The State of the Stigma
By Sharon Bially | May 28, 2011 |
The media — both traditional and social — is doing a fabulous job spreading the word that self-publishing has officially lost its stigma. Outlets as venerable as The New York Times Sunday Book Review and PBS.org and have weighed in on the pros of going solo and how the changing landscape has brought this phenomenon into the mainstream.
But two major caveats to the stigma’s end seem to have been left out of the conversation. As an author about to self-publish who’s learned a lot the hard way, I think it’s vital to air, share and build some awareness around these quirks of the trade that impact us all. For lack of better names, I’ll call them “The Rubber Stamp” and “The Blanket Policy.”
Quick primer:
The Rubber Stamp
Not all methods of self-publishing are created equal. On one end of the spectrum e-books seem to have virtually no stigma attached, possibly because they’re so different and new. On the other end, paper books produced by one-stop-shopping firms like Lulu.com, AuthorHouse and iUniverse, which offer everything from design to distribution in a convenient package deal, are a glaring target for anyone inclined to turn up their nose.
These firms stand at the absolute bottom of the self-publishing food chain. Many people take issue with the fact that they charge an up-front fee for a package of services, throw their logos on your book’s cover, set the price, take a cut of the royalties and turn a very nice profit. They also have some nefarious practices such as offering accolades (e.g., iUniverse’s “Editors Choice” and “Rising Star” awards) to books they find deserving then requiring costly supplemental services before the awards can be granted.
Bottom line: These firms’ logos on your book are like a rubber stamp reading “stigmatized.”
The Blanket Policy
There’s a silent rule that book reviewers follow like the gospel, book bloggers often adhere to and far too many authors with traditional publishing deals reinforce:
“Self-published authors need not apply.”
It results in extremely limited review opportunities for self-pubbed authors, especially in traditional media outlets like newspapers and magazines, and a culture of benign neglect by traditionally-pubbed authors who — oops! — overlook chances to tweet, blog about or attend events honoring their self-published peers.
As an author mindful of conventions, I opted out of using iUniverse when I realized it carried a stigma, even after having signed a contract, used a number of its services and received its Editor’s Choice award. Instead I switched gears to the more widely acceptable approach of purchasing my own ISBN number, assigning it to my very own indie “publishing” company created for this purpose and independently hiring a designer, a copy-editor and a printer. Frankly, it was a hassle. iUniverse had done a terrific job holding had my hand, which made my busy life much easier. But the upshot is I can now set my own price and drop my “publisher’s” name with pride, as if it were a small, literary press.
Also in the spirit of conventions, I know better than to waste my time pitching reviewers when the novel I’m self-publishing, Veronica’s Nap, comes out. And I simply walk away when traditionally-published authors drop the names of their publicists who don’t take on self-published projects or chat about opportunities they’re collaborating on exclusively with their traditionally-published friends.
As a critical thinker, however, this disturbs me. Truth be told, the criteria dictating where to place a “stigma” stamp seem as arbitrary as the criteria my 12-year-old son describes when talking about why some kids in his middle school are “popular” and others aren’t. So iUniverse, AuthorHouse, Lulu.com and their competitors charge an upfront fee? That fee happens to cover the same design, copy-editing and printing services I ultimately wound up paying much more for on my own. And they set books’ prices, take a cut of the royalties? Hey — so do traditional publishers! What’s more — caveat to the caveat — with many of the one-stop-shops now allowing authors to work through them to create their own indie brand, the line between “indie” and “one-stop-shopped” has all but disappeared.
As for organizations and individuals with a blanket policy excluding self-published titles and authors, we can debate their reasons till we’re blue in the face and get absolutely nowhere. On the high end politics and grandiose egos surely prevail. On the low end, I suspect insecurity and a hunger for validation play a role.
The takeaway for writers is to be aware of the state of the stigma and be careful not to blindly buy into conventions with no valid rationale. An honest, case-by-case assessment of all books seems more appropriate than rubber-stamps and blanket policies. Substance is more important than any label. And let’s not forget that self- and traditionally-published authors have more and more in common, including being in a field where there are as many exceptions as there are rules.
Sharon Bially (@SharonBially) is the founder and president of BookSavvy PR, a public relations firm devoted to authors and books. Author of the novel Veronica’s Nap, she’s a member of the Director’s Circle at Grub Street, Inc., the nation’s largest independent writing center, and writes occasionally for the Grub Street Daily.
