It hink one of the things I find a bit...disgruntling with vanity presses is the fact that you can publish without the rejection. However, it is replaced with the need to personally push your book into the public's hands, which, for some, I can see as being better than rejection from a larger publishing house. Rejection vs. self-promotion? I'm sure the majority will find the latter less ego damaging...
Self-promotion isn't hard, it's simply time consumming. And you *really* have to believe in what you have. If you don't, it's going to show, or, you're basically going to be selling snake oil to the masses. Most people don't have that kind of patience. It can take up to 5 years for a writer to see some sort of visible resutls with a vanity press book, and I know most authors would rather be working on the next "Great (insert personal country here) Novel" than to spend the better half of 5 years promoting the one you currently have out. I feel there's no sense in writing a sequel if there's been no obvious interest in the first one written. Work on getting people to like the first one first, then look at a second. Noodle around and write notes, but wait and see what the real response will be...Unless you're willing to pay someone to go out and promotoe your book for you.
I think you're right, however. I've read alot of well acclaimed drivel that I found barely mediocre, but has been ranted about endlessly by tons of reviewers. I often wonder if it's just me. But I think you are correct in saying it's all in how you get it into people's hands that makes all the difference. A person can write a Dick & Jane book and have the public go nuts over it if you promote it right, while those who actually have an authetic classic up and coming but can't really promote well, might be killed in the onslaught.
Marketing is boring work, to say the least. It's alot of time spent with little return in the way of gratification. Especially in a market, such as fiction, which is already oversaturated to begin with.
Makes me consider writing a bunch of bodice busters and then write the "real" stuff. LOL!
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Date: 2006-05-03 05:32 pm (UTC)Self-promotion isn't hard, it's simply time consumming. And you *really* have to believe in what you have. If you don't, it's going to show, or, you're basically going to be selling snake oil to the masses. Most people don't have that kind of patience. It can take up to 5 years for a writer to see some sort of visible resutls with a vanity press book, and I know most authors would rather be working on the next "Great (insert personal country here) Novel" than to spend the better half of 5 years promoting the one you currently have out. I feel there's no sense in writing a sequel if there's been no obvious interest in the first one written. Work on getting people to like the first one first, then look at a second. Noodle around and write notes, but wait and see what the real response will be...Unless you're willing to pay someone to go out and promotoe your book for you.
I think you're right, however. I've read alot of well acclaimed drivel that I found barely mediocre, but has been ranted about endlessly by tons of reviewers. I often wonder if it's just me. But I think you are correct in saying it's all in how you get it into people's hands that makes all the difference. A person can write a Dick & Jane book and have the public go nuts over it if you promote it right, while those who actually have an authetic classic up and coming but can't really promote well, might be killed in the onslaught.
Marketing is boring work, to say the least. It's alot of time spent with little return in the way of gratification. Especially in a market, such as fiction, which is already oversaturated to begin with.
Makes me consider writing a bunch of bodice busters and then write the "real" stuff. LOL!