Writing.Com General Discussion

I've got zero experience with traditional publishing. My understanding is that they're looking for a brand first. I could write a book about (lets pretend like i've got a good idea here) the moon passing through a particle field that increases surface reflectivity by 10,000% causing drastic changes to the earth's climate. Oh and something about CO2, it's just gotta be in there. If i'm some nobody self-publishing that book, no one will care. Most people will not see it, and the few who do won't know why they should care about it. Friends and family will buy it, but how many friends do i have? And word of mouth isn't word of mouths. To be successful, you need a network. If the top weatherman in the country published that book, people would be on their knees to read it. Even if i ghost wrote it. Or, if a known author wrote it, people would be enticed. So self-publishing makes sense if you can reach people by reputation or network. Or, if you don't want sales.

If you're like me and don't want sales per se, self publishing ownz. You have the option for full creative control. Every word is yours. Every page can have an explicit watermark. You can, quite literally, create Jack Torrence's great work. All work and no play... (case in point, you can find it on amazon; no association on my part, just amusement). You do pay for the vanity, though.