A friend lamented to me recently over the sad state of ebooks. Those from regular publishers, he said, cost as much as their print versions; and the ones priced the way digital editions should be were rarely worth even that modest expense.
I suggested this might be just a matter of taste. Perhaps he was being a tad too picky? But a brief look at some of his most recent acquisitions killed that argument. Each was, to put it kindly, pretty amateurish. Extremely amateurish, to be both kind and accurate. Yet they were out there, clogging up space in an already too-congested marketplace.
In the olden days, folks who could not get traditionally published sometimes resorted to what was known as vanity publishing. This process was expensive, however, so most unpublished authors simply remained that way. Then along came services such as KDP and Nook, among others. Suddenly anybody could publish a book fairly cheaply, or even for free. This in turn caused the number of new books coming out each year to grow exponentially.
As published authors, we encourage those aspiring to our ranks to write and publish. Is that always a good idea, though? I wonder.
Let’s face it: not every book should be published despite its author’s enthusiasm for having written it. In all probability, a great many should not. This doesn’t make their authors bad people, or even, necessarily, bad writers. There is, however, a chain of unintended consequences which results from the proliferation of not-very-good books. Thus my question of whether authors are obligated to anyone but themselves.
Are they, for instance, obligated to other authors? Flooding the market with so many new books dilutes the public’s exposure to each individual one. Thus, potentially better works will end up going relatively unnoticed. It certainly drives the cost of positioning a book through the roof; and even spending vast sums by no means guarantees that much better books will stand out.Poor ebooks also make poor advertising for other relatively inexpensive ones which may actually be worthy of attention, depriving other authors of their shot at success.
Are they obligated to readers? Does the book buying public have any right to expect that if a book is published it is, if not brilliant, at least readable? I am unaware of any readers who might be inclined to feel otherwise.
So, what to do? The obvious, if staggeringly unpopular answer, is to make self-publishing more expensive and rigorous. Which leads to one more question: Is the outcry I’ve just received from absolutely everybody over that last statement a reaction protecting our own selfish interests as authors, or those of the greater reading and writing communities?
I think I’ll don my body armor and await your replies!
Joel Bresler is the author of
Bottomless Cups
Amazon:
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Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog 
I don’t agree with putting more obstacles and expense in the way of indie authors, but I do believe we should do whatever it takes to make our books the very best they can be – rewrite, revise, edit, edit and edit again, get a second opinion who will give constructive criticism, and pay for a professionally-designed cover.
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I definitely share this frustration, as a reader and as a writer. But adding expense doesn’t seem like the answer, since that just limits indie publishing to those with some spare cash.
Ultimately, the best answer I can see is one from above: review the books you read. Do it honestly. Help the good books float to the top, and be honest about the ones you don’t like—including the personal reasons you don’t like it (I’ve disliked books for things that other people consider a plus).
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I was a reader long before I published my first book, so I can empathise: finding good books… by unknown authors …is often a game of Russian Roulette. You can look for ‘bestsellers’ with thousands of reviews, but these books usually cater to a particular type of reader. If you don’t belong to that type, then you’ll be disappointed.
I am trying hard not to foist my version of ‘quality’ onto anyone else, but the truth is that if an Indie author writes literary-quality fiction, no matter what genre, said Indie is likely to find the floor between two chairs. Readers who actively search for literary-quality books tend to stick to Traditionally published books because they are seen as ‘curated’. Readers who buy Indie bestsellers, however, are looking for entertainment at the end of a long day. They don’t want to puzzle over unfamiliar vocabulary or philosophical conundrums.
Like many of the authors commenting on this post, I’m one of those aspiring Indies who finds the floor between two chairs. I know my target market is small, and I know my visibility will always be microscopic, but raising up another gatekeeper isn’t the answer. Not in today’s world where Traditional Publishers are just small cogs in massive corporations that don’t care a fig about books, good or bad.
So what is the answer? Stop reading? Stop writing?
I say no to both. As a reader, I have found recommendations from Indie authors I trust as the surest way of finding new books to enjoy. As a writer, I rely on word of mouth to entice new readers to give my books a try. I’ll never become a bestselling author, but then, I don’t think that was ever my aim. Basically, I write so that once I’m gone I’ll leave behind a few ‘Foo waz ‘er’ books with my name on them. 🙂
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Don’t misread this: I’m not making a statement, merely asking a question. And I absolutely include myself among the published authors I’m asking about.
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One who simply asks a question or invites discussion does not say anything along the lines of “I’ll don my body armor and await your replies.” That alone indicates the intention of starting an argument. Don’t bother to reply. I’m not coming back.
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I have absolutely nothing good to say about this.
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I’m with you on this, Teagan
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Thanks, Beth. Yeah, let’s go back to the good old days when only the elite could publish, and only the right kind of people could be allowed a voice. Burn books we don’t like. After all, there are just too many anyhow. Sorry. I didn’t want to comment, but I’m very triggered by this. Hugs
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Even people who could scratch on walls felt a need and found a way to write
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There is another way.
Word of mouth is a powerful tool. Better authors can usually attract some sort of following. But how to expand that to the millions of readers who would love to find those authors? Through websites like http://epicdarkfantasy.org, which lists closely curated Fantasy books of a certain quality, filtering out the Romance.
Similar websites could exist for any genre, including the Romance/Romantasy for readers looking for those things. Even on a free WordPress site.
All it takes is someone willing to read books and choose which attain professional quality to list on the site.
My own books, or some of them, are listed on the above site, but I use it as a reader as well. Some fantastic old school Fantasy is listed there. While not every book on the site is to my taste, none of them suffer from quality issues.
Readers who find such sites will soon learn whether they can be trusted, so no one person or group becomes gatekeepers. Enthusiastic readers deciding what should be listed gets the best results.
It’s just a cyber age version of word of mouth.
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My first thoughts about this: who will be the new gatekeepers? If it’s more expensive, how does that guarantee quality, since those who can afford it will keep publishing. And who will profit? Already we are urged to hire editors before publishing but good ones aren’t cheap, so many self-publishers do without them.
As individual authors we can apply rigorous standards to our books, but there are many who are either careless or naively ignorant about quality. One thing we can do is review the books we read. Books with many positive reviews may float closer to the top.
Maybe you’re right, Joel: in the end, many of us write and publish for self-fulfillment. We have little or no control as to the fate of our books, but I can’t see many of us deciding to stop publishing out of a spirit of magnanimity to other authors.
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Just as a little footnote, I blame Nanowrimo for fostering the idea that writing 50K words is all it takes to be a writer. I’ve done Nano a couple of times, and it is a good way to start a book, but that’s only the beginning. The real work is nowhere near as sexy. Sadly, most people who complete Nano think that a quick edit with Spellcheck is all that’s needed to polish a story for publishing.
I hope that in ten or twenty years time, Indie writing will have matured enough for us all to find our niche in the market.
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I think it is maturing, but because it isn’t regulated it includes a greater range of competencies than traditional publishing.
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Indie is definitely gaining acceptance – we just have to look at our own community here on WordPress. We have some simply brilliant writers here – not just ‘as good as’ traditionally published authors, but often miles /better/ because they’re not afraid to push the envelope and try something a little different. But…I know my extended family won’t read Indie, and they all love reading. 😦
I hope the younger generations are more open to the Indie promise.
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