In a recent post, I talked about the digital revolution in the publishing world. Since
then, I joined the Indie Book Collective. I think I needed a waiver to join
because I have a publisher, and my novel, Unholy Embrace, was published as a softcover.
In joining the collective, I became a full-fledged member of the revolution.
What does this mean? In the short-term, I will be selling packages of my short
stories on Amazon, Smashwords, and other Internet sites. Hopefully I will make
some money from this endeavor.
The long-term
consequences of joining this revolution are very important. When I finish my
second novel, I don't have to worry about finding a publisher. I will publish it
digitally at a time of my own choosing, with a price that makes the most sense
for me, not a publisher. Isn't self-publishing a meaningless effort to bolster
one's ego? Not anymore. Authors are making money, and more importantly,
reaching significant numbers of readers without a single tree being chopped
down. The picture to the left is like the "Don't tread on me," flag
that flourished early in the Revolutionary war for Independence. I think that's
a good analogy. Imagine yourself as an author. Which would you choose: to have
an attractive hardcover edition of your book that few people buy and read, or
published digitally and have a significant number of people buy and read your
book.? Rhetorical question.
But
what about getting a novel reviewed? Isn't it true that most reviewers will not
touch a self-published novel? That depends on which reviewers we are talking
about. The reviewers tied to the hardback and paperback trade will most likely
continue not to review self-published authors. Fortunately, there are a
significant number of reviewers who only review indie books. While none of
these reviewers works for midsize and major newspapers, or has a national
reputation (at the present time), they have readerships that are interested in
reading good books not traditional reviewers.
Authors
can get their books properly digitalized by submitting them to a site such as
Smashwords. This will likely become a more competitive market. So, I write the
novel, I published the novel, the novel is reviewed, and hopefully people will
buy the novel so they can read it. Isn't that what it's all about?
