Is self-publishing now the best option for non-mainstream authors?

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I've been doing a lot of thinking about the climate of the publishing industry lately. And no, I'm not going to complain about it (despite having many complaints I could shell out), I'm actually going to say that it's getting pretty exciting ...

... for authors.

The stigma attached to authors who self-publish, I think, is on its way to the paper shredder. Take a look at this article for a shred of hope.

On a less upbeat note, but still positive if you look at the bigger picture, authors are now getting the courage to self-publish, and feel proud to say that they have, due to the fact that, financially, if you're not selling millions of books, you are better off. It really is becoming the way to go if you don't write commercial hits that the Big 6 (or 5) claim to be "new and fresh", when really, they are just like all the other books on the shelves because they know they will score the big bucks. Roz Morris talks about this on her blog. Excellent article, you really should read it.

And what about the small press? I love to support the small press. Without the small press I would never have had my debut novel published and I would never have had the confidence to self-publish the books that I have. I also have a contract with a small press now, to publish my second novel. And I will see that through, because even though I know that they will not really do anything more for me than I can do for myself, (well this actually remains to be seen, I might be surprised), I still want to stick with them because I adore them and want the small press to thrive.

But ...

... this is not in my best interests anymore, is it? I'm doing really well with my self-published titles. Why would I want to hand over a percentage of my revenue when I'm ultimately doing all the work? I don't really. But I still want to give this small press a go to see if they can go beyond what I can do publicity-wise.

But if it doesn't, I will proudly call myself a self-published author. Because it's in my best interests. Unless I get an agent, and score a 6-figure deal with Penguin, then I think self-publishing is the best option for us now. Don't you?

What do you think?

PS: My novella, THE BOOK, is now available on Kindle.

Vine Leaves Literary Journal Issue #05 is now live. Plus, we're open for submissions!

*excerpt from the Vine Leaves Newsletter.

It is said that January was named after the god Janus, the two-faced “spirit of opening” with the ability to look both backwards into the old year and forwards into the new at the same time.

How appropriate for Vine Leaves, as we remember our first year with fondness, and literally float into 2013 on a cloud of success. This experience – from our humble beginnings as a quarterly journal through to the publication of our first anthology – is almost surreal, and it is with much pride, and gratitude, that we launch our fifth issue.

And, oh, how ethereal it is.

Much like Vic Caswell’s “Seaweed” graphic vignette, the artistry in our January issue will entangle you in powerful prose, and pull you into its depths with artwork that explodes with vivid hues, abstract imagery and photographic precision. From Sean Enfield’s brilliant Poem Written in a Gas Station Bathroom and Derwood Morris’ clever Story of Derwood, through to the emotional pull of Misty Waters’ Gone, Gone, Gone, we invite you to get wrapped up in our fifth issue of Vine Leaves.

In the true spirit of opening, please turn the page (or click this link) ...

Submissions open!
Love Vine Leaves? Love to write? Perfect. Our submissions inbox for the April 2013 issue is now open! Send us your best snapshot in time -- poetry, prose, illustration, photograph or original artwork - for the opportunity to be published in our sixth issue, launching Friday, April 13th. How very lucky. Deadline for submissions is February 28, 2013. Remember, all published vignettes throughout 2013 will be considered for our annual "Best of" anthology.

VINE LEAVES IS HIRING!
Hurray! Our inboxes are overflowing with YOUR work. Poetry, prose, pictures and more - powerful vignettes that inspire us, excite us, and yeah, sometimes overwhelm us. Trust us, we're not complaining. But as the journal continues to grow, we recognize we can't do it all on our own, not while keeping our mandate of giving each submission the consideration it deserves. So, we're hiring.

Well, kind of. As you know, Vine Leaves is a labour of love and our work is volunteer. For us, it's more important that our contributors get paid (as minor as that is). But, quite frankly, what we don't take in cash reward, YOU give back in immeasurable riches - your support.

We're looking for a couple of passionate, dedicated and vignette-loving volunteer editors to help us navigate our impressive inbox. Interested? Great. We don't need a formal resume, but please e-mail your expression of interest along with a paragraph telling us WHY you want to join the Vine Leaves team and WHAT you think you could bring to the journal. We'll take it from there.

