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Join The Fight To Give Self Publishers An Even Playing Field
Are you a self-published author who is tired of getting the door slammed in your face by reviewers, contests, conferences and more just because your books aren't published by a traditional publisher? Join the club! And I do mean join. If we as self-publishers don't begin to work together to combat the bias against our work, we are going to continue to be treated as and feel like second-class citizens of the writing community.
Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying that poorly written, unedited, crummy-looking books should be given the same treatment as high-quality books. But I am saying that books should be judged on their own merits, not on whether they are published by the author or by someone related to the author, and not by the number of copies that are printed at a time. How can someone judge a book when they haven't even seen it?
People say authors only self-publish because they can't get a traditional publisher. That's not my story. I chose to publish my mystery novel, TOO NEAR THE EDGE, through my family publishing company, PMI Books. I didn't send the novel to any agents or publishers first. I made the self-publishing decision based on my experience with my two published nonfiction books—one, self-published has sold over 50,000 copies and is now in its 4th edition; the other was published by a major traditional publisher sold about 5,000 copies and is now out of print.
My self-published novel, TOO NEAR THE EDGE has gotten good reviews from online reviewers and won a silver medal for best regional fiction in the 2007 Independent Publisher Book Awards (IPPY) contest. It's available on Amazon and other online sites, and I can keep it in print as long as I want. But if I want it to sell, I have to promote it, which is harder than it should be due to the bias against self-publishers.
I understand that approximately 800 books are published every day and reviewers are deluged with books to review. But I hate that like a trendy new NYC bar, they man the door so that only the well-connected get in. Reviewers should be in the business of judging books not judging publishers. Just give our books a chance.
And why should self-published authors be given second class status at conferences? Here's what happened to me after I found out that the annual "Left Coast Crime Convention," (LLC) meeting—a mystery convention sponsored by mystery fans, for mystery fans—will be in my area in 2008. I figured this would be a chance to go to a regional conference as an author, meet fans, and maybe even get my book in the "book room" to sell. But, no. It turns out that to be considered an author at the LLC I have to either meet the requirements for active membership in the Mystery Writers of America or be shortlisted for a major mystery award like the Edgar or the Anthony. That means I have to have been paid at least $1,000 in advances and/or royalties for my book, which had an initial print run of at least 500 copies. But even then, I can't be considered an author at their conference if my book is self-published or cooperatively published. My publisher must have been in business for at least two years and publish at least five other authors per year, none of whom may be an employee, business partner, or a relative of the publisher. And my publisher must be on the MWA list of approved publishers.
Well my publishing company, PMI Books, belongs to PMA, and we are reputable—but clearly, given all their criteria, they aren't going to put us on their approved list.
So I tried to get in under award thing. My book isn't shortlisted for the mystery awards they list, but I wrote them a very polite email asking if the IPPY would qualify me to be an author at their conference. They replied that I don't meet the eligibility requirements and that awards like the IPPY are not on the list, "since they are primarily awarded to authors from non-traditional publishing houses."
Enough!! These criteria are outdated, unfair and shortsighted. They arbitrarily exclude books and authors based not on the quality of the books but on the publisher and method of printing. There must be a better way. Self-publishers need to work together to end this bias against us.
I've started a new blog—The Populist Publisher—where I hope self-published authors can come together to change our image. I invite you to join us.
BONUS : Journaling Your Book To Completion
On any given day, how many people, events, problems, projects, family issues, things to remember and appointments are running through your mind? A LOT, right? If you're writing a book, you have to add on top of that a whole other world of characters, events, settings, plots, (if you're writing fiction) or stories, bullet points, theories and rhetoric (if you're writing non-fiction). How do you keep track of it all?
Keeping a journal for your book can be a great tool. In it you can keep your outline, character details, plotting charts and anything else that serves as a guide for helping you stay on track. The following is a simple outline of headings for setting up your daily journal pages to help you with the day-to-day writing of your book.
Word Goal
At the top of your page start out with the date of the writing session and set a goal for how many words you will write for the day. Make the number big enough to challenge you, but not too big that you feel overwhelmed if you consistently miss it. You can also keep the word goal in line with what you're working on that day. If you are re-writing a chapter instead of creating a new one, then your word count for the day will be significantly smaller. (And that's okay!)
Today's Work Will Focus On...
Under this heading you will plan out what you want to handle in the session. Are you writing a dialogue where your main character learns someone's innermost secrets? Are you doing a scene setter that places the reader in the heart of your book? Are you writing a how-to chapter to explain how the reader can put to use the new strategies you've given them on how to be a better networker? Doing this also makes the word goal less intimidating because you immediately see what you're going to do with all those words!
What Problems Might I Encounter?
There WILL be problems--no big deal. Note what they may be so you won't get tangled up in the problem as you're sitting in front of the computer screen. Write down each one. Some examples: "How do I get my character to go from living at home to a place nearer to where all the action is happening?" "How do I introduce the character to the guy who will ruin her life?" "How do I shrink my program down to 5 simple steps that people can remember?" Acknowledging problems really helps to lessen their power over your writing. You aren't scared away from a problem so easily when you know you can come up with a solution.
