Friday, May 18, 2012

Indie Authors are on the Wrong Side of the Tracks

Guest post by Darian Wilk
Author of Love Unfinished and Reinventing Claire (coming August 2012)

Who here has read the book or seen the movie The Outsiders? It's a classic story that can ring true with any generation – the kids on the wrong side of the tracks, the kids on the right side of the tracks, and the rift between them. While writers are typically a jolly bunch willing to help each other out, often times you can sense the same tension, the same rift between Indie authors and traditionally published authors. Indies live on the wrong side of the tracks, traditionals live in a gated community. 

I'm privileged enough to know many fine authors who are wonderful people. It's a muddled mix of Indies and traditional authors alike, coming together to share the wacky journey of writing together. We know the others children by name, what WIP's each other is working on – we're friends. But even in this blended, tight group of friends it's there – the rift. It's whispered about with the others, the ones living on the same side of the tracks as you. Traditionally published authors calling themselves real authors in front of the Indies, Indies gritting their teeth in seething silence. My friend with the agent, publisher, editor, and publicist proudly lives on the right side of the tracks – I'm in the ghetto.

Sometimes you can feel the rift rumbling, almost growing into an all-out 'virtual' protest; but both sides have valid points. Traditionally published authors have a sense of pride, a sense of accomplishment, that they have earned the title of real author – because they have queried until they were blue in the face, wallpapered their family room in rejection letters, kept on writing, and then one day got 'the call' that someone wanted their book. They've earned their title – real author. They dredged through the slush piles and came out with a book deal. They sit proudly in the lush, gated community of traditional publishing.

Indies too have shared the same journey. Most, if you ask, have spent years querying, wallpapered their living room with rejections, kept on writing, but they decided sitting around for 'the call' wasn't the right path for them. Now, some could say they never got 'the call' because their work isn't worthy of publication; but that's an entire post on its own. So the writer, after years of querying, decides to go Indie. They don't see it, but they have just moved themselves into the ghetto. They've evicted themselves from the gated community, and moved to east LA. Instead of having a team of editors, a publicist, and a sure ticket to seeing their book on an actual bookstore shelf – they stand on their own. They put in many, many hours of work just to understand how to publish, let alone actually doing it. They've earned their title – real author. They sit proudly in the grungy, graffiti filled neighborhood.

They both put in the work, the hours, the heart, the dedication – yet there it is, the tracks between us. Indies and traditionals, us and them.  I'm living in the ghetto, surrounded by frantic writers scrambling for reviews, and banging their heads on the walls trying to format an ebook – and I kind of like it here. I see my friend over there, on the other side of the tracks, on her perfectly manicured lawn in the gated community of traditionally published authors – I nod and wave.  She smiles back, texts me, and we agree to meet for coffee and complain about promotions. She's a real author, I'm an Indie. We're friends and have a rift. It's like high school all over again.

But this is how I see it...so many people, Indies and traditionals, are so busy screaming about their author status we've forgotten the thing that made us love books. The thing that made us want to be an author to begin with...great stories. When I immersed myself in books growing up and well into adulthood, I didn't care about what the copyright page said; that was the boring page! A friend of mine that can almost recite her favorite book by heart, she can't tell you who the publisher is, she's never looked at the copyright page. It's the content, the story that matters to her. Indies and traditionals, my side your side...if my book is as strong as theirs, aren't we both real authors? If the content can stand on its own, does it matter what the copyright page says? Our journey here was much the same, and in the end we both have the same struggle – trying to get people to read our books. At the start of the day our to-do lists look the same, at the end of the day our worries are the same – are we really on different sides of the tracks, or walking down the tracks together?

About the author:
Darian is a women's fiction writer, avid book reader, mom to two amazing kids, and wife to one awesome husband. Her passion for writing started at an early age, which led her to being published in three poetry anthologies as a teenager. In 2009, she took on writing full-time and her first novel, Love Unfinished, was released in 2011. Her second novel, Reinventing Claire, is set to be released in August 2012. 

Find out more about Darian, connect with her on Twitter and Facebook, and check out the trailer for Love Unfinished.

Darian is also a regular reviewer for Krazy Book Lady!

20 comments:

  1. Thoughtful analogy of the tension I also sense. Thanks for this.

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    1. You're quiet welcome. I think it's something many Indies and Traditionals sense - but falls under the 'don't air your dirty laundry' scope. But sometimes I think, if we aired it, maybe it would ease the tension a little?

