Shall we start from the beginning?
Well, it was about 9am and I'm was skimming through my blog reel, smoking a delightful cigarette and sipping at an even better cup of coffee. Well, I came across a blog post by Liana Brooks. [Click Here] I like to read her posts. They're not always the most objective posts, but her opinions are extremely entertaining. It was a response to one of Nathan Bransford's posts. [Click Here] This is where my day went from fan-fucking-tastic to well son of a motherfucking bitch. No, really. The change was that abrupt—adjectives included.
Go on and read the post about a self-published millionaire. I'll wait for you. Now, go ahead and do some research. Click the link to her site, read the reviews she's received from Good Reads, and no, no…don't close the website in utter disgust. Go back to her blog and read this post [Click Here], where she details her journey from zero to holy damn from start to finish.
Remarkable story, isn't it?
I mean, she took the initiative, flew the publishing world the bird and is an honest to God millionaire at the age of 26.
Now, we'll talk about the 'ick' quality of her novels later. Right now, I want to discuss what it is that has pissed me so royally the fuck off.
First of all, how the fuck did she accomplish this on her own?
I've been told over and over again that writers can't succeed in any real way without an agent holding their sweet little hand. The idea that she managed to do this without anyone's fucking help is un-fucking believable to me. She's managed to bypass the entire agent/publisher thing. She didn't have to fit her writing into anyone's box. She didn't have to write a fucking query, or a synopsis. She didn't have to let some editor, who thinks these "new age" writing rules are law, butcher her voice/ms. She wrote what the fuck she wanted and sold it.
There was no, you can't write that, people aren't going to approve of that, no editor is going to touch that, it has to have an HEA, your heroine has to be likable. [Apparently the consensus [via Good Reads] is that Alice is not terribly likable. Apparently she's another Mary Sue. But, since I've never read any of the novels and probably never will I can't comment on it.] Now, as far as the quality of novels, I'm assuming due to poor editing and really odd plot twists it can't be all that great. But, hell, who the fuck cares? Apparently, most readers don' t. Though, that's not terribly shocking. We've already had the whole 'not every E-Pub is created equal' conversation.
Realistically, I know that for every Amanda Hocking there's a boat load of failed self-published authors. I don't know what makes me angrier. The fact that she's so successful and her novels are apparently one step up from Twilight, or the fact that I'd actually let myself be tricked into thinking that self-published authors always fail. I'm starting to realize there are no absolutes and for the first time in my writing career I no longer think I give a flying fuck what anyone tells me as far as the dos or don'ts of writing. Now, don't get me wrong. This does not mean I think agents, editors, publishers, etc. are useless and I'll never listen to another piece of advice they float my way, but I guess, my whole 'an agent is the gatekeeper to success' image has been blown.
I don't think I care what they would think is sellable or acceptable anymore. Amanda tried to get published the traditional way first, and now she has editors, agents, publishers, a movie studio, kissing the ground she floats on. Ain't that a twisted bitch?
All this time I've been trying to fit myself in a box. I've been trying to make myself marketable by the publishing world's standards. Well, what a waste of time. Screw them. From now on, I'm going to write what I want to write. I guess, I always held onto this belief that if a traditional publisher/and some e-publishers won't buy it than it must not be worth reading. That idea is completely blown now, too. Over a million dollars' worth of readers is more powerful than any publisher. I gave the publishing world so much more power than they were really entitled to. Well, it's over. Their reign of creativity stifling terror is over.
Now this doesn't mean, editing and promoting is not a necessary part of the writing process. However, this does put some things in perspective. It's strange. It's like I can't figure out what I want to write first…Hmm?
I'm going to think on this some more.I might revise and add to this post when this has marinated a bit more.
