Inspired by Sebastian Michael's testemony in a previous post of the difficulties of getting published in the traditional way I thought I'd do some probing...

Do you read self-published authors?

What is your honest gut feeling about books by self-published authors?

Is it possible that it is among the self-published authors that we can find the real gems? Given the "suitable for mass-market" screening of everything that gets published?

What are your thoughts?

I'm a self-published author, although I've also been published 4 times by small, independent publishers. I've been through the editing process four times, then, with an assigned editor. Other than typos and objections to some word choices, none of the editors had to suggest changes, so I think my self-editing skills are up to par. None of those indie-published books had good sales, because those small companies don't do any promotion and I apparently suck at promoting.

But when I began writing historical fiction, I found that agents and publishers were not interested (maybe because I didn't include zombies, vampires, wizards, etc.). So I began self-pubbing, including one earlier book that had gone out of print.

The stigma about self-publishing is because there's no quality control. Most self-pubbed books are not edited. When I get proof copies of a new book, I proofread it myself and have another writer proofread, also. I feel the quality of my novels is comparable to traditional published novels. And I know there are other published authors who have gone the self-pub route. Trouble is, how is the reader to know which books are worth looking at? Reviews are unreliable because they are completely subjective and tastes vary. (One reviewer panned one of my historical novels (slavery) as being too "educational," which is exactly what I intended it to be.) Amazon and other booksellers allow readers to sample a few pages, so I guess that's the only indicator readers are going to get.

I've read self-pubbed books that are badly written but also self-pubbed books that are amazing and will not be found in the mainstream literary paradigm. Many self-published books are original, refreshing and well-edited for grammar. How to find the good ones? Well, at least ebooks are usually quite cheap, so if you do stumble upon the rotten egg, it's not a major loss, especially if it cost only one or two dollars.

I have read self-published works though not many. But, I have acutally edited two books that were self-publised (for a friend - the author). One was a childrent's book about life on a farm; the other sort of a self-help book.

The only other self-published books I have knowingly read was a series of western fiction my wife brought home from the library and urged me to read. While the plot was good, the writing defnitely needed an editor.

Of course, if the book I am now writing ever gets in print, it may have to be self-published, as I have no contacts in the publishing business.

I have read many self puplished books. It seems like everyone is an author these days. Some problems I have found are a confusion between fiction and non fiction. For instance telling the reader the story is a true account but some things were added for entertainment sake. A book like that could not sell in a book store. Another problem I find new authors making frequently is under expanding on interesting episodes from their lives when writing memoirs. Also I have read novels taking place in a period of history unfamiliar to the writer. All the facts were wrong. So although I do believe there are some truly good self puplished books there is a lack of good IP writers. The examples that I gave can all be fixed. The brand new writer needs to slow down. How do you fix that?

There was an IP author here on BT whose non fiction book I read. It was about the wild west and chock full of statements. I checked everyone out and each one was a fact. It was written for a younger set but I enjoyed it very much. He was a writer that took his time. I believe his book is now in a few schools.

I don't know what the secret is. Promotion has got to be a big factor.

Yeah, Suzanne - even many school students publish novels nowadays, anyone can. I do think if you examine the novel carefully before purchasing it you can prevent being disappointed. Examine the cover, the summary, search for the author's name on the web and find out more about him/her and about other books by the same author. Read reviews. Most of the ebook sites like Smashwords and Amazon allow one to read a percentage of the ebook - an amount of pages- for free, and that is really useful. On Smashwords one can usually read the first five chapters or so! That really helps. I've found some lovely books on Smashwords! (And a good deal of cr** that I just ignore...)

Good writing is like good cooking. You need to know what good food tastes like to be a good cook. Same with writing, you need to appreciate a well written book. There are McDonalds books and there are your fine dining books. If you are only used to big macks I don't think you will be able to cook well or write well.

How much does reading influence a writer?

Sorry

The comparison of choises and appreciation of food and books is excellent!

Sometimes I crave some greasy shit that's bad for me (like a Patricia Cornwell novel) and sometimes something with better quality ingredients.

But I never go for the really cutting edge restaurants, like Noma in Copenhagen, that's just too far off and strange to me. Just like I seldom appreciate litterature that is considered good by the cultural elite.

http://www.booktalk.org/posting.php?mod ... 74&t=13032#

Audience is one thing to consider! Do most people go for the "elite literature?" I don't think so. They go for soapies on TV and Terminator-type action movies, plus those Mac-burgers...I bet the most popular ebooks are NOT the superb literary creations! With most people living hectically busy lives, I have seen some comments in the line of "Don't give me anything complicated to read. I want something easy, light and entertaining." I bet thousands of people read just to relax, and don't wish to be challenged with metaphors and hidden meanings or word constructions and plots that make one THINK. When I was a literary student I loved Milton and Elliot and Shakespeare....but nowadays I prefer the lighter, simpler books myself!
That said, my own writing is quite different...simply because I write Visionary Fiction without a dark side...I was criticised for writing a novel without the "traditional elements of fiction." Yeah, I'm quite a rebel. I wrote a book with no conflict and no villain - "Ephemerine Tree." I thought it was quite an accomplishment. How many people can write an interesting and engaging book with no conflict and no antagonist?
In my view everyone has a free will choice - one can write for the masses, write for the elite, write just because one enjoys it, write something entirely different...and according to the frequency your book puts out, it will attract suitable readers, the number of which may vary...

I've read good and bad self-published authors in the same way that I've read good and bad traditionally published authors. I suppose the traditional method provides a filter, but there are still a lot of poor books put out by publishing houses.

I've had numerous children's books published via the traditional method but have chosen to self-publish my first adult novel on Kindle. The novel is based in a Young Offender Institution. I worked in such an establishment for a number of years and it is a topic close to my heart. As such, I wanted to write what I needed to get across rather than aim at a "genre". If you want to take a look, it's on Amazon Kindle - "Going Down" by Steve Martin. I'd be really interested in hearing from anyone who does read it.