• About Us
    • Disclaimer and Policies
  • Giveaways
  • Features
    • Pre-Order Deal Incentives!
    • Author Talk Podcasts
    • Flashback Friday
    • Whadda YA Know Wednesday

Fiction Fare

  • Banners
  • Reviews
  • Contact Us

Spotlight Sunday – January 26, 2014

January 26, 2014 by Jaime Leave a Comment

Spotlight Sunday on Swoony Boys Podcast and Fiction Fare

When the four of us are together, in person or via the magic of the internet, the conversations almost always come back to books. We love them. We love the people who write them, the people who publish them, and the people who read them. In fact, we have so many feelings about books that we wanted to find a way to share our conversations with you! This is the fourth week of our new feature, hosted by Fiction Fare (Erin & Jaime) and Swoony Boys Podcast (Kassiah & Meg). Spotlight Sundayis about ALL things bookish. Each week we’ll post a topic, we’ll start the conversation by telling you some of our thoughts, and then it will be your turn to sound off in the comment section.



Have a topic you’d like to discuss on Spotlight Sunday? Fill out the form here.

Self-publishing. Love it? Hate it? Why??

Jaime: I just had this conversation with some friends and I honestly have mixed feelings AS A READER about self-publishing. I’ve been burned way too many times when it comes to self pubs. That isn’t to say that there aren’t some absolutely amazing stories out there, but I used to pick up about 50% more self-pubbed books a year ago, than I do now. My major complaint I would have to say is editing and content. And maybe this has gotten better but it seemed like everyone wanted to be an author and do it as quickly as possible. There is a reason that publishing a book is a process. As a reader I despise when grammar and spelling issues take me out of a story.

That said, I absolutely see the value of self-publishing for an author and I don’t think badly about it in a snotty way because a book isn’t put out by one of the big publishing houses. I have found a handful of authors that I can trust that have put the work into self-publishing their books with editors, beta readers and content readers and I will absolutely read them, but i’m definitely leery about picking up new authors unless they come highly recommended and even then I’m very skeptical. Unfortunately I think self-publishing earned its rep and now has to try and change that perception.

Erin: I am ambivalent toward self publishing. As Jaime points out, I have read some stuff that makes me cringe but honestly if I find a story that sounds interesting and I want to read it, if it is self published that won’t make me not read it. There definitely is some great stuff out there that didn’t go through a major publishing house you just have to dig a bit more through the rest of the bad stuff sometimes to find it.  

Kassiah: Things are definitely different than they were ten (or even five years ago) in the publishing industry. Self-publishing is definitely the wave of the future and, depending on the popularity of the book, could mean a “real” publishing contract for many authors that wouldn’t otherwise get the opportunity (not that they need one, but I feel like lots of self-pubs seem pretty excited when their books get picked up by a big publisher). And therein lies the problem to me.

Don’t get me wrong–I love many self-published books. I am happy to read and help market them, and in lots of cases I think authors would be better off self-publishing rather than going with a traditional publisher. Authors’ first priority should always be good content, and I think, with our fandom roots, that the four of us might see things a little differently from the rest of the publishing world. o.O We know that having a good editor who will kick our asses and polish our work into the best possible product can make all the difference in the reader experience, and that having pre-readers who will point out inconsistencies and plot holes are far more important than having someone suck up and say “OMG SO AMAZING!!!” If more self-published authors tried to get real, professional editors and people like us to pre-read, the literary world would be a better place. Obviously, marketing is the key to their successes and so many authors pay for a pretty cover and don’t bother too much with fixing the content.

Or worse. They pay an editor who they think is competent and trust to do their jobs and are hoodwinked. It makes me literally (in the Bri-sense of the word) sick. I want to have a page that lists editors that have failed at their jobs, but I don’t think Meg will allow it. hahahahahahahahaha

Of course, there are exceptions. Exceptions being the operative word here.

Back to my point. Larger publishing houses are snapping up a lot of self-published works and publishing them, without investing in having editors edit. Why should they? It was already popular. So, as much as I love self-publishing, I am afraid that the quality of the written word in general is going to hell in a handbasket because of lack of editing. I don’t know what could solve the problem, though.

Meg: Oh, man. I want to love self-published books. I really do. But I think I’ve been burned one too many times. For every amazing one I find, I read at least five that I can’t finish. (That’s saying something, because I almost always finish a book.)

I agree with all of you that the number one issue at play is the editing. There are some amazing cover, plots, and even writers, but it’s just not executed well. When I’m reading I want to be completely immersed in the world. I want to live there for all the pages of the book. When the grammar and editing are off, then I’m sucked out of the story. There is nothing worse.

The worst part of this whole thing is that I want to support all debut and up and coming authors. But it makes it hard when you feel like you can’t trust anything self-published because of a stigma that has a lot of evidence to back it up.

Jaime: I can totally sympathize Meg. When I first started blogging I was all “hell yeah, I’ll read anything an author asks me.” *crickets* Since then, my thoughts on this have changed drastically. Admittedly, I think I have higher expectations than some other readers, but one thing I can’t overlook is someone who doesn’t put any effort into their product, and unfortunately there are way too many cases of this.

