The Self Published and Local Cincinnati Authors
Book Fairs
Cincy Authors-The Mumwugs are doing the groundwork for promoting the self published- what are your thoughts?
For mainstream published authors, Cincinnati has Books By the Banks, and they believe that the rest of you author-peasants can be ignored - with one notable exception.
Among the four organizers, two are libraries, the third, my own alma mater and the fourth, Joseph Beth Bookstore, is, in fact, otherwise supportive of self-published or small press published, authors. One might say, even extremely supportive.
There are rules to be included:
- Not self-published
- Published in the past year
- Not a poetry book
If you met these criteria, you were good to go.
If you were like the majority of authors, yer out!
Is this fair?
Some recent data shows that the scale has tipped and more books were released last year from the self-published than otherwise.
So says:
"Thinking about self-publishing? You're not the only one! Publishers Weekly reports that there were more than 750,000 self-published/micro publisher titles in 2009--while the number of traditionally published titles slipped to just over 288,000 `(the story isn't specific but I assume these are just US figures)."
The larger market, the overwhelming majority, in fact, of new works is being ignored by the local sponsors.
Ah, they say, but the issue is one of quality.
Let's look at that. Who decides what is quality? Librarians accustomed to a particular method of acquiring books? The thirty-something New York and California girls (plus the odd fellow) who overwhelmingly populate the coastlines publishing industry?
When it comes right down to it, the customer at the check-out with the open wallet is the only vote that matters.
And why exclude poetry?
Poetry has been the cornerstone of our literature. Beginning with Homer, skip to Beowulf, and moving through Chanson de Roland, the Mabalogian, the Decameron, the Canterbury Tales, right up through the modern, amusing limericks of Isaac Asimov and John Chiari with too many fine poets in between to list, excluding poetry is anathema to any literate person.
Why exclude books not published in the last year?
With the typically small budgets of the self-published, there is no marketing department to arrange for distribution and marketing. And furthermore, if your organization establishes a small incorporated press to facilitate the publishing process, the large distribution houses shut you out with a requirement of a "stable" of ten published books. That takes money.
And it's time consuming.
AND, it means that your one year window is impossible.
And this is the biggest distress of the self-published, who incidentally, are not marketers, but writers. They are working on their next book already and simply can't cope with complicated marketing and distribution issues. After all, the Big Houses in New York have taken decades to establish and have departments invested with millions of dollars in staff salaries just to deal with such things.
The individual can't hope to compete.
But. the tide is turning. Let the buyer decide who they choose to read, and not some elitist young women with fortunate coastline geography. With all the electronic sources available to everyone, what the Big Houses do is becoming passe. And their bottom lines show it.
If you are self published, tell us what you think.
Have An Opinion About This Topic?
As a self-published author, what do you think?
What Other Visitors Have Said
Click below to see contributions from other visitors to this page...
Let books at the bank have their own show and let's mumwugs have ours.
Not rated yet
I think we could find a place where there is some traffic of book buyers where our writer's group could have a sale near christmas. I think the art museum ...
A Possible Rationale
Not rated yet
Thank you for the opportunity to comment, but let me give you a point of view that is likely not consistent with where you want this to be heading. I ...
Book(s) By the Banks
Not rated yet
Books By the Banks, the bazaar of books held annually in Cincinnati, is missing a great opportunity by excluding authors of self-published books from the ...
Copyright © 2007-2011. Monday Morning Writers Group and Wordsmith Enterprises, LLC, All rights reserved
Who Else Wants To Retire Early And Live in Your RV?!
This AARP Article Shows You How...
