Why I Self-Publish in the Face of Delusion

Donald Maass, head of the Donald Maass Literary Agency, says if you don’t want to reach readers, then by all means, self-publish. (see Mark Coker’s post )

He sticks by his guns in the face of Mark Coker’s telling Mr. Maass that he thought he was underestimating the transformative impact self-published authors will have on book publishing. He looked Mark Coker in the eye, smiled, and said, “and I think you’re delusional.” to which Mark replies, “Touché!”

But think about it. I have 800+ ebooks in my Kindle archives right now. How many of those are good books, and how many are great books, and how many are not worth my time of day? If an editor, publisher, and book store had vetted these books, I wouldn’t have to do the work myself. You wouldn’t have to do the work yourself, and you and you and you. That’s the picture I see when I look at self-publishing.

Am I against self-publishing? No, I am all for it . . . for myself. I have always been a do-it-yourselfer, from sewing clothes, to giving myself pedicures/manicures, even at one time cutting my own hair.  Why? Money, or lack of same. Do I plan to make money writing and publishing my own novels? No, that is not my goal.

My question to Mr. Maass is, “If I wait until an agent agrees to represent me, then wait for said agent to find a publishing company interested in my novel, then wait for said book to be edited, formatted, and published in the image of said publishing company, then self-market said book - as will be my responsibility - how many more readers will I reach and how much more money will I net than if I self-publish?

I have a feeling his answer would be, “There is no way I can answer that question, Gail.” (I love Mr. Maass’s book, The Fire in Fiction, and just know he would respond to me by name) “And,” he would add, “I think you’re delusional.”

 

 

The Fire In Fiction by Donald Maass

 

A STUDY IN GREEN: Giving Words Meaning

 

While editing a short story today, I noticed a Hawaiian name, Ma'omaka, that I had applied to a hapa-haole (part-Caucasian) character: Ma’o for green, maka for eye. I didn’t use the name to suggest she was envious or jealous, but as a detail of her Irish ancestry. 

It got me thinking that no word in a short story, or even in a novel, should be used without purpose. I should only use words that give meaning to the story. If a man steps into the scene wearing a green shirt, it is important to know the reason he is wearing the green shirt.  

Why is it important to the reader that the man is wearing a green shirt? Is it because the shirt is green? Or because it is “that” shirt? Or maybe because he is the one wearing the shirt?  

To illustrate: 

1. The man walked into the room tugging at the collar of his green shirt. He didn't especially like the color green, but his mother picked out all his clothes and this shirt had been on sale at Penneys, half-off. She never passed up a sale on shirts, regardless of color. 

This might suggest to the reader that the man is sort of a “Mama’s boy.” In this example, the color of the shirt is almost incidental. 

2. The man walked into the room wearing a green shirt. Last week, he received the shirt as a birthday present from his wife who loved the color green. He hated it. 

Might this suggest he is hen-pecked, or that he also hates his wife? 

3. The man wearing a green shirt walked into the room. The shirt belonged to his lover who had jilted him only last week, discarding the crumpled shirt on the closet floor. 

So many possibilities here. 

In each case, the reader interprets the details based on experience which may have nothing to do with the color green. Maybe the reader had a domineering mother who insisted on choosing all her wardrobe items for her. By hinting at the character’s thoughts, it offers the reader an opportunity to relate to the scene or the character in a personal way. 

To me, this works better than utilizing the green shirt only to veil “all those rippling muscles outlined by a downy coating of blonde hairs.” Well, maybe not.

 

But unless the secret to a mystery is concealed under that green shirt, I plan to give it a role, or remove the shirt completely.