Tag: Indie Authors

Self Publishing Is Not Out of Control by Richard Brawer

Author RIchard Brawer
Author Richard Brawer

I recently read a blog titled: “9 Reasons Self Publishing Is Out of Control.”

I responded with the following:

The same thing can be said about blogs. You have to take into consideration that people like to express themselves, and self publishing and blogging has given them a voice.

I am an avid reader. Before small presses and self publishing the only books we could read were the ones the big publishers “chose” for us to read. I’m sure you’ll agree that some of them were pretty bad, just like the author of the article says that some self published books are bad. Continue reading “Self Publishing Is Not Out of Control by Richard Brawer”

9 Signs Accredited Online Colleges are Out of Control

In case you missed it (and there is a good chance you did), a blog called Accredited Online Colleges ran a little article called 9 Signs Self-Publishing is Out of Control. I am firmly of the belief that everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion, even when that opinion is stupid and completely wrong.

This article begins with these well-balanced lines: “To paraphrase the immortal words of Truman Capote, there’s a difference between writing and typing. And, to put it gently, we can say with a good amount of confidence that most self-published books were typed, not written. Because communicating with letters assembled into words is a skill most learn by the age of 5, and because written communication has become so ubiquitous in American life, everyone now thinks he’s a writer.”

Why, with such impervious reasoning as that, one might also wonder if anyone with a computer now thinks he’s a blogger. I won’t quote anything further from the article (the link is there if you’d like to have a look). Neither will I conduct a line-by-line vivisection of the deeply flawed reasoning put forth in the article, tempting as that may be.

I do find it fairly dripping with irony. Here the anonymous author takes exception to the technology that has allowed the Philistines to call themselves authors. Presumably, the author is all right with the same technology when put to the purpose of creating accredited online colleges. Yet, the preponderance of the author’s arguments can be applied equally against accredited online colleges. All of this begs the question: Are accredited online colleges out of control? (McNally, did you notice I capitalized after the colon there?) The sad answer to this question is an unqualified yes.

9 Signs Accredited Online Colleges are Out of Control Continue reading “9 Signs Accredited Online Colleges are Out of Control”

So You’ve Decided to Become an Indie Author…

You’re one of those people with a vivid imagination and a way with words. Your friends all tell you you are smart or deep or articulate or funny or witty or creative. You spin stories and people love those stories. They have been telling you for years you should write a book, because they would definitely buy that book.

Maybe you have characters in your head whose stories are demanding to be told, who will not leave you alone until you sit down at a computer and let it flow. Maybe these characters in your head talk to you, and you talk back to them, and the medication doesn’t seem to be helping at all.

So, you’ve decided to become an indie author. Wise choice. Now you’re thinking about:

  • Fame
  • Wealth
  • Critical Acclaim

These are just three of the things that won’t be happening anytime soon. But don’t worry, all is not lost. I’m here with some helpful tips on how to survive on an indie author income of tens of dollars a year. You won’t have to do this for long, of course, because your big break is right around the corner. I can feel it. But, until then, this may be a big adjustment if you’re used to having things like spending money and electricity. Here are 7 suggestions that will help ease the transition: Continue reading “So You’ve Decided to Become an Indie Author…”

Who’s got the power…!

Now that I stuck that neat little ear-worm in your mind…

I read a blog just recently that touched on that very subject, though. (Thanks Ashley Barron. http://bit.ly/HN4BzU )

It seems one of our failings as self/indie published authors is that people perceive us as not having any leadership or defined standards, and that’s why we’re not taken very seriously.  We’re sort of the Wild West of the publishing world.  I’m okay with that but I would both argue the point, and beg to differ.  True, there are a large number of Indie writers for whom proper English, spelling and grammar are somewhat alien. There is a valid argument to be made there in many cases. If there was any benefit to traditional publishing it was that – it filtered out the thousands of wannabe writers who simply didn’t want to do the work.  (Yes, it’s okay to break the rules. First know what the rules are.) Continue reading “Who’s got the power…!”