--- In
rara-avis-l@yahoogroups.com, "mburch5717"
<mburch5717@...> wrote:
>
> I've always had an immense amount of respect for the
authors who
> produce the work we love to read -- particularly the
writers who have
> never broken out but keep going back and writing
wonderful stuff year
> after year. You really have to admire the dedication
and work involved.
I published some detective novels back in the 80s and 90s,
and have published mystery and non-mystery short fiction in
magazines and on line for 25 years. The book sales were
barely marginal and since the last contract ran out I have
had, despite a lot of effort, zero success in publication. In
the eyes of agents and publishers, having published and not
sold well is clearly much more fatal to a "career" than
having never published at all.
I keep on writing, though, because I have to. Beyond that,
I've had to re-think what I really want out of this. And what
I want -- the last element of this weird equation -- is
simply to have the work 'out there' and available. Which is
why I decided, with the latest Perkins book, to skip
'traditional' channels altogether and put the thing out via
POD -- which establishment authors, publishers, and agents
often contemptuously refer to as 'vanity press.'
So far, it's been fun. I've had complete control (something I
never had going the traditional route); it's selling via
Amazon, Booklocker, and even via some independent book
stores; to my pleasant surprise it's already broken even; and
(most important) the fans seem pleased.
Just my .02. YMMV.
Rob Kantner www.robkantner.com
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : 22 Jan 2008 EST