I don't see any reason for all the commotion, really. This vs. That, Us vs. Them... it all seems kind of silly to me. Independent publishing is not a new thing, but it is definitely on the rise. Does that mean it's the only option? Not at all.
There are lots of authors out there just looking for a way to get their work out there. I'm one of them. But guess what... Stephen King was one of them at some point as well. King is one of the highest selling and most read authors in the world. Basically, he could spit on 1000 pieces of paper, bind them together with a picture of two dogs humping on the cover, and he would probably sell a million copies. However, it hasn't always been like that. King wrote for years while he still had to keep a day job. Rejections and bills piled up for him, just like anyone else that is just starting out. Would he have self published if the tech was then what it is now? Who knows.
That's not the point.
The point is: It doesn't happen over night. Not for anyone. Whether you self pub or query agents and publishers to get your work out there, success won't come overnight.
Things are changing. Does anyone really know where publishing will be in ten years? No. If they did, there would be no reason for all the arguing. However, one thing that will always be the same; If you want to make it an author (or hell, if you want to make it as anything) you have to keep working. Keep writing, keep reading.
"But I self pubbed and my book didn't make it to the best seller's list and I can't quit my job and spend all my time writing and the world isn't made out of fluffy puppies and rainbows and robot unicorns!"
Right, well get over it.
"But I queried eight million agents until I found the right one and they contacted a thousand publishers until we finally got a deal and now my book is out there but I still don't have a million dollars and I don't live in cloud city and etc..."
Yeah, get over that too.
No matter how you decide to get your work out there (btw, there is no reason you can't do both throughout your writing career) you still have to keep working. Here are some quotes, because I love quotes:
"They pay me absurd amounts of money, for something that I would do for free" -Stephen King
"Work hard for four years, and you can get an
engineering degree. In seven years, you're a lawyer. Eight and you can
practice medicine. Hard work = success"- J.A. Konrath
Are you willing to work hard, really work hard, to get what you want? Then you should already know that it won't happen overnight. If you don't want to work hard, then writing isn't for you. Simple as that.
Would you keep writing if you could never make a dime from it? Be honest, this one's important. If your answer is no, then it's time to move on. If you don't read and write because you can't not do it, (see if you can swim through all those negatives) then it means you don't love it. If you don't love it, then you won't succeed.
If writing is what you love to do, keep doing it, no matter what. Can I guarantee you will make money from it? No. Can I guarantee that you will spend lots of time doing something you love? Yes. There's no reason for self publishers to hate on authors that publish traditionally or vice versa. We all write because it's our dream, it's what we want to do.
My point in all of this. So what if other people are taking a different road than you are. Let them. Everyone's idea of success is different, so everyone's journey will be different as well.
Okay, those are my thoughts today.
Thanks for reading,
buh bye then
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