“…as if it were a small, literary press”. Um, it is is a small, literary press. Just like the Rutland Square Press, born last week. Don’t sell yourself short.
I was under the impression that many book bloggers do take indie published books, especially if they are working with amazon.
please please please correct me if I am wrong, but you can still sell your novel as print on demand and as an ebook for kindle via amazon, even if you don’t purchase a package from create space, right? Seems like far less hassle and far better reach than hiring a printer and distributor.
Very very interesting — I am very new to exploring self publishing, and it’s great to get information. I am about to read a book published by iUniverse, so I’ll pay special attention now to the “stigma stamp” and whether or not it’s deserved. After reading this, I think if I were to consider self publishing, I’d probably do it like you are; it just seems to make a whole lot of sense. Thanks for such an enlightening post.
Thanks for this post. I’ve been seeing a lot out and about about this self-publishing thing. Good timing for me, since I’ve been pondering the thought myself. After attempting the traditional route, including getting an agent and a failed submission go, I’m considering getting my book out despite the “not fitting our list” label.
Doesn’t fit their list. I’ll make my own. :o)
Very interesting! I’m just completing my WIP, and while I intend to try the traditional route first, I realize self-pubbing my be my best option.
Just to clarify (I’m very new to all of this), when you buy your ISBN, you can create a publishing company simply for the sake of publishing your own book? Does this include e-books?
Many writers talk as though all they need to do is load their stuff onto Amazon and then it’s on Kindle. Seems far too easy to me. There’s got to be a lot of stuff in between.
I used createspace, and their logo is nowhere on my cover. I did not, however, use any of their services. I purchased my own ISBN, hired someone to do the layout and design of the interior and the cover, and I am publicizing on my own. Createspace basically prints the books when I need them.
It’s a good way to go. I use my own imprint, since I’m doing all the work. I consider myself a small press because I’m basically doing the work of a publisher, so why not? You can read about my book and some of the marketing things I’m doing at danielcavallari.com. I try to be pretty up front and honest about the process so other writers can learn from it.
Great post, Sharon. If I go the indie route (probable) I certainly want to avoid the Stigma Stamp. We already bought a package of ISBNs, and changed our LLC, adding a DBA for our publishing company in anticipation.
A local author friend went with a package, and loved the ease of it. But I remain unconvinced, and will probably imitate your route. (Can’t quite put my finger on it, but I sensed her Stigma Stamp when I bought a copy – and it’s a wonderful book.)
It seems like the walls continue to crumble, but I agree that barriers still exist, and I share your suspicions about it. At the very least, it’s an interesting evolution to watch. Thanks for sharing, and keep us posted on your progress!
“Truth be told, the criteria dictating where to place a “stigma” stamp seem as arbitrary as the criteria my 12-year-old son describes when talking about why some kids in his middle school are “popular” and others aren’t. ”
Yeah. That’s exactly what it feels like. I’m in the midst of looking at the self-pub route with one of the manuscripts that my agent submitted, but was ultimately passed on by the NY houses. The editors liked the story and the writing, but felt the market was too saturated for them to take the risk on an unknown author.
Having it languish on my hard drive does no one any good, so I’m looking into what my options are for it.
Wishing you the best of luck as you release “Veronica’s Nap.”
There’s definitely a stigma, and although it’s fading, I think it will continue to take time and hard work from authors like yourself (and Amanda Hocking, as a great example) to show that self publishing doesn’t mean lazy writing.
Just wait . . . at this rate, it could all change by tomorrow. The holdouts clutching their prejudices are starting to resemble the dinosaurs.
If you think indie publishing is for you, there’s no need to reinvent the wheel. Take yourself over to Joe Konrath’s blog, Dean Wesley Smith’s blog, and the Kindle Boards. You can do this yourself with Createspace, Smashwords, and KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing). Perhaps in many ways, the actual publishing is the ‘easy’ part and just takes time and some attention to detail. It doesn’t even necessarily take money . . . It’s the deciding to do it and what comes afterwards that’s hard :)
I’m finding this transitional period in publishing to be fascinating. Frustrating and confusing at times, yes, but never boring. Sharon, your call to make decisions on a case-by-case (or author-by-author or book-by-book) basis makes a lot of sense. I just finished formatting a book for Kindle, and while I haven’t decided yet if I’ll pursue that direction for it (the stigma factor is one that looms large), I like the fact that I have more options.
