By Dana Kaye
I toyed with the idea of doing a holiday-themed post, but since my blog mates have that covered, I’d like to talk about self-publishing.
(hundreds of blog readers close the window)
Earlier this week, JA Konrath posted his annual New Year’s resolutions, one of which was to self-publish. He states:
The gatekeepers--agents who submit to editors who acquire books to publish and distribute to booksellers--are no longer needed to make a living as a fiction writer.
He goes on to stress the importance of professionalism and not publishing crap, but his statement about the gatekeepers really stood out in my mind.
Traditionally published books jump through a series of hoops. Usually, the writer does a few drafts and gives the manuscript to a few trusted readers before passing it along to their agent. The agent usually has some suggestions, corrections, etc. before passing it on to the editor. Then the editor and author go back and forth a few times before a final draft is completed. Then it goes to the copy editors to comb through the pages for typos, grammatical errors, etc. Dozens of eyes see this manuscript, and numerous people make edits and correct mistakes.
And yet, books are still published with errors.
I don’t view the gatekeepers as dark, evil beings that are there to prevent you from being published. I view them as filters, making sure that the product you’re putting out there is the best it can be. So often, we’re too close to our work that we can’t step back and see what the story or its characters need.
Self-publishing does indeed eliminate the gatekeepers and though most authors think it’s a good thing, I’m not so sure. Sometimes, manuscripts are rejected for a reason. Authors can be talented, but they’re never perfect. In fact, I believe that behind every talented writer is a talented editor, and if you take away that editor, you run the risk of the story not reaching its full potential.
My advice to authors: If you decide to go the self-publishing route, get a professional editor to read the manuscript. If you’re going to put your name on a book, don’t you want it to be the best book it can be?
