World section.

Should indie authors pay for book reviews?

In the words of Spiderman: "With great power comes great responsibility." Indie authors are getting a taste of freedom, a taste of what it's like to call the shots, and (not quite as tasty) a taste of what it feels like to pay our own way. We're shelling out for editing, copy editing, cover design, trailer production and PR.

Now BlueInk Review invites self-pubbed authors to submit their books for review for a mere (brace yourself) $395 for a 7-9 week response or $495 if you want the review in 4-5 weeks (wryly observing that PW pays less than fifty bucks, and venerable Kirkus also lowballs writers with double digits while charging indie authors up to $575 for a review.) You are promised an extremely well-qualified reviewer from a pool of folks who've written reviews for mainstream media outlets. What you are not promised is that the review will be favorable, and a glance at the first ten reviews listed today on the BlueInk site breaks down thusly:

Positive: 3
Negative: 5
Mixed (reviewer managed to hold nose): 2

A lot of word count was devoted to 6th grade book report synopsis type stuff. One included a lengthy quote from the book being unhappily parsed. Virtually every review complained of poor copy editing, and I do wish indie authors would take note and not scrimp on that. It's important. That said, I recently read a book from a Big 6 publisher that featured very shoddy copy editing, and I didn't see a complaint about it in any of the mainstream reviews.

Here's what the BlueInk site says about their philosophy:

When it comes to judging book quality and understanding the intricacies of the traditional book publishing and book review industries--well, we’ve walked those walks for an awfully long time.

...Our reviewers are fine writers and well-qualified because we know how to judge these skills. Our reviews are taken seriously by publishers, agents, booksellers and librarians because we understand their professional needs and constraints. We respect their time and they respect our opinions.

Respect for authors has never been a prerequisite for reviewers in the mainstream, and it doesn't appear BlueInk will be breaking with that tradition. I saw no mention of an attempt to match books with reviewers knowledgeable about or interested in a particular genre, nothing about reviewers respectful of or in touch with a specific (or mass audience) readership. It's always struck me as impractical that book reviewers are predisposed to dislike books that the majority of readers love. Open-mindedness, a positive attitude toward books outside an extremely narrow mindset, has never been valued in that arena, and I think that's why book reviews have become less and less relevant.

Patti Thorn has more to say in "Making a Case for Fee-based Reviews of Self-published Books" on Publishing Perspectives, and indie authors should definitely check it out. She makes some good points. There's a lot to think about here.

I'm really loathe to talk smack about anyone in this space, and indie authors will have to decide for themselves if the risk of a negative review is worth $495. That's the great thing about going indie. But to me, it feels like I finally broke up with my abusive boyfriend, who's now inviting me to take him out on an expensive date. I'm supposed to hope for a kiss but be grateful for a punch in the face if he decides I deserve one.

Thanks, but no thanks.

An Author’s Declaration of Independence (Me and Jefferson on Why a Bestselling Author is Self-Publishing)

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for craftspeople to dissolve the business models which have connected them with the marketplace and to assume the separate and equal station to which the Nature of Art and Nature’s Creator entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them.

We hold these truths to be self-evident:
That all writers are not created equal. Talent is innate and a matter of opinion. Craft skill is hard-earned and subject to interpretation. Artistic integrity is a personal choice.

That writers are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights. And that among these are a Publishing Life, Creative Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

That to secure these rights, Publishers are instituted, deriving their powers from the supply of writers and the demand of readers.

That whenever any Publishing Model becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the Writers to alter or to abolish it, and to institute a new Publishing Model, founded on principles and distributing powers in a form most conducive to the Income of Writers and the Happiness of Readers.

Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Publishers long established should not be changed for light and transient causes. History hath shewn that Writers are willing to suffer, while evils are sufferable, rather than grow a pair, take responsibility for their own creative choices and champion their work in the marketplace. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations evinces a design to humiliate, disempower and pauperize them, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Publishing Model, and to take Responsibility for their future security.

The history of the present Publishing Model is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations. In every stage of these Oppressions — the inefficacy of the broken Query system, the specious calculation and inequity of Advances, the vagary and abuse of anonymous Reviews, the steady drift of commitment from Art to Celebrity — We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

I, therefore, the Representative of Myself as an Artist, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of my intentions, do solemnly publish and declare, that I am, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent.