Possible Solutions Include...
This is where you'll do a quick brainstorming of how you can solve the problem. You can try out one of the solutions in your writing session. If that doesn't work, you'll have a list of things you can try the next day. What's great about this is that you're starting to train your mind to look for answers. You'll find that when you're writing consistently, you'll be thinking about ideas and solutions all the time--in your car, in the shower, while you're taking a walk. This is really where the magic happens. I truly believe that the bulk of books can be worked out in your head--then you have to sit down and get it onto some paper!
Today's Result and Where It Will Take Me Tomorrow...
At the end of your writing for the day you'll want to take note of what you accomplished. Maybe the dialogue you wrote today has opened up another avenue you'd like to explore with your character. Or perhaps you've noticed a big hole in the research you've done for the biography you're writing and you realize you need to make a few more calls. I like to print out the pages I've written so I can really see and feel what I've done for the day. It makes me excited to do more. The idea here is to reward yourself for your work and also see that you have more to do. You're less likely to get writer's block if you see that you still have plenty more to say for your next session. But if you do happen to get stuck anyway, go to...
Your Fun Page
This is the page where you just dawdle and dream when the writing isn't quite happening. I had a page with "Acknowledgments" written at the top. Whenever I didn't feel like writing, I would go to this page and think about who I wanted to thank when the book was finished! It was fun to add names or cross them out depending on my mood! Having such a page helped me stay connected to my vision of being a published author. Your page could have the list of cities for your book tour, or notes on the introduction you would give before your readings. Keep it light, keep it fun. This way, getting to the end of your book will be a pleasure, not a struggle. Isn't that the way you want it to be?
© 2005 Sophfronia Scott
On any given day, how many people, events, problems, projects, family issues, things to remember and appointments are running through your mind? A LOT, right? If you're writing a book, you have to add on top of that a whole other world of characters, events, settings, plots, (if you're writing fiction) or stories, bullet points, theories and rhetoric (if you're writing non-fiction). How do you keep track of it all?
Keeping a journal for your book can be a great tool. In it you can keep your outline, character details, plotting charts and anything else that serves as a guide for helping you stay on track. The following is a simple outline of headings for setting up your daily journal pages to help you with the day-to-day writing of your book.
Word Goal
At the top of your page start out with the date of the writing session and set a goal for how many words you will write for the day. Make the number big enough to challenge you, but not too big that you feel overwhelmed if you consistently miss it. You can also keep the word goal in line with what you're working on that day. If you are re-writing a chapter instead of creating a new one, then your word count for the day will be significantly smaller. (And that's okay!)
Today's Work Will Focus On...
Under this heading you will plan out what you want to handle in the session. Are you writing a dialogue where your main character learns someone's innermost secrets? Are you doing a scene setter that places the reader in the heart of your book? Are you writing a how-to chapter to explain how the reader can put to use the new strategies you've given them on how to be a better networker? Doing this also makes the word goal less intimidating because you immediately see what you're going to do with all those words!
What Problems Might I Encounter?
There WILL be problems--no big deal. Note what they may be so you won't get tangled up in the problem as you're sitting in front of the computer screen. Write down each one. Some examples: "How do I get my character to go from living at home to a place nearer to where all the action is happening?" "How do I introduce the character to the guy who will ruin her life?" "How do I shrink my program down to 5 simple steps that people can remember?" Acknowledging problems really helps to lessen their power over your writing. You aren't scared away from a problem so easily when you know you can come up with a solution.
Possible Solutions Include...
This is where you'll do a quick brainstorming of how you can solve the problem. You can try out one of the solutions in your writing session. If that doesn't work, you'll have a list of things you can try the next day. What's great about this is that you're starting to train your mind to look for answers. You'll find that when you're writing consistently, you'll be thinking about ideas and solutions all the time--in your car, in the shower, while you're taking a walk. This is really where the magic happens. I truly believe that the bulk of books can be worked out in your head--then you have to sit down and get it onto some paper!
Today's Result and Where It Will Take Me Tomorrow...
At the end of your writing for the day you'll want to take note of what you accomplished. Maybe the dialogue you wrote today has opened up another avenue you'd like to explore with your character. Or perhaps you've noticed a big hole in the research you've done for the biography you're writing and you realize you need to make a few more calls. I like to print out the pages I've written so I can really see and feel what I've done for the day. It makes me excited to do more. The idea here is to reward yourself for your work and also see that you have more to do. You're less likely to get writer's block if you see that you still have plenty more to say for your next session. But if you do happen to get stuck anyway, go to...
Your Fun Page
This is the page where you just dawdle and dream when the writing isn't quite happening. I had a page with "Acknowledgments" written at the top. Whenever I didn't feel like writing, I would go to this page and think about who I wanted to thank when the book was finished! It was fun to add names or cross them out depending on my mood! Having such a page helped me stay connected to my vision of being a published author. Your page could have the list of cities for your book tour, or notes on the introduction you would give before your readings. Keep it light, keep it fun. This way, getting to the end of your book will be a pleasure, not a struggle. Isn't that the way you want it to be?
© 2005 Sophfronia Scott
