You appreciate independent films. Your favorite bands are indie bands. The independent artist who makes your handmade jewelry? Love her.
So why is it different for indie authors? Why is there still a persistent stigma about self-publishing a book?
I think that at least part of the answer lies in consumption time. If you listen to a song from indie band, and you don’t like it, then you’ve wasted three minutes of your time. You move on, unharmed. An independent film, maybe 90 minutes. And hey, at least it was a night out with friends.
But a book? The consumption time is a lot longer, and therefore a greater risk. You’re not going to spend 8, 10, 12 hours on something that you don’t ultimately enjoy. Let’s say that you read 12 books a year. That’s a lot of time to put at risk.
So, you stick with what’s safe. Professionally developed content, produced by authors who were curated by the publishing industry. Usually it’s a good bet. However, it’s not a guarantee. If you’re like me, you’ve read a lot of stuff that you couldn’t finish. Good ideas marred by poor writing, or maybe a story that never gets going. It doesn’t matter if it was produced by a reputable publisher. They can’t produce a hit every time, right?
When I hear publishing executives say, “there’s a lot of crap out there,” my response is, “yes, and a lot of it was produced by you.” Think of the blockbuster hits—the ones that you just can’t understand why everyone’s reading them. Or the massive mass market machine, pumping out safe and sanitized corporate “product.” This stuff doesn’t connect; it’s just mindless entertainment.
Nothing wrong with mindless entertainment. But don’t use it as a weapon against hard-working professionally self-published authors. In my opinion, the best work often comes from the fringes. Writing it all off out of protectionist fear degrades the overall quality of all published works in the industry. In other words, the opposite effect of the industry drumbeat.
We need to get past this negative mentality, remove the stigma, help independent authors elevate the quality of their work, and celebrate the spirit of independent artistry. It’s not just good for indie authors; it’s good for everyone.
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