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Are we next going to tell tailors to grow their own cotton?

I’m a writer, not a publisher. And as a small business owner myself, I feel no less entrepreneurial because I realize what my business IS and what it isn’t.

I’m not as opposed to the self-publishing business as most authors seem to be. Entrepreneur’s daughter, and all that. Hey – why not do it yourself if you have the writing smarts and the business savvy to write a damn good book, put together a decent package (cover art, back cover blurb, endorsement quotes, etc.), handle all your printing and warehousing, set up your own distribution network, and roll out a smoking marketing plan that will get your books in front of your target audience?

I actually considered doing that before NY picked up my book. Problem is, doing the jobs of the publisher (which includes printing, packaging, warehousing, sales, distribution, publicity, and editing) as well as the writer — and the small business owner — is a VERY tough row to hoe. My hat is off, in a big way, to anyone willing to tackle that and make a real go of it. (Jana Oliver, I salute you!) For those people. Very narrow VERTICAL MARKET SEGMENTATION is key. Find your writing niche – it has to be a definable, accessible niche you can specifically exploit for a minimum of $$. Write to that niche. Build your reputation by excelling in that niche, then expand. That is the most proven small business recipe for success. The odds of writing a book, self publishing, then hitting the NY times with that self-published book (without ever selling the rights to NY) are about as likely as winning the Mega Jackpot lottery.

What I *am* vehemently opposed to outfits that massively overcharge writers, provide next to nothing from an editorial standpoint, and lure writers in with promises like “Be the star of your own booksigning” and “You too can be a Published Author and see your book on the shelves at bookstores across America!” (which most POD and self-pubs eventually learn is not going to happen). These outfits are snake oil salesmen.

I feel like everything PA does is to delude their clients. I am not a fan of commercial self-publishing, but I also see that there is a very good niche for it (say you’re publishing something for your community, family, special interest group, etc.) And I think there are far better (and cheaper) outfits to go to than PA for those needs (Lulu does an excellent product) and there are far too many PA authors who mistakenly think that their “publishing” contract is going to secure them spots in Barnes & Noble.

It’s interesting though, because most of what PA says seems geared toward convincing their authors that they’ve got it as good as it comes, and now to come out and say “well, you could be a Random House author…” is very interesting to me.

Off-topic, did you see Story Siren’s review of “Rampant” this morning? FANTASTIC and CONGRATS!