tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32528082.post626466496530244273..comments2023-08-11T04:33:49.146-04:00Comments on Books, beer and barbarians: Why I publish independentlyTyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09192814826756623212noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32528082.post-81006814640910258952010-08-22T08:51:05.286-04:002010-08-22T08:51:05.286-04:00Very well said! I'm about to become an indie ...Very well said! I'm about to become an indie writers, and I've had one "friend" mouthing off about the badly written digital books. I told her how I felt once, but she still continues on the same vein. Now I ignore her. Her opinion doesn't matter to me; only mine does.Edie Ramerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17084144940233965447noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32528082.post-34495427915159430032010-08-21T19:53:47.631-04:002010-08-21T19:53:47.631-04:00"How such a slow-moving industry has stayed a..."How such a slow-moving industry has stayed alive for so long defies all logic."<br /><br />Because it was all there was.<br /><br /><i>Was.</i> Past tense.<br /><br />Welcome to tomorrow.Levi Montgomeryhttp://www.levimontgomery.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32528082.post-13301608143210327502010-08-21T16:32:36.968-04:002010-08-21T16:32:36.968-04:00"I have bills to pay and mouths to feed. I do..."I have bills to pay and mouths to feed. I don't have time to wait six months for a print publisher to decide whether or not they want my latest book, then a year before the book is released, and then perhaps another year for my first royalty checks to start rolling in."<br /><br />OMG YESSSSSSSSS! I read on an agent's blog that you have to add 5 years to whatever you have in mind (when dealing with the publishing industry). How such a slow-moving industry has stayed alive for so long defies all logic.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32528082.post-89256624334264771732010-08-20T22:29:01.026-04:002010-08-20T22:29:01.026-04:00I find it interesting to see what makes each of us...I find it interesting to see what makes each of us angry in this kind of situation. I totally empathize with this (even though I have somewhat different reasons for going Indie), because where I do have similar feelings, it has as much to do with being fooled by these people as anything. <br /><br />I see it even within traditional publishing - most people actually make a breakout when they they realize that they're being held back by "common wisdom" that's really BS. <br /><br />So it's ironic, that Indies are criticized for moving forward and BEING professional (i.e. making a living) by those who in the end are sitting back and posturing.The Daring Novelisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01676188266569869059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32528082.post-20279202285653621172010-08-20T20:07:10.681-04:002010-08-20T20:07:10.681-04:00Epic.Epic.Moses Siregar IIIhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14054458331242370871noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32528082.post-73274581812971471212010-08-20T16:07:46.528-04:002010-08-20T16:07:46.528-04:00It annoys them cos they see the seesawness of it. ...It annoys them cos they see the seesawness of it. Right now they are the heavy weights, but as more and more of us make a success of this the seesaw will very slowly balance. Just as it balances all the trad pub author hanger-ons will rush to self-publish and the seesaw will tip the other way.<br /><br />Great post. Sorry you've had such a shitty time with jobs. Its hard just now.Scathach Publishinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08129829527723695827noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32528082.post-83909325207959264792010-08-20T01:11:18.718-04:002010-08-20T01:11:18.718-04:00Congrats on your success, Ty.
I think stories li...Congrats on your success, Ty. <br /><br />I think stories like yours are the very reason indie publishing keeps popping up on the trad publishing radar. More and more writers are refusing to bow to the negative consensus about independents and doing their own thing. <br /><br />What the "big guys" do has no effect on us, but what we do sure seems to annoy them, and that amuses the hell out of me.<br /><br />Here's to rocking the boat!M.T. Murphyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08222869745287371439noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32528082.post-18532586336244065922010-08-19T23:48:51.040-04:002010-08-19T23:48:51.040-04:00Why is it that making a living at writing is such ...Why is it that making a living at writing is such a sin? We produce using our talents, and to have a just compensation for that in a timely manner is to be expected in any other field. Writing is supposed to be different? Why, because it's 'art'? <br /><br />As an artist, I also expect to be compensated, so I don't buy that for a moment. (excuse the pun)<br /><br />The "Don't quit your day job" idiocy was the subject of my carnival contribution. ;)<br /><br />Congrats on getting your work out there and making money off of it. Yay for indie writers!J.A. Marlowhttp://jamarlow.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32528082.post-56833360320251790142010-08-19T13:51:59.164-04:002010-08-19T13:51:59.164-04:00Levi, welcome aboard my blog! Come back any time y...Levi, welcome aboard my blog! Come back any time you want. I love comments.<br /><br />Charles, you've got that right.<br /><br />Ellen, yep, the more I'm told I can't do something, the more I'm going to try to do it. At least in writing. Base jumping is another story.<br /><br />Claire, I feel much the same way.Tyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09192814826756623212noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32528082.post-43459161405415412042010-08-19T11:35:44.540-04:002010-08-19T11:35:44.540-04:00You had me at "assholes" :D
