Indie vs self-published: is there a difference CLARIFIED Part 2

Hats.


I was talking about hats.  About Indie Publishing hats, to be precise.  If you haven't read Part 1 of this post, you'll find it here.  


Anyway, hats.


I'm not trying to steal the Indie Author hat from anyone.  There are a lot of great Indie Authors out there.  A whole community of them, and if I or any one of them wants to make it big we have to support each other.  This support, this community spirit, is what we can have that NY publishers can't. 

United we stand...

Alan Baxter started Blade Red Press to self-publish his own work.  He now also publishes anthologies of other people's work.  He's a sound guy and when we've emailed he's always given me good advice.  He has a couple of books out, and if you haven't given them a look you really should.

Zoe Winters I already mentioned in the last piece.  She has a 10 year plan, and I think she'll go really far.

These are just two of the awesome Indie writers out there.  There are hundreds, possibly thousands, more.  And the cool thing about being Indie is the freedom; the freedom to blur genres, to challenge the traditional (and quite often boring) mainstream fiction streams, the I-can-do-whatever-I-want (as long as it's good) mentality. 


We need to network.  We need to support each other.  That is exactly what I'm trying to do with The Guild and I really, really hope it takes off.  Zoe was writing the other day that Indie Readers (people who love Indie writers work but don't write themselves) are looking for more writers to read.

The bottom line for big publishers is £££££ or $$$$$.  For the Indies it's more about the creation, the joy of bringing something to life.  I can't wait until my book is released and some comments how much they liked it.  I'll be like "OhhhhhmyyyyyyyygooooodddddddssssssI'msquuueeeeeaaaammeeeeeeeeeeeee!"

Yeah.

So, if you're an Indie and you think I insulted you, I am truly sorry.  I never wanted to do that.  I want us all to become a community, to support each other.  To link to each other's blogs, and point readers in each others direction.  Because they can read faster than we can write, and there's more of them than there is of us, and sharing is nice.

Big businesses, like NY Publishers, aren't interested in nice, and they aren't interested in customers.  They only care about the money, and that's why Indie Authors are threatening them.

PS, join The Guild.  It's free and I hope, hope, hope it will become the awesome resource that it could, easily, become. 

Indie vs self-published: is there a difference CLARIFIED

I posted a few days ago about Indie vs self-publishing, and Ian O'Neill replied.  I know Ian from elsewhere on the 'net.  Anyway, we had a good little gossip and it turns out he thought I was insulting him.

I was shocked.

No, Really, I was Shocked.  Okay, maybe I'm taking the piss a little here, but I saw this ----------------------------------->
and wanted an excuse to use it.

It was not my intention to be insulting (well, not to insult Ian.  There are some people who might be best served by being insulted.  Then they might go away and stop self-publishing crap books that no one will read because the writer doesn't understand basec gramar).

Yes, I know I put two spelling mistakes in there.  I was making a point.  It's ridiculous trying to read books with bad grammar and worse spelling.

So, anyway, I'm following Ian's advice and re-posting to clarify some issues.

What I think self-publishing is:

*    My daughter's school did a book about the janitor.  They sold about 30 copies.

*    My local writer's circle did a great book of new Scottish poetry, and sold 150 copies.

*    I picked up a self-published book from the College Library.  It was so bad I regretted having learned to read.

*    Self-publishing can be bad, or awesome, but is ALWAYS small-scale.

What I think Indie-publishing is: 

*    someone who has made over 4000 sales from 1 book on Kindle

*    someone who has gotten out more money than they put in

*    someone who is at a level where they could have been published by a NY publishing house

*    don't ask why this is accompanied by a photo of a typewriter; I have no idea

Zoe Winter's first novella, "Kept," is available from most places for free.  Amazon doesn't deal in free books, so she's selling Kept for just under $1 over there.  She has made over $1500 from Kindle sales.  Including free downloads, her novella has been downloaded nearly 25,000 times.   And her next book won't be free.  All these people who read the novella, and I bet at least half will buy book 2 in her Therian series.  Go, Zoe.

Ian O'Neill mentioned in the comments that he was a former Indie author who'd made back more than he'd put in.  Well done, Ian.  I'm sure it was hard, but I'm sure it was also worth it.  Although only Ian knows for sure.

Okay, to clarify my P.O.V. on the whole indie - self-pub thing:

No one would compare a big NY publishing house to a University Press.  I wouldn't compare someone like Zoe Winters to someone who's sold a half dozen copies to siblings and cousins.

Sorry, but I wouldn't.

Now I'm not trying to steal the Indie Publisher or Indie Author hat for myself and leave all my fine Indie fellows, guys and gals, hatless.  I'm not saying there all crappy little self-publishers.  That's really missing the point of what I want to do.

Anyway, this is getting long, so I'll post the other half tomorrow.  Until then, keep your hats on!

PS, you really should read Kept.  It is free, after all.  You can find it here.   I haven't read it yet (so don't think I'm saying it's good) but I intend to within the week.  I'll call it like I see it when I do (the sample I read was excellent).

You'll find part 2 of this post here. 

Indie vs self-published: is there a difference

We're hearing so much lately about Indie Authors, but are they just self-published authors revamped for the new millenium? Well, okay, the millenium is a decade old, but it's newer than the last one.

I don't think they are.

We have

Traditionally Published (NY) Authors. They jump through hoops to get their work out.

Vanity Published Authors. They pay cash up front.

Self-published Authors. Small scale, often write crap, aren't that serious about the whole thing.

Indie Publisher/Authors. Serious business men and women who take their work seriously and seriously use the new technology in very serious ways. I'm serious.

So does that mean there's a difference? Well, this is how I see it. People self-publish books about their local towns or so on, things that have a very small geographical area of significance. There's no point in doing an e-book if your subject is Bonniebrig or if you fancy writing like this:

Ah dunnae kinn if 'at means there's a difference ur nae, but as far as aam concerned thaur is.

Imagine a whole book written like that. I could read it, but could you? So, self-publishing suits very small niche audiences. The writer can put the books together on their PC and print them out, bind them themselves and sell them on the streets of their hometown.

Indie authors are completely different. For the most part an indie author should have the same standards as a NY publishing house. An Indie author should run their own imprint. To look at music, an Indie author is the equivalent of the Ting Tings.

Ting Tings on youtube - Awesome, much.

A self-published author plays the local pub. Sometimes they're good, sometimes they're not, very, very rarely they'll be picked up by an agent/publisher/record company.

Labels are important. It's why you won't here me refer to myself as self-published from here out. I'm indie, and I love it.

What do you think?


Ian O'Neill pointed out I should clear up some misunderstandings.  I did, and you can find my new post here.