ASSHATS GALORE!
You know, I sat down and engaged the Internet, looking for ideas for marketing self-published books. I found a lot of fantastic advice and ideas. CreateSpace has a great community where one can also find a great deal of information.
I also found a bunch of asshats talking about how self-published authors are lazy. Too lazy to lay the groundwork to query publishers or agents. Well, asshats, I did query. I got rejected. Then I got depressed and put my book, Someday Always Comes, on the shelf. I thought, well it’s not good enough. I was correct. It wasn’t good enough for publication. Period.
Over a period of nearly a decade, I reworked the story. Cleaned up Tense, and corrected grammar. I worked hard. And the day I decided that I would self-publish my book, I made a dedicated choice to work even harder. For eight months, I edited non-stop, losing sleep, pissing off friends and family, losing friends and pets. I went without food. Without sleep. I was grouchy. Pissy. Happy. Sad. Angry. Impatient. Everything got on my nerves, especially my day job.
Here’s the thing, I worked doubly, triply hard. I worked harder than any author with a highly-paid editor. So go piss off you bunch of lazy morons who need editors and agents to publish your first…and every book. Who’s lazy now?
So, next I have to market. I didn’t really market before I published. I spread the word through Facebook, Twitter, the place where I work. Word of mouth works better than I thought! Anyway, even though I already planned on doing book signings, etc. I decided to study one marketing outlet at a time and did research today on online marketing. I started only with CreateSpace’s community, and that research led me all over the Web to writer and author outlets and resources I never knew existed. Wow!
I began my search around 10:30am and ended it at about 4:30pm. Geeze, I wonder if the asshats with agents and editors would’ve taken the time to do all that? Probably not, since the publisher, agent and editor take care of all that marketing and publicity shit.
Now, don’t get me wrong. Hellz yeah, if an agent or editor of a publishing house was interested in me, I might jump on that bandwagon. Especially if they wanted Someday Always Comes. Why? I’m so proud of that work, and even with mistakes (more than likely) still embedded within its pages, I love it more than I love myself. And trust me, that’s a lot of love.
What is this blog about, you ask? Who the hell knows? I just wanted to say something back to the asshats who say that those who self-publish are lazy. No, when you have everyone else doing your work for you…That’s slothful.
I am an artist. I will create. I will fix. I will outwork the asshats and be proud.
WANDA S. PARYLA 
Anyone who thinks self-publishing authors are lazy has no idea what is involved. I haven’t done it myself, but I have friends who have, and they worked their butts off marketing, wearing out shoes visiting bookstores trying to get sales and organising their own book signings etc.
On the other hand, I’m lazy and I’m going with an editor (who I will admit makes me work) and hopefully a publisher.
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Hi Lyn! I agree completely. I know several self-published authors, and most of them have worked very hard, especially those who could not afford the aid of an editor. I think all self-published authors should edit, & edit, & re-edit, one of their own books just to humble themselves. And many of them do.
Regardless, once an author…usually secretary or retail worker by day (LOL!) enlists the aid of an illustrator &/or editor, they can’t afford to do anything else and are forced to hit the streets and the web on their own to sell books. There’s no more money for marketing or publicity help. I think I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Look on the web, there are some big-time authors who never, ever communicate with their readers on their own. They have “people” do it for them. They don’t even do it 50% of the time. I like authors like Yasmine Galenorn & Anne Rice who like to interact with their readers. I want to be that kind of author.
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I definitely relate to this. I copiously queried (I lost track around 25 or 30) and even received a few partial manuscript requests from agents who ultimately told me that there was nothing wrong with my book–They even liked it!–but it just wasn’t for them at that particular time.
I also made the decision to self-publish because I wanted to make people happy with my books. And let me tell you, anyone who says that self-publishing is lazy has obviously never done it! I am copy editor, marketing team, agent, and author (just to name a few) all rolled up into one. I am still learning all the roles but I highly respect anyone who goes the self-publishing route, takes on the work, and puts themselves out there.
I wish you luck with your writing!
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Thanks for replying, Olivia! Definitely, the self-publishing route is an exhausting one. When I was finally finished, I felt really good. Relieved. Proud of what I accomplished.
I’ll never say never to the traditional route though, since, indeed, if I were lucky enough for a publisher to pick up Someday Always Comes, I can say that I totally earned the respect.
Thanks for the luck, I’m going to need it.
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