Thanks very much for a thoughtful post on an important topic.
I think part of the reason the stigma has disappeared for e-books is because the pricing situation. Publishers are insisting on keeping the price high whereas self-published can go as low as 99 cents (or free).
Those of us who have bought e-readers tend to be hungry readers. But even hungry readers have a budget, and if we can buy 10 self-pubbed books for the same price as one traditional books then the risk is pretty low (whereas in the past self-pubblished books have been expensive even for paperbacks).
I don’t buy that many self-pubbed e-books (I’m more of a library lover type girl) but if something catches my eye I’m willing to give it a chance for the price.
Thank you for this post. I learned a lot about self-publishing that I never knew before. I agree with another comment that the “stigma” is going the way of the dinosaurs… thank goodness. Self-pubbed does NOT mean bad writing!
Patti
Thanks everyone!
Mari – CreateSpace is one of the providers that offers “indie” capabilities. You own your own ISBN, and found your own publisher when working through them. It makes many of the printing/distribution logistics easier though has some limits on font and design types it can print and distribution channels you can access. That said, it’s main channel is Amazon — a pretty darn good platform.
Dan – same answer. With CreateSpace you can either use their services or your own. It’s one of those “one stop shops” I was mentioned above that offers indie services if you want.
Vaughn – the fact that your friend’s one-stop-shopped book was wonderful just goes to show how arbitrary this criterion for stigma is!
Stacy – Yes on both accounts. You can buy an ISBN under whatever name you choose, “Stacy’s Press,” for example, and use that with any of the indie publishing providers. You can then buy a second ISBN under the same name and use it for you e-book. You simply assign names and book titles when registering the ISBN with the ISBN agency at the time you purchase the numbers.
And yes – you’ve gotta do things before uploading to CreateSpace (Amazon). Format the interior so pages will come out like book pages. Have the cover designed and sized. It’s best to hire a pro to do this.
Krystal and Lisa — I’ve also had agent contracts that didn’t lead to publishing deals. This is becoming increasingly common, too. Agent Rachel Gardner has blogged about it a bit.
:-)
I guess this is the good thing about being a few days behind. All my questions have been answered. Thanks for this post Sharon and all the feedback.
I think you are not correct lumping Lulu with iUniverse and Author House.
Lulu does offer helping services, but they are not pushed, and its production is altogether far cheaper.
I agree with M Clement Hall — I would lump Lulu in with Createspace, as outfits that offer DIY services first and foremost, whereas iUniverse and AuthorHouse are focused on selling their packages. The latter make money from authors buying their services (so for them, author = customer); the former make a cut of authors selling their books to customers. To me, that’s an important distinction.
To all you self-pubbers/indies-to-be: there’s really no need to go with the package deals or to pay a lot more, and you can make more money and get the same distribution with Lightning Source (if you provide the cover and interior). As readers of WU know, I’ve been delving into this for a while now, and have established my own publishing company. Which, by the way, is open to submissions.
What you may not know is that I offer the cover and book interior design services needed, conversion to ebook formats, assistance in getting an ISBN, editing, and all that stuff at, if I may say so, very reasonable rates. Yes, this is a plug.
The thing is, if you use services like mine and then do your POD paperback publishing through Lightning Source, you make more off of your book than with the package services, and can price it the way you want. You have total control, and their POD printing is excellent–it’s the stuff the big guys use. And you’re distributed to all the major Internet booksellers and in the Ingram database where bookstores go to order. I hope you’ll explore my article on cover design for web pages at ftqpress.com
I’m happy to answer questions, no charge. And I’m working on a free “how-to” book for self/indie publishers that I’ll offer as soon as I get it written.
Good luck with yours, Sharon.
Clement, Siri – Not sure I agree about Lulu. And they do offer packages. Maybe what sets them apart from iUniverse, AuthorHouse etc is they take a kind of low profile, and seem to be used more often than the competition by writers just looking to publish something “for fun.” So less of a stigma target. But yes, in some ways they are different.
Ray – I’m using Lightning Source. They’re great, except that their POD services do have a few things lacking — such as the grainier, more texture-rich cover-paper quality for paperbacks that seems to be in vogue among paperbacks by big houses. I couldn’t get that from them. Great to hear more about your publishing services too!