That I am Absolved from all Allegiance to the Old School Publishing Model. That all the fear, prejudice and inertia that held me back is and ought to be totally dissolved.

That as a Free and Independent Artist, I have full Power to create my own Books, contract Alliances with other Artists, establish Commerce, and do all other Acts and Things which Independent Publishers may of right do.

And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, I pledge to the practice of this craft my Life, my Fortune and my sacred Honor.

Joni Rodgers (with Thomas Jefferson)
July 2011

WSJ op ed on the ebook self pubbing gold rush

Eric Felton has a lot to say about the brave new world in his excellent op ed "Cherish the Book Publishers - You'll Miss Them When They're Gone":

"It isn't just the elusive prospect of riches that excites the untold thousands of hopefuls crowding into the new self-publishing space. They are buoyed by escaping the grim frustrations of trying to get published the old-fashioned way...It's only natural for those locked out to despise the gatekeepers, but what about those of us in the reading public? Shouldn't we be grateful that it's someone else's job to weed out the inane, the insipid, the incompetent? Not that they always do such a great job of it, given some of the books that do get published by actual publishers. But at least they provide some buffer between us and the many aspiring authors who are like the wannabe pop stars in the opening weeks of each "American Idol" season...

Look in the forums Amazon hosts for its Kindle "direct publishers" and you won't find many posts asking how to do the basics of traditional book production—copy editing, anyone? But there are plenty of threads with titles like "Promote your book" and "review swapping?"—orgies of desperate back-scratching that make old-school literary logrolling seem downright genteel."

Read the rest. Then let's talk. I think he makes some excellent points, but misses the bottom line: the complete devaluation of the craft of writing. I'm not terribly concerned about publishers going the way of the Mohican. They'll survive by paying less and less as more writers clamber for fewer opportunities. The endangered species here is the author.

My first novel was pubbed in 1996, and I've done about a dozen books since then, several of them NYT bestsellers, either under my own name or as a ghostwriter. The industry has undergone a tectonic shift in that time and, in my humble opinion, not kept up with changes. Dedication to craft isn't rewarded in the brick publishers a whole lot more than it is in the mosh pit of self-publishing. There's an agonizingly thin tier of people who make it big, under that a moderate strata of folks like myself who make a good living, for which we are grateful. Then there's the other 96%: a roiling, frustrated, passionate and increasingly empowered population of people who are mad as hell and not going to take it anymore.

I'm in the process of self-pubbing my backlist titles (though I'd like to think I've had enough experience in the industry to call myself a small publisher, as opposed to an author who self-pubs) and my hope is to gather a coalition of other midlist authors who made it past the gatekeepers of old school publishing and can offer books that will elevate the quality of accessibly priced ebooks. Authors do need to band together to support each other, not as incestuous back-scratchers, but as a craft alliance.

Traditional publishing isn't about ink and paper. It's about artistic integrity, zeal for writing, respect for careful editing, thoughtful presentation. All those are possible in the brave new world of ebooks.

Smashwords founder says PLR is "one of the worst threats to ebooks today."

If you're an author delving into the world of ebook publishing, don't miss this excellent Guardian article about spam ebook infestation that has some of the largest distributors justifiably concerned.

The ease with which you can license content and repackage it to sell as an ebook has created a growing problem for Amazon and other resellers – spam ebooks. Distributors are worried...

A key starting point of the problem is Private Label Rights content (PLR), which allows anyone to buy prewritten content in bulk that they can then make into ebooks or website content. PLR seller Ronnie Nijmeh of PLR.me describes it as "royalty-free content, which means, when you pay for a licence, you get the rights to use the content without royalty in nearly any way you please".

Mark Coker, the founder of Smashwords, an ebook distributor, sees PLR as "one of the worst threats to ebooks today...idiots fall prey to the PLR schemes and pay their $24.95 a month or whatever to access vast databases of generic content, and they have the ability to mix and match this content and republish it as an ebook in their own name."

Read the rest here. It's becoming clear that legit authors - particularly those of us who are not (yet) household names - need to find ways to set ourselves apart from the spam and swamp fodder.