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This week: Should You Pay to Publish? Edited by: Crys-not really here  
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My name is Crys-not really here and I'm happy to be the guest editor for the For Authors Newsletter this week. This week, we tackle the tricky subject of self-publishing.
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Should You Pay to Publish?
When it comes to self-publishing or using a vanity press, my advice has always been to just say no! To me, the idea of spending money to publish has always seemed wrong. After all, the writer is doing a lot of work and deserves to be compensated for doing so. The danger of self-publishing is that a writer can put in lots of money but not make that money back.
However, self-publishing seems to be growing in acceptance among some writers. I've noticed a recent trend of writers I know releasing short story collections, poetry chapbooks and novels via self publishers. When it comes to writers who self-publish, they seem to fall into two categories: ones who do their homework and ones who don't. The ones who do are probably most happy with their final product; the ones who don't may find themselves out money, with an unedited manuscript, or hundreds of unsold books.
But this isn't a newsletter warning against self-publishing or lecturing writers about editing their work before publication. This newsletter is to examine some good reasons to self-publish. Yes, I can think of a few. Keep in mind that everyone's circumstances are different, so evaluate your own circumstances before taking my advice.
A writer might consider self-publishing if:
1) He wants to publish something out of his usual genre. For example, an author of young adult novels has written an erotica short story which he wants to publish (under a pen name, of course).
2) He wants to publish something unusual that no traditional publisher will publish. In this case, I would recommend exhausting all possibilities before self-publishing. There are small presses that specialize in all kinds of things. But if you truly have a unique concept that's just to bizarre for the general public, go ahead and self-publish it. Just know that you'll probably have to work twice as hard to promote to the right audience.
3) His goal is to create a book for a very specific audience. If you're looking to publish, say, a collection of poems written to honor your deceased father to be distributed to only twenty-five members of your family, then you may consider some service like LuLu, which doesn't charge fees for basic services.
4) His goal is exposure, not money. Most authors who self-publish don't make a ton of money. (Most authors who publish by any means don't make a ton of money, but self-publishing also holds the risk of the author fronting a bunch of money to pay for the cost of publication and never making it back.) However, some poets or writers of short story collections (genres that are difficult to find publishers for unless you already have a good publishing record) feel that spreading their name is more important than selling lots of copies.
Choosing to self-publish is a choice every individual should make for himself, only after considering all of the pros and cons. It should never be used because it's the "easy way out." In some cases, self-publishing means the author is in charge of his or her own editing, formatting, etc. That doesn't sound so easy to me! I personally feel that most writers can benefit from the submission and rejection process. Except in scenario #3, I encourage all writers to consider submitting to small publishers before making the commitment to self-publish. |
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I received an over-whelming response from many of you who read young adult novels! Thanks to everyone who wrote in to tell me your favorites, or to just reaffirm their quality and usefulness. I have included many of your responses below.
Hi Crys!
You did a great job on the NL about YA. I belong to many YA sites and am writing my 3rd YA novel--your myths/facts were right on the money. Any WDC writer who wants to work on a YA novel should join "Invalid Item" 's YA Club. I learned a lot from them.  -LJPC - the tortoise 
What a great topic and an interesting NL Crys. Young adult novels are definitely not just for kid's anymore. Great job on this! -Brooklyn 
Thank you for sharing this article about YA novels. I thought it was crazy to pick up a YA book and read it, but I have found some wonderful books. I think the YA authors have a freedom that Adult Fiction authors sometimes lack. -sawilson
Lately I have been reading more YA novels for lots of different reasons. It started off as a way to keep tabs with what my own daughter was reading and led to reading it because it was way better than most adult books out there. There has been an increase in the amount of sex in books, even in fantasy which is to say dungeons and dragons type fantasy, not sexual. So for me, reading YA has been a far better experience. I get the story without all the sex. -Caledonia Lass
I thoroughly enjoyed having a teacher read the outsiders to us when I was a teen. I couldn't forget how cool the teacher was.....-speidoman 
I'm 55 and openly admit, I still like YA books. (I also openly admit I used to disco. lol) The definitions for book genres are getting more and more specific. Do you know when children's chapter books turn into YA books or what consititutes no-longer-for-YA books? I'm writing a Middle-Grade book (MG), and don't know if that makes it into YA, but I would imagine others are writing for college students and wondering at the other end of the spectrum. -atwhatcost
That is a great question, mostly because it has no easy answer! Look for my thoughts on this subject in the September 21st For Authors Newsletter!
My favorite YA collection has to be Harry Potter. It is one of the best around. -bertiebrite hoping for peace
I, personally, think that young adult novels are great and can teach a lot of lessons. Gary Paulson writes a variety of genres and he wrights some great young adult novels. Slam by Walter Dean Myers is a great drama YA novel, while Last Shot: A Final Four mystery by John Feinstein is a great mystery book. -Kyle Peterson
I thought your newsleter about YA writing and authors was spot on. I started reading seriously at the tender age of thirteen and Sci-fi was my go to genre. However because of TV westerns and comic books of the day I follow action, westerns war novels both historical and fictional and spy capers. I still am attracted to YA genre as an author because I can keep my manuscripts clean without any sex scenes and still write in budding romances and the wonder of discovering young love.
My daughter convinced me to take a childrens writing coarse because she so liked the origonal bed time stories I came up with for my grandson. As I worked my way through the coarse I found my comfort level in the young adult genre.-31245bob
Redwall is a good Young Adult series, as it has to deal, in part, with growing up. -BIG BAD WOLF is hopping 
I got into the habit of reading YA novels when my children (now in their 20's) were young. I never put any limits on what they could read, but I still wanted to keep tabs on what they were reading. I was surprised at the quality of the writing and now, since I make a point of reading a lot in my writing genres, I read YA novels frequently. -RickN |
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For Authors: September 14, 2011 Issue [#4596]
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