With a single glance, each of you could accurately determine
which of the nearly one hundred novels on my re-read shelf are my favorites,
simply by the amount of wear on their bindings. However, my shelf of paperback keepers
is little more than a testament to bygone days. To a time when physical books
were all we knew and a handful of publishing houses set the rules.
Those days are over. Epic changes have hit the book world since
the advent of digital formatting. Some of those changes were long overdue. Others,
I could live without. In the “Wow, that’s cool” column is the convenience of
the “one click” purchase. How sweet is it to no longer have to run out to the
book store in search of the perfect weekend read? And I have to tell you, travelling
is so much easier these days.
Instead of a dozen paperbacks hogging space in my luggage,
my trusty Kindle fits in the pocket of my purse. Along with many favorites, it’s
jammed full with books by unknown authors who’ve tempted me into giving them a
try via bargain basement sales. There are at least one hundred TBR titles on
that sucker that I haven’t had the time to read. Having such an extensive
selection, picked up at rock bottom prices—or for free—is another point for the
“Wow, that’s cool” column.
Or is it?
One of the biggest changes brought about by the digital
revolution is the explosion in self-publishing. As an author, I’m thrilled for the
many talented writers out there who can now bypass the time-consuming and
seemingly arbitrary submission process common to traditional publishing houses.
As for the avid reader in me, a million new books hitting the digital shelves
each week is a giddy reality.
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| Available at the bargain basement price (snicker) of $.99 |
All I’m saying is, like the title I deleted off my Kindle
last night after a single page—the impetus for this post—quite a few of the books
that hit the market each day should never see the light of a tablet screen. Seriously,
knowing how to use a computer keyboard doesn’t make you a storyteller. Which, I’m
thinking is a strong justification for the existence of seasoned acquisitions departments
in all those publishing houses who insisted on setting the rules for so long.
But who am I to toss ice water on someone else’s dream? If there
is a story inside you that needs to be told, by all means, go for it. Just,
please, understand there are some very important benefits to your manuscript spending
some quality time in the hands of a hard-nosed editor. Do yourself and the
reading public a favor. Find one.
Bottom line, whether you’re an old hand in this industry or a
wide-eyed newbie, choosing between seeking out a publisher or becoming your own
is a complicated decision filled with countless variables unique to each
situation. No matter which road you choose, there will be pitfalls.
(Ask me about the cover I recently received for the next and
final book in my Players series. No, wait. Don’t ask. I’ll start crying again.)
Because my publisher is awesome, they are rectifying the cover
situation, but that kind of cooperation isn’t always a reality when dealing
with a publishing house. On the other hand, going Indie and having to handle
absolutely everything, including formatting, marketing, and promotion, has its
drawbacks as well.
I’ve experienced both, and for complicated reasons, I’m
ramping up to jump back into the self-pub market with a fantasy romance series
I hope to release beginning this fall. I’ll be taking my own advice, of course.
There will be multiple editors involved before anything goes to print, because I
would hate knowing someone had tossed their Kindle at the wall because of me.
When Mac isn’t throwing
her Kindle at the wall, she spends her time weaving HEAs for her characters,
like the latest in her Players series, Wyatt and Piper from TO WIN HER SMILE,
now available for preorder via KensingtonBooks