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  2. I like the analogy too. Living on the wrong side of the tracks may seem unattractive to some. It may seem more difficult, more dangerous. But there are also less rules and more freedom. When you live in the gated community, gatekeepers are always present trying to maintain the status quo. As for me, I don't like anyone telling me what to do, so I guess I'd rather live on the wrong side of the tracks even if it tarnishes my reputation.

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    1. Exactly Deb. I'm a bit of a control freak, I like to be in charge of my own life, so going Indie is a better fit. For me success comes from entertaining readers, and I can achieve that as an Indie.

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  3. This is a beautifully written description of what I, and many others, also feel! We love to support each other, but there is also a growing divide between the two (perhaps more) types of publication.

    Thanks so much for this lovely column!

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    1. Thank you Alison, I'm so glad your enjoyed reading my piece and could connect with it. I think its so true that writers are quick to help the other, but at the days end we go home to our own side of the tracks - and that always lingers between us.

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  4. That last bit of the true heart of it--it's about the content, what's inside the book. Thanks for this--I needed to hear it this week (on the indie side of the tracks). There shouldn't be a rift between us-hopefully everyone can take a few steps to work together and help one another out. Thanks for the inspiring post!

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    1. You're so welcome! I truly believe that's what we should focus on, the heart of it all - content. That we should be celebrating together for producing content readers enjoy, not scanning the copyright page to see who published it. Perhaps one day we will get there.

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  5. Great post! and to a reader, story trumps all!

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  6. I love this post! As a reader, I couldn't care less how a book got published. As long as the story is good, the writing is good and it's put well put together- I just want to read it! :)

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    1. Thank you Nicola! And I'm right with you there, for me the joy of reading comes from a good story, not who published it.

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  7. Nicely said! I keep trying to advocate for 'this decision is personal'. I think it depends on genre A LOT (I happen to write some mystery, which is an easier one to traditionally sell--romance, likewise, is pretty easy, traditionally, if you are willing to follow formula) but those genre-benders? The mainstream ones that will find an AUDIENCE but not the front row? There are times it is just SMART to self-publish because the market is skittish of certain things. Then there is the personality/goal thing. I don't consider myself careful enough to be responsible for my final product. if I don't want to put out crap, I really need the team to help me finish it... until I'm making some money at this, I can't afford to HIRE that team, so I am trying to WIN the team. But yeah... it's slow. A more detailed oriented person can sure make a lot more money self publishing.

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    1. You have many good points, Hart. There are a lot of variables if going Indie really is the best decision - and for some, it's not. It's a choice that shouldn't be made lightly, as I'm afraid many writers have made since epublishing became so easy. Which, I think, is one of the reasons self-publishing continues to have a somewhat tarnished name.

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  8. Wonderful post. Who ever writes a book and how it is published does not matter to me. I will admit to having a few favorite authors in traditional publishing but I mainly read only indie authors. It is from these authors that I have found a world of wonderful books. I honestly rather read/work with an indie author than a traditional published author. Why? It is because the indie author care's more about quality than quantity. Indie authors have several jobs and just want to be able to share their gift whereas a traditional published author (or one that has been published for several years) seems like they just keep writing because that is all they know how to do. They forget the quality in there writing after years and years of books. For me I will stick with Indie authors. They are the best.

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    1. Wonderfully said, Bunny's! I too have a few favorite traditional authors, and will snatch their books up in a heartbeat. But it's a fabulous point you made about some of the benefits of working with Indie authors. I know from working with the Indies I have for reviews, this is their business, and they want every part of it to be as perfect as possible. While the traditionals have been a bit more, well as you said, more concerned about just getting back to writing.

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  9. I agree with everyone and this is a great post. I am going to share it with my writing community on G+ thank you for sharing Tami! and Darian!

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    1. You're so welcome, Kriss, and thank you for sharing the post. I appreciate every share I get, thank you!

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  10. Nice post! I think the divide is less than it used to be what with so many traditional authors stepping across the tracks either with their backlist or books that they loved that never sold the traditional route. Yes, for some that divide will always be there--they've earned their spot! And they should be proud. Being on both sides of the fence can definitely help sales.

    I don't notice it as much as I used to, but it is true that I choose to turn a blind eye to it. It does me no good to notice the whispers. Some people reach out a helping hand; others focus on the differences.

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  11. There are some "very vocal" people on both sides. But the reality is that nowadays many indies are out earning their traditional counterparts and that is going to make more traditional authors jump the fence to self-publishing.

    I see a future where there are a greater percentage of "mixed-marriages" authors who have both traditional and self-published works and in such an environment the tracks won't seem like a great divide.

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  12. Fantastic-and I agree completely. Write good books. End of story :) Nice post!

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