Self-published v. published authors
Self-publishing is huge and getting huge-er by the day. And while I am not keen on the whole concept, I do appreciate that it employs an awful lot of book lovers and helps our GDP. So it’s a burgeoning industry, so what does that mean in writer’s circles?
Well, it means that we “wordsmiths” need to look for the right word to describe what kind of writers we are.
I recently read about a writer who has “found publishing success” and who’s book is now for sale on Amazon. As for myself, I’m on pins and needles waiting to hear back from Warner Press about my book, so I wanted to know who the publisher is and the details of the deal: royalties, advances and stuff like that.
As it turns out, the book was published by a full-service, self-publishing company whose fiction packages start at $999. Oh…I hope that money comes back to the writer.
Has this writer really “found publishing success?” Yes, if the money comes. But is this a “published” author?
With so many writers paying money to see their work in print it should be okay to say: “Hi, I’m a self-published author.” I don’t think it’s good practice to use words that imply that you have sold your piece for cash-money to a traditional publishing house.
It’s the writers who don’t pay a penny to see their work in print that are published authors…and the terminology matters.
I know this distinction is new and admit that self-published books are getting better all the time. But when it comes down to my bottom line as a self-employed writer, there is a huge difference between getting paid for my writing and paying out to have my writing published–a huge difference.
