Why am I a bad boy? Err… well… I haven’t blogged in over two weeks. WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?
I know. Sorry. (Hangs head in shame.)
One of the things that happens when you wear so many hats – publisher, editor, editor, editor, editor, editor, author/writer 
– is that the last item on the list tends to go begging. That’s okay; we all have our responsibilities to juggle, and I don’t mean to complain about mine (well, maybe just a little), I just want to explain why I’ve been such a bad boy.
Is this the part where I get spanked? Is it?
In other news (actually, it’s kind of the same news), we’ve added 3 more authors to the Evolved Publishing team in the past week, and I’ve taken on even more… wait for it… editing! And publishing! I know, I know. Now where did I put that cognac?
Truly, though, it’s an exciting time, one that we’ve worked hard to reach. While I struggle to find the time to work on my own next novel, and even though something as seemingly simple as keeping up with this blog and the one at Evolved Publishing has become a strain, I remain optimistic and just plain stoked about the future.
That light at the end of the tunnel grows brighter and bigger, so bear with me. I’ll offer up a little more content here at Lane Diamond Central one of these days.
No… seriously. I WILL TOO!
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Hi Cassian,
Thanks for dropping by. My comment had to do with the absolute flood of new material into the marketplace, dominated by self-publsihed eBooks and POD books. Much of that, unfortunately, is substandard.
Self-publsihers often get upset when people make such statements, and I don’t mean to suggest there aren’t some gems out there — the exceptions to the rule — but overall, the reputation of self-publishing continues to languish.
Additionally, there simply do not exist enough consumers out there to support 50,000 new authors, at least not at prices that make it financially viable for the authors. And so, self-publishing, for many, is reverting to its original “Vanity Publishing” mode. Yes, the exceptions will continue to pop up and garner a lot of attention, and to encourage new authors not to give up, but most will find it frustrating and near-impossible to make a living.
The percentage of self-published authors who are actually turning a “reasonable” profit on their books is extremely small, and the rush to give books away in order to drive interest is largely self-defeating, because everybody’s doing it. Too much white noise.
I believe that after 2, 3, 4 years of working long hours and achieving poor financial results, many authors will give up on their dream, defeated by both the market and the process.
At some point in the next couple of years, the market will reassert itself and find an equalibrium, and the authors who’ve produced a high quailty catalog of work, who’ve produced strong, interesting stories that are professionally edited, and built up a catalog of 4-5 books or more, will be the ones likely to survive.
Even then, consumers are becoming more sophisticated in this electronic age, and the self-publishing reputation will be difficult to defeat — for any author.
I’ll write more on this in the near future.
Hello Lane
Hope you’re well
I’ve just come across your comment on another author’s blogsite that in part reads:
“Prediction: The self-publishing boom will fizzle significantly within the next few years”.
I find that enormously interesting (not to mention provocative). I’d be keen to ready any blog post you might write which elaborates on that.
Cheers
Cassian Brown