The Publishing Gatekeepers

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When it comes to the publishing gatekeepers, there’s an increasingly public airing of dirty laundry and of grievances between indie authors/self-publishers, the big traditional publishers, and everyone in between.  Here’s a good example of the silly paranoia that’s broken out recently over this topic, having to do with Amazon and Hachette.  JA Konrath addresses this, and once again, pretty much destroys how silly the legacy folks’ attempts at saving their futures are.

What does it come down to?

Many of the big name writers, who have been big-time for a while, are staunchly defending what they know to be the only and best way to be a writer:

  • Plead to literary agents for years, for someone’s affirmation and approval
  • Be forced to do edits you may or may not agree to
  • Wait until your agent gatekeeper gets your book published by gatekeepers
  • Give up the majority of your rights to the gatekeepers
  • Agree to terms made up by gatekeepers
  • Lose a great hunk of control over your work to the gatekeepers

So, because these traditionally represented and published authors have made a good living, in spite of the ludicrous terms they had to begin their careers with, they’re stubbornly and ignorantly protecting the legacy methods of publishing.  They’re defensive and paranoid.  They are understandably trying to look out for the only methods they’ve ever known.

But it’s a futile struggle.  With print on demand publishing, and information sharing on such topics as formatting, editing and all manners of help on writing technique, the gatekeepers are losing more and more of their grip on the throats of creativity, passion and ambition.  And you know what?  We, the self-publishing indie authors, don’t care what the legacy authors and publishers threaten, say, or melodramatically warn against.  There’s nothing to warn against.  People having complete control over their ability to express themselves will always triumph and win out.  Through free instruction, tools, utilities and marketing abilities, people have everything they need to do what so few previously had control over.

Sorry legacy folks!

– Jeramy

Main website: http://www.soulsofastraeus.com

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/JeramyGoble

Twitter: @JeramyGoble

 

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