Deadline: February 28, 2013

Though I didn't win, I got a pleasant surprise!

Last year I entered my poetry collection, Twisted Velvet Chains, into the 20th Annual Writer's Digest Annual Self-Published Book Awards. If you know me well, you know that I'm quite against paying to submit things. But when it's something as prestigious as Writer's Digest, even I can sometimes be swayed.

When I hit that submit button though, I fretted. Big time. I thought I had set myself up for some major criticism. I thought that the conservative judges (well, that was an assumption on my part), wouldn't "get me". Oh how wrong I was!

I didn't win, but I received the judge's feedback today. Here's what it said:

Books were evaluated on a scale of 1 to 5. This scale is strictly to provide a point of reference, it is not a cumulative score and does not reflect ranking.

Structure and Organization: 4

Grammar: 5

Production Quality and Cover Design: 4

Plot (if applicable): N/A

Character Development (if applicable): N/A

What did you like best about this book?
Twisted Velvet Chains by Jessica Bell is a soul-wrenching collection successfully focusing on the mother-daughter angst in most such relationships, yet she goes deeper, because the relationship goes deeper, through childhood and teen and young adult scenarios.

Poems like "Gothic Neanderthal" and lines like: Grey netting hangs / from naked papery breasts, / dark purple tulle / fastened round her waist / black smudges / smeared 'cross her face. / patterned like lace / wet stringy hair / sticks / to her brow / her neck / wet cotton / sweat / toxic breath / menstruation blood / the onion soup we ate for lunch / I dry-wretch" // ... are potent, visceral.

This is a strong and well-represented collection. Kudos to Jessica Bell.

How can the author improve this book?
Very little raised red flags. I suppose the cover could have been a little bit sharper. The interior was well done. Overall, a very nice book.

Oh. My. Gosh. I am so thrilled! A "proper" judge liked my work. Now this is enough for me to gain confidence in my poetry again. Recently I've been thinking that I'm crap, as you most likely know, writers' emotions are frequently in flux.

Will I enter again this year? Yup. But this time I'm going to enter my new novella.

How do you feel about competitions like these? Worth it? Have you had any good/bad experiences with writing competitons? What impact did these experiences have on you?

The Artist Unleashed: WRITING TO FIT A PURPOSE, NOT A TREND, by Shevi Arnold

The Artist Unleashed posts have moved to a new domain. Please click HERE to read the rest of this post and for the opportunity to comment. Just search for the title of the post in the search bar on the new site.

GUESS WHAT?

I've got a new book coming out! Woop! The 155-page novella launches February 1. If there is anyone who would like to help me promote, please let me know, I'd be ever so grateful!

I'm not organizing any structured blog tour. Just going to go with the flow. I don't want to get stressed about it like I always do when a new book comes out. This time, to keep calm, it's going to be "no big deal".

Yeah ... right. :-)

Until Feb 1, you can add it to Goodreads!

I don't cook or bake much. But sometimes I do. And when I do, prepare to salivate.

I don't cook or bake much. In fact, if I do, I surprise myself so much that I look at my hands in awe and say "wow, you're kidding, right? You're making this?" Yup.

But while I was in Australia I made a gingerbread house for the family Christmas dinner, and it was so much fun! In all fairness, my sister made the dough this time, but I've made it myself before so I know that I can do it. Yeah right, you say? Seriously! I can make this. Aw, why don't you believe me???

Want pics? You got it ...

the dough

rolling the dough

cutting out the templates

using the templates to cut the dough

windows ...

enough pieces for two houses

the attics

starting to build using icing as cement

getting there ... (that's my sister :-)

Tada!

Have you ever made a gingerbread house? How long did it take you? This baby took me around NINE hours. Yup. And it was worth it. But no one at dinner wanted to be the one to break it apart! Guess who did it? My uncle, Jim. The cop :-)

Hope you all had a great Christmas and New Year! It's great to be back.

The Artist Unleashed: WHERE TO LINKIN PARK? by Angela Brown

The Artist Unleashed posts have moved to a new domain. Please click HERE to read the rest of this post and for the opportunity to comment. Just search for the title of the post in the search bar on the new site.