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When "self-published" becomes an insult
There was a thread on a website the other day about how a mainstream media outlet went out of its way to make clear that a book was self-published. "Do you think they meant that in a derogatory way?" they debated.
I can answer that: Yes.
Or if you want a longer answer: H*** yes.
I spent 25 years working in the media, so I can speak to the mindset of reporters. It breaks down by age group for the reporter.
Over 40: They're old enough to remember the piles of cheaply produced, rarely edited paperbacks that came from people who paid a vanity press to take their floppy disk and output it onto paper. A few were good but most were terrible and barely readable.
And unless these reporters have been paying attention to book publishing over the past 10 years, they aren't aware that an entire freelance army has emerged that can make any novel look and read just as well as anything published by the New York City giants.
Under 40: Journalists are an insecure bunch and it's only gotten worse during the past decade of never-ending layoffs, furloughs, and wage freezes. A good number of them are convinced they have The Great American Novel in their head, which they will write just as soon as they finish a 60-hour work week, analyze their web metrics, engage people on social media, and complete the list of house chores.
If they can make themselves feel better by knocking someone else down a peg, they're going to do it because it's cheaper than buying another bottle of wine.
You know what? Forget 'em. Or as the philosopher Taylor Swift once said: Haters gonna hate. Shake it off.
Don't let others define you. Define yourself. If you invest time in your research and craft and find talented people to edit and design your book, no one will know how your book was published ... or for that matter, care.
For another example, check out What Beyonce has to do with ebooks.
Amazon's review purge
Amazon is trying again to get ride of bogus reviews and, predictably, there are innocent casualties and authors are crying foul.
There's no way Amazon can verify all reviews, of course, so it relies on secret formulas to determine if authors "know" each other. Trying to clean up the mess is a good thing, but I'm not sure if it's possible to do it in a surgical fashion.
Friday Favorites
Sadye has put together a nice collection of stories related to wordplay. Check it out.
New features
We rolled out a number of improvements on Monday, including multi-genre promotions, reminder emails, Goodread links, and an improved audiobook listing. You can also check on future promotions (to remind yourself when they run) and email us if you need to change the blurb, price, etc.
First impression: You really like the multi-genre option!
It's nerve-wracking anytime a lot of things are changed at once, but so far the gremlins have been minimal and it's running fairly smoothly. We'll keep making adjustments as we learn more and appreciate your patience and understanding.
Up next ...
Fussy has been working hard this summer in her top secret lab and I think she's close to making a breakthrough. She now needs to get three companies working on the same page, but I'm confident we'll be able to start testing sometime in August.
I'll need a half-dozen volunteers, willing to spend up to $25 to do several marketing tests and help us optimize. (Don't fret. The final cost of the product / service will not be $25.) If you're interested and can keep a secret, send me an email.
Thanks for your support and have a great week!
Jeffrey
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