We all have...You had me at "assholes" :D<br /><br />We all have our reasons for self-publishing and as long as it works for us then who cares what other people think we have given up. Whenever anyone disses the indie thing, I smile, because I think lots of them will eventually go down the same route. It's just a matter of time . . . and money. <br /><br />For me, I'm not waiting around for anything to be handed to me. I'm going to see if I can get it for myself. It's not easier or better, it's just different. Big fan of different. :)Claire Farrellhttp://claire-farrell.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32528082.post-48682535610250881882010-08-19T10:31:30.331-04:002010-08-19T10:31:30.331-04:00"The truth is I began to think of myself as a..."The truth is I began to think of myself as an indie writer because of all the "assholes" out there trashing indie writers, many of those assholes being involved somehow or other with the traditional publishing industry."<br /><br />Me too! I get more and more attached to the indie label, the more those people mouth off.Ellen Fisherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14631100471564370572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32528082.post-42977286372504009342010-08-19T09:57:24.532-04:002010-08-19T09:57:24.532-04:00Necessity is the mother of invention!Necessity is the mother of invention!Charles Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32528082.post-85203352518490544342010-08-19T08:03:39.923-04:002010-08-19T08:03:39.923-04:00I've been seeing your comments on Joe and Zoe ...I've been seeing your comments on Joe and Zoe (why don't those rhyme?)'s blog for some time, but it took a carnival to actually get me here, I guess.<br /><br />I, like Zoe, had never really thought about the selfishness of the naysayers.Levi Montgomeryhttp://www.levimontgomery.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32528082.post-41176042835529545652010-08-19T07:01:40.877-04:002010-08-19T07:01:40.877-04:00Great post. Just as inspiring as Zoe's from a ...Great post. Just as inspiring as Zoe's from a completely different point of view. <br /><br />It reminded me of the smear job traditional radio gave satellite when it was new. It's like there's enough cake for everyone, but the biggest kid in the room can't stand it that the little guy is enjoying some.Andrew Mocetenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32528082.post-53706758945555650772010-08-19T02:31:31.578-04:002010-08-19T02:31:31.578-04:00don't *care (stupid typos)don't *care (stupid typos)Zoe Wintershttp://www.zoewinters.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32528082.post-69994647462871001072010-08-19T02:30:42.838-04:002010-08-19T02:30:42.838-04:00I totally agree. And they claim they aren't &q...I totally agree. And they claim they aren't "threatened" by us. Well, they clearly are, or they would STFU and leave people to do what they want to do.<br /><br />Dude, I don't run around yelling at people who are happy traditionally publishing and telling them they're "wrong" and need to do it my way.<br /><br />I don't are how anyone else publishes or doesn't publish. What difference does it make to me? Am I getting part of their royalty? Are they getting part of mine? No.<br /><br />I think if trad publishing for those on the midlist was all it was cracked up to be, there would be a lot fewer people concerned with how we're publishing.Zoe Wintershttp://www.zoewinters.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32528082.post-61366697001837229662010-08-19T02:08:32.870-04:002010-08-19T02:08:32.870-04:00Zoe, I've come to think of it sort of like bas...Zoe, I've come to think of it sort of like baseball.<br /><br />Let's say I'm a minor league player for one of the independent leagues, not even a farm team for one of the major league teams.<br /><br />If I have a season setting all kinds of pitching records, is a top Yankees pitcher going to drop by and give me grief over it? Of course not. He wouldn't even know about my season, as Patterson and King and Rowling and whomever don't know about my real-life writing and publishing. It doesn't affect them.<br /><br />So why in the world do so many folks have to get upset over indie writers and indie publishers?<br /><br />It's silly, and it shows how little and petty some people really are, especially when what I'm doing will have no effect at all upon them.<br /><br />My god, it's like politics, but even less meaningful.Tyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09192814826756623212noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32528082.post-13592968509156637342010-08-19T01:54:20.979-04:002010-08-19T01:54:20.979-04:00OMG LOVE this post. Especially this part:
I don&#...OMG LOVE this post. Especially this part:<br /><br /><i>I don't have time to be concerned that someone's itty bitty feelings have been injured over my doing something that has no effect whatsoever on their life, and that they're scared the traditional print publishers are all going to go away or that books will no longer play an important role in the world, economically and artistically.</i><br /><br />That is SO true. And it made me think of things in a way I hadn't thought of before. How selfish does one have to be to try to physically or emotionally stand in another person's way of making the money they need to make?<br /><br />In some ways I'm in a similar situation. I can't work for other people for several different reasons. But the bottom line situation is... I can't hold down a job working for anyone but myself. No matter how many times I've tried, it just doesn't work out. (And I've tried 33 times.)<br /><br />Being an indie author is the first time in my life I've made somewhat decent money. This is the most money I've ever made. Sure, all I've ever had were mcjobs, but that's another issue. I just wasn't ever going to have a "career" doing anything else.<br /><br />So far this is the only thing I've ever done that has even started to pan out financially. Why the hell would I deny myself this thing I both need and love to do, based on someone else's precious feelings over "how publishing should work to emotionally validate them"?<br /><br />I mean WTF? Seriously? STFU! (not you) :)Zoe Wintershttp://www.zoewinters.orgnoreply@blogger.com