Jodi Picoult advises authors not to self-publish
Posted by John Warner ⋅
April 10, 2012 ⋅ 1 Comment
Filed Under Jodi Picoult
Jodi Picoult has
become the latest conventionally-published author to argue that authors should
not choose the self-publishing route. Speaking to the Huffington Post, she
argues that self-published authors miss out on the marketability afforded by a
‘real’ publisher, and that the self-published world is still too varied in terms
of quality, with readers struggling to separate good books from bad.
Much
of what Picoult has to say seems reasonable, but it’s also worth noting that
many of her arguments can potentially be turned back against her. For example,
she says that it’s hard for readers to sort the good from the bad when dealing
with self-published authors. That’s true, but it’s also true for conventionally
published books. We’re still learning how to sort the vast number of
self-published books in a way that helps highlight the best titles, but just
because we’re not at that point yet, should we give up on self-published books
altogether?
Picoult also claims that self-published authors such as
Amanda Hocking often go with a conventional deal once they’re successful.
Picoult seems to be saying that most self-published authors long for a ‘real’
deal, but she neglects to note that writers such as Hocking would probably never
have been in a position to get a conventional deal if they hadn’t
self-published. It’s fine to say that people shouldn’t self-publish, but what’s
the alternative?
Would love to do some comparison here from an Indie:
Jodi Mine
#78 ~ 3.5 star #2368 ~ 4.5 star
#3447 ~ 3.5 star #4178 ~ 5 star
#2207 ~ 4 star #4661 ~ 4.5 star
#1196 ~ 4 star #4632 ~ 5 star
#1644 ~ 4 star #2585 ~ 4 star
#9238 ~ 3.5 star #12706 ~ 4 star
#16233 ~ 3.5 star #23178 ~ 5 star
#10297 ~ 3.5 star #21278 ~ 4.5 star
#27137 ~ 3 star #26813 ~ 5 star
Amanda Hocking was able to up her original advance offer of 20,000 to 2 million because of what she had done in the self pub industry. Two more Indies were signed this month with the Big 6. Konrath is making a high 6 figure annual income in which he is not paying a portion to the Big 6.
I have turned down 2 publishers. I have recently hit my slow season which goes through September. Is it the market or the type of books I write I do not know, however if things follow trend from previous years I will be passing up Ms. Picoults rankings come October. On an ending note, Ms. Picoults newest release is being surpassed by 20 or more Indie Authors in the Amazon top 100 overall list. You may be published with the Big 6 but that does not make readers like your books.
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Possibly just a knee jerk reaction to discovering that self publishers are starting to have an impact on the market.
ReplyDeleteConventionally published authors are right to be worried in my opinion, there are a growing number of indie writers starting to get recognition and with the rise in popularity of E-readers we the consumer are finding access to these titles getting easier.
The result is we can now purchase quality literature at a price that more than competes with the price-point that more or less all conventionally published writers are marketed in.
Once the self publishing industry finds a way to sort the wheat from the chaff the ability to offer a reliable service instantly delivering good novels directly to the consumer at low prices will make the indie book industry a dominant force in market.
It's essentially the same principle as why supermarkets succeed the way they do, simple economics dictates that if a section of the market offers a reliable product at a price lower than it's competitors then it will succeed at the expense of said rivals.
Big publishers simply do not want the self publishing author to succeed, and I would imagine that as a result their client base is encouraged to speak out against this emerging market.