Self publishing books

cynic

Not willing to wait for the manuscript to be reviewed by mainstream publishers (and face rejection), authors are now opting to go the self-publishing way. There are a few authors like Amish Tripathi and Ashwin Sanghi (and even E L James) who have achieved success post that. Apparently, there are 30-50 titles self published each month in India alone.

Then there is the downside. Some consider self-publishing as a stepping stone to winning a publishing contract. Not all authors have the writing skill or the aptitude. Let's not get started on the non fictions and the lack of research on that.

What are your thoughts on self publishing books?

soothsayer

My take would be as a reader-I hardly bother about a publisher. So long it is a good author and I get the right book, it is fine by me. I think that self publishing is something a writer has to worry about. As far as a writer goes , he/she will have to weigh the pros and cons. If it is dealing with a publisher, whether proper value is being adduced to the work, about rights, creativity not being affected etc.

Meself

I believe it's both a boon and a bane. Their certain imposters in the name of writers who spew shit and then publish it because they have a platform to do so. While it gave us certain gems, it also opened doors for likes of E.L. James who, I fail to understand how does she qualifies as an author. Another case to point out would be Rupi Kaur. She self published her poems which later turned out to be lifted from various sources.


I think self publishing is really bad because it has no scope of second opinion and improvement. But at the same time we cannot deny that it also helps genuine creatives to pour their heart and souls out in their work.

metac

I believe this is a double edged sword. Unless creatives, established authors, the publishing community and the reading masses can somehow move towards a commonly agreed self-critique and self-moderating framework, the ubiquity of plagiarism and low quality writing will pervade. There are, however, exceptions, with some genuinely good creatives emerging from time to time. The sheer number of platforms also adds to the problem; the growing power of some of the media posing as gatekeepers (seeking control, perpetuating bias) to new talent only compounds it.

Yet there's certain merit in the outlier phenomenon that is self publishing - namely freedom to express, to create and pitch for a place under the stars for anyone tinged with the passion. It's a question of time and a critical mass of open, disciplined minds. Will have to wait and see.

jhsurti

Agree about it being a double-edged sword. Ultimately, it is we, the readers who have to sift through the material to find out what is good and what is s**t. There is no way we can stop this proliferation.

Mousetrap

In my experience, I've found a few self-published books on Amazon that are disgraceful. I recently read a book on Nathuram Godse that was carelessly written and sprinkled with typos. But the bigger concern is that it has over 80 5-star ratings that's plainly misleading. There's also the concern of fake reviews, so nothing is plainly evident.

Many readers are probably more lenient than they should be when it comes to appreciating books. It's important to ensure that only the best writing earns recognition and sifted out from the trash.

cynic

Interesting views here. I agree about the double edged sword bit too. The very reason people go into self publishing is to avoid the critique. And the whole "I've got a published book" thing looks good on the profile or resume.

@mousetrap: The ratings are a joke these days. Authors offer free books in return of a 5 star rating and readers are more than ready for it.

Mousetrap

cynic 12-6-2018 05:00 PM
Interesting views here. I agree about the double edged sword bit too. The very reason people go into ...

So true! A free book seems to be enough to motivate some readers to give away 4 or 5 stars. It's getting more difficult to judge a book by its cover and reviews these days. Sad, that.

metac

A lot of self-published content is below par and like one of my friends up there put it, disgraceful. Getting stuff free prompts more stars too. Who will review the reviewers, by the way?

That apart, in this post-truth world, conviction - an echo to one's own beliefs - is rewarded more than authenticity and an uncompromising search for truth; as most other readers out there, I struggle to evaluate truthfulness, too.

I also fairly agree with 'Soothsayer' - to each his own, long live the consumer.

Sigh, in all this clamour for free (as in critique proof) expression, quality is a nebulous, hard to pin down object.

seatlawyer

I think self-publishing is not such a bad idea for an author who is just stepping into the world of publishing, despite the number of people abusing the platform with substandard content. For a beginner with little or no network with the publishing industry but with good content, it can be a good starting point to be known and get noticed. While I'm not aware of ratings' rigging, I agree that most of self-published titles on Kindle are trash. But Kindle free sample can be a good way to judge the book, even self-published ones, before purchasing (I have one of my own non-fiction/law reference self-published on Amazon; that it barely sold is another matter ).
Oh, and cynic, I don't think self-publishing adds any galmour to one's Resume IMHO. My feeling is self-publishing is only a foot-in-the-door thing (https://www.bookstr.com/10-self-published-authors-who-made-it-big )