The Wake

Everyone wants to write a book. It’s a glorified prospect - you write a book, you must be bright. And in the digital age it couldn’t be simpler (to be bright). At this very moment, if I wanted, I could upload a text document containing any of my own writings, submit it to a self-publishing company such as iUniverse, LuLu Enterprises, CreateSpace or Xlibris and hold a hardcopy of it - sans editing - in a few days time.

The attraction to publish through one of these companies is clear: it’s cheap and quick (like couscous). Little to no upfront costs and one can have copies made for friends and relatives by Tuesday. The author has a great deal of control over the process with no need to worry about storage space for unsold copies; many of self-publishing companies will print-on-demand and mail to customers. How does an author justify the arduous process of going to a publishing house? Consultation, editing, connection with an existing string of bookstores for distribution, upfront payment, marketing? Whether these aspects are worthwhile depends on the author’s goals and vision for their work but turnover in titles is showing that publishing houses are suffering while self-publishing companies are thriving.

So it would seem that people would rather hold what they have written than read what someone else has. In turn, traditional publishers are also forced to be more selective with their booklists; focusing on titles that will sell despite the economy rather than those that are substantial (with some overlap, I hope). For this reason, it’s comforting to know that self-publishing exists as an alternative to those who can’t afford or be afforded to be published by traditional means. Any comfort can turn to an unsettling feeling when one realizes any great work will likely be lost in the depths of common poetry and memoirs that should never have been written, much less published.

Short story: Don’t sleep with someone just because they’re published.

Tags: books, publishing, reading, writing