Meg: I agree with that. I think that self-publishing draws in two very different types of writers. The ones who for some reason keep being looked over because what they have isn’t currently “in” or maybe too much like something else… or a dozen other things. They have taken pride in their work, cleaned it, made it ready to publish but just can’t seem to catch a break.Those books are the self-published titles that we’ve ended up loving and then immediately saying, “WHY HASN’T A BIG HOUSE PICKED THIS ONE UP??!”

Then there’s the other type. This is the type that thinks they are like the above authors, but don’t put any work into it. Maybe they think that writing is easy, that anyone could do it, or something similar. They submit a couple of times and nothing happens so they take matters into their own hands and publish it themselves. These are the stories that have the mistakes that make it unreadable to us, the ones that needed an editor and several rounds of work. (Let’s be honest even the best of the best go through lots of versions. Do we think that Harry Potter was published exactly like JK wrote it the first time? No. And she’s a freaking genius.)

You’re right, Jaime. It all comes down to effort.

Kassiah: Is there a happy medium, though? What can authors do to be sure that the product is the best they can do? There are at least a few very popular books that were edited by editors who worked for big publishing houses and they. are. terrible. Not the idea for the story, but the editing–both content and grammar. I think they think it’s fine because an “expert” put on a stamp of approval.

Also, what makes ya’ll pick up a book that you know was self-published? Is it only the ones from authors you know and possibly recs from friends you trust?

Erin: I have become more jaded toward self-published but if the story sounds good, the reviews look positive, and someone I know has good things to say about something, I will check it out. It’s unfortunate that there is a stigma attached to this type of published book but I suppose that is how it is.  

Now that you’ve read some of our thoughts, let us know what you’re thinking in the comments below! We’ll be back next week with a brand new topic and lots more to talk about.

Related Posts

  • Related Posts
Fiction Fare
Spotlight Sunday – Our New Discussion Feature!
Fiction Fare
Spotlight Sunday – What Happens When There Is MAJOR Disagreement Over Books?
Fiction Fare
Spotlight Sunday: Why We Blog!
Fiction Fare
Spotlight Sunday: We’re Talking About Word No-Nos
Fiction Fare
Spotlight Sunday! We Talk Cover Love!

Filed Under: Spotlight Sunday

About Jaime

Avid reader and book blogger, lover of music, writing, my kid & my cats. Master of sarcasm and snark and doing what makes me happy.

  • facebook
  • twitter
  • pinterest
  • bloglovin
  • custom1
  • goodreads
  • rss
  • custom2

Get Our Updates!

Enter your email address:

Delivered by FeedBurner

E-Book Deals!

E-Book Deals!


Author Talk

 photo author-talk_zpscsw6iy8a.png

Archives

What We’re Currently Reading

Jaime's bookshelf: currently-reading

The Trouble with Destiny
0 of 5 stars
The Trouble with Destiny
by Lauren Morrill
The Beginning of Everything
0 of 5 stars
The Beginning of Everything
by Robyn Schneider
Forget Tomorrow
0 of 5 stars
Forget Tomorrow
by Pintip Dunn

goodreads.com

Erin's bookshelf: currently-reading

Endure
0 of 5 stars
Endure
by Sara B. Larson
The Unquiet
0 of 5 stars
The Unquiet
by Mikaela Everett
Twist
0 of 5 stars
Twist
by Karen Akins

goodreads.com

Upcoming Reviews

None yet!

Ebates Coupons and Cash Back

Challenge Participant

Recent Comments

  • Lisa Loves Lit on Waiting on Wednesday: The Queens of Innis Lear By Tessa Gratton
  • bookbunny68 on Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Have Been On My TBR the Longest and I Still Haven’t Read
  • Kristy Petree on Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Have Been On My TBR the Longest and I Still Haven’t Read
  • MischaS_ on Cover Reveal: Beyond Pain by Kit Rocha
  • Maggie @ ReadingDiva's Blog on Blog Tour: Tempests & Slaughter by Tamora Pierce

Recent Posts

  • People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
  • Flashback Friday: Blood and Sand by C.V. Wyk
  • Our Top Ten Most Anticipated Books to Screen Podcast Episode
  • Flashback Friday: The Highwayman (Victorian Rebels #1) by Kerrigan Byrne
  • Podcast Episode 81: #FicNews–March 2021

Recent Reviews

People We Meet on Vacation by Emily Henry
The Heiress Gets a Duke by Harper St. George
Crown of Bones (Amassia #1) by A.K. Wilder
Courting Trouble (Goode Girls Romance #2) by Kerrigan Byrne
Eventide by Sarah Goodman
All Scot and Bothered (Devil You Know #2) by Kerrigan Byrne
Deadly Curious by Cindy Anstey
Review: Rebel Spy by Veronica Rossi
The Court of Miracles by Kester Grant
A Dark and Stormy Knight (Victorian Rebels #7) by Kerrigan Byrne

Copyright ©2010-2015 Fiction Fare All Rights Reserved Site Design by The CreativeB Login