Oh the so called stigma that comes with being a Self-Published Author has been an interesting or shall I say an eye opening awareness. The change in peoples faces when they find my books are self published depends on who they are and how they really approach life. You have two camps in this department: those who smile with great excitement and want to hear the story about how it was written and what it takes to write a novel and those who grin with a questionable eye and a quick comment, “Oh so you’re not really published.”
They both come with challenging answers but invites new followers to my writing. How could the latter bring in new followers? It is all in the delivery…. :)
I answer their statement with a question, “Why do you say this?” (I often know what the answer will be so really I am bating them at this point) and the answer, “Because anyone can self publish but not everyone is published.”
I have a quick retort, “Define published for me?” At this point the answer is often the same; one who is paid for their work to be published not one who pays to have it published is a published author.
My answer, “Says who?”
Now often a questionable brow comes across their stumped expression because they are really just going by what the press is pushing or what they have heard from a journalistic article in a magazine UNLESS I am speaking with someone in the writing world (this debate goes in a different direction).
I draw them in by answering in this matter, “The definition of published work is to issue in print, a written or graphical work for sale to the public for consumption. The definition does not define by whom or how but rather it is for sale.” Ahh the expression changes now back to a smile and they answer with, “I didn’t know that, I just thought it was always this way.” I have them now and show them my work. The smile of a new fan!
They are correct though, it is this way because of those spinning the tale with their words to define who is allowed to be a member and who is not welcomed. :) The SFWA is a fine example of the haves and have not’s….
One of my best friends is an artist (in fact, he has done both of my book covers and we are working on several projects together) and is a freelancer with his work. He picks up jobs here and there and he laughs at the have and have not attitude in the writing world. He tells me in the graphical / artistic world there are no have / have not’s, everyone who draws is considered an artist. He has worked with many big names in the art community and not one of them asked if he has been published or require he is published before working with him. All they ask is for his work. They assess his ability by his provided work and not the awards, articles written about him, how he has gone about making his work available or question is technique. It is solely on his provided work.
I have another good friend who has his own gaming studio where he writes his own video games available for download on various platforms. His studio is his own creation and he does this from his house in hopes some day that his company takes off by his games becoming bigger and better. In his community of game programmers, there are no have / have not’s. It is solely based on your work provided. Does your game grab the interest of those playing it! Yes, another world where it is about your work and not how you go about providing it for consumption.
Yet here I sit as a writer who is working his third novel and writing in various other areas but considered “not published” because it is not in the “traditional” standards. Again I question the word traditional because really what is traditional? If we say traditional is the mainstream of how work is being pushed for sale these past eighty years are so I would argue this way to be mislabeled. Since we are talking about a process of the written word, eighty years does not make tradition for the written word has been around for a long time. Tradition is the ability to make your work available in print for anyone to read not how but the ability to make it available. The past eighty years I say it has become more “mandated” so for me there is published and mandated published.
The mandate is driven by --> $$$. Shocking I know! But even as an Independent Writer I drive for my work to bring in the mighty $$$ to help offset the costs of publishing and marketing plus fill the coffers so I may buy a coffee somewhere or more pudding. Pudding is delicious and just saying the word makes you smile.
I guess really the juxtapose will remain for now and many doors will be shut due to my direction BUT it does not knock the fact I love writing and love the many conversations I have with the writing community. They are a fickle group these writers and they challenge me to write more for those listening. My goals for this upcoming year will “bridge the gap” or bring a “positive eye” to all writing directions, styles and methods.
My friends shake their heads at the notion of a hierarchy and wonder what would happen in their communities if a Stigma like this attached itself to their world. Each one of these communities welcomes the independents and searches these areas as a great place to find a wealth of great work NOT a place of STIGMA. How much innovation or beautiful artwork would be missed?
Happy writing……(now where is the pudding!)
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