You wouldnโ€™t advertise a fragrance by saying โ€œit doesnโ€™t smell of pooโ€ so why does everyone who sets out to praise self-publishing do so by telling us how rubbish traditional publishing is? Here are some of the things I hear again and again:

  • Publishers only care about profits.
  • Publishers only want safe, boring books.
  • There are just as many errors in traditionally published books.
  • Publishers donโ€™t add anything to the finished product.
  • Publishers just donโ€™t like progress.
  • Publishers donโ€™t care about their authors.
  • Publishers are selfish.
  • Publishers are evil gatekeepers intent on keeping great books out.

Iโ€™m not going to go on about how I disagree with all these points, but it only reinforces reluctance from readers loyal to the establishment. And thatโ€™s most of us. I donโ€™t know a lot of people outside of the blogging world that read much self-published work. Publishers woo us, self-publishers act like the social outcast that pretends they donโ€™t want to be in the in-crowd.

Not only that, but theyโ€™re being incredibly rude about fellow authors that have signed a deal. Would you say to their faces that their work is boring or riddled with errors? I expect they donโ€™t even know one person who works in publishing. Everyone I have interacted with has been lovely, passionate about books and would be horrified if the above defined them.

Perhaps revolutionaries donโ€™t have to be nice, but this is not a time of war. Take a breath and think about the positive aspects of self-publishing. There is a perception issue here and self-published authors need to do a lot of work to get past that. Make your books exciting and innovative; make them look beautiful, get professional help (the kind that supposedly isnโ€™t adding anything to traditionally published books). Get out there and make your book the best it can be and forget about the politics. Readers donโ€™t want to know about the chip on your shoulder, they want to know about your BOOK!