Online
book retailers such as Amazon, Googleplay, Kobo and Barnes and Noble have made
it possible for anyone to self publish a book. These platforms are not in themselves
publishers, but online ebook suppliers. They simply make your book available to
the masses via Kindle, Nook or print on demand paperback.
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This
means that there is no quality control on the self published book in the same
way as there is on traditionally published books by the likes of Random House, Bloomsbury
or HarperCollins. These books will eventually trickle their way into
Waterstones, Tescos or WH Smiths with their glossy covers and heavily-edited content.
Risks
of Self Publishing Ebooks for Readers
By
contrast, there are often no editors, proofreaders or a second pair of eyes to
check over a self-published book. The result of this is that some self
published books on Kindle have typos, bad formatting and amateurish book
covers. Mud sticks and therefore, the word ‘self published’ has become somewhat
of a detrimental term in the publishing world.
But
I must hasten to add, there are many fantastic self published books on Amazon. Many
indie authors are sticklers for detail and perfection. Amanda Hocking began as
a self published writer, selling over a million copies of her nine books. She
ended up signing up with St. Martin’s Press in 2011. Hugh Howey, another
example writes sci-fi dystopian series. He ended up signing up with Simon &
Schuster.
Great
Self Published Writers Hidden from the High Street
There
are many talented, underrated and unrecognized self published writers who enjoy
the independence of self publishing. But I feel that traditional publishers
dislike taking risks on a totally different type of book, preferring instead to
use the past to determine the future. It seems the high street book shops
stocks only books that follow a trend or imitate other bestselling authors. The
same brand novelists can be seen on stock piles because they are a safe bet on
sales. There is little opportunity for the reader to find a truly different
type of novel. The only option is to surf the Kindle store for a wider choice
Great
Books in Hidden Places
But
now and again, something different does puncture the high street shop such as Mark
Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and Catherine O’Flynn’s
What Was Lost. J K Rowling’s Harry Potter novels were famously rejected
numerous times because no one thought that stories about a boy wizard would
have mass appeal. Sadly, old habits return and there are lots of tired and similar-looking
books out there again. The self publishing world keeps the book market fresh,
with a diversity of books that would otherwise never have made it in front of the
eyes of an avid reader.
The
Curse of Self Publishing
But
from the customer’s viewpoint, uploading a self published book on the Kindle is
like playing Russian Roulette. You are taking a chance on the book being
well-written with a compelling plot, or a complete dud with loads of typos and formatting errors. Having said this, I
have read dud high street novels with typos and incontinuities (how can a
character’s eye colour change halfway through a story?) But when it comes to traditionally
published books, editorial quality and production are reasonably assured. This
assurance simply cannot exist in the self publishing world where anyone can
self-publish. The sad consequence of this is that a blanket judgment can sometimes
be made on an author who is self published.
Articles on Self Publishing
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