What’s your thoughts on self-publishing and the writers who do such a thing…?
There I was, really happy that a) I’d written a whole novel b) I’d found a way to share it with the world and c) people are reading it and leaving reviews. And then I came across a forum tonight where someone has burst my bubble that I’d quite happily found myself floating around in.
In response to someone asking about giving ‘Author Talks’ in schools, he replied: I’m a qualified teacher, and I wouldn’t let a self-published author within a mile of any school I taught in. Quite apart from the oily self-promotion aspect, I don’t think it’s appropriate to teach children to aspire to mediocrity. “Hey kids, write a book, and then stick it on Kindle when no one wants to publish it.”
Now, I’ve no idea if anyone wants to publish my book or not – I never approached an agent or publisher, I just wanted to write a book and publish it. But, I’m a great believer in encouraging children to read and to write. And, if they faced the barrier of an agent/publisher rejecting their work, I’d want to show them that they can still achieve their dream, no matter what.
Is this aspiring to ‘mediocrity’? I’m offended by that comment, on behalf of the children out there who have enough knocks in life and believe they’re not good enough. Children need to be motivated, encouraged, given options in life. Would someone telling them about self-publishing harm them in some way??
Ooh, bit cross…what’s your thoughts on this?
Penny
I think that guy’s blanket statement about self-published books shows short-sightedness. I’ve read published paper books that I wasn’t impressed with at all. And a couple were written by NY Times bestselling authors. So mediocrity is out there in droves. I’m sure there are a lot of self-published books that are mediocre — just as there are mediocre books from publishing houses. But the guy could’ve also talked about the entrepreneurship of self-published authors. They have to do a lot of work on their own to promote their own stories. His remark about “oily self-promotion” is actually laughable. Published authors promote their books, too. They give readings at bookshops and libraries. They give interviews. They have blogs and Twitter accounts. Are those somehow not oily because they can wave their bright flag of a publishing house, while a self-published author can’t?
Thank you, my thoughts exactly. I think that things have moved on, and if a child decided to write a book (whatever length) and took the initiative to publish it themselves, I would applaud them. Children can so easily be demotivated, or form an opinion of themselves that lives with them into adulthood, and this guy’s comments concern me. It’s snobbery and, as you say, ‘short-sightedness’. Awful! Thanks for responding to my post.