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Emanuel
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Emanuel
Post Number: 145
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 - 10:16 am: | 
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What are the first things that come to mind when you hear the words "self-published" and "local author"? |
Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 3637
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 - 10:47 am: |
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Sadly, these words are red-flags to me. What they bring to my mind is that the local media is plugging a home town author as a favor, and that the product will be a bad-to-mediocre book by yet another wanna-be writer with high hopes. (Of course, you have to consider the source of this "cynical" response. LOL) |
Chrishayden
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 1804
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 - 01:32 pm: |
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Ernest Hemingway, Walt Whitman, Zane, guts, genius, ahead of one's time, self confidence, belief in one's self, idiots (people who made it necessary in the first place) |
Emanuel
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Emanuel
Post Number: 146
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 - 03:05 pm: |
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I guess if you're not from a big city like New York, Los Angeles, or Chicago, "local author" could mean a writer who hasn't made it big yet or a writer who is less than a nationally-known one. Maybe an underdog? This line of thinking is why I'm focusing the promoting my novel outside of Cleveland before putting an emphasis on city-based marketing. You're not really accepted as legit until some critic from another city or a national magazine or newspaper says so or unless you have some award to show. Right? Hey, James Frey is from Cleveland but his books aren't on the local author shelf. You know what I mean?
Unfortunately, a lot of times self-published is associated with bad quality in writing and editing. It makes sense that the smarter self-published authors use the term independently published instead. Of course, all self-published books are not of poor quality but the good stuff is rare and is often considered guilty by association. When I hear "self-published" I think of Zane, Cherlyn Michaels and Cheryl Robinson who all ended up selling their rights to traditional publishers but I also think of the junk that's out there. As a reviewer, I tried to stay away from self-published books as much as possible because I wanted to avoid writing negative reviews as much as possible. Of course, now here I am with an "independently" published book, trying to get publicity myself. |
Chrishayden
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 1810
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 - 03:41 pm: |
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I am from the sticks also--St. Louis, Mo--not exactly a mecca of literary art (there are lots of famous writers who are FROM here, though--T.S. Eliot, Quincy Troupe, William Inge, Ntozake Shange--)
One advantage of it, though is that you can test your work out here (there), and work the bugs out of your presentation before you hit the big time--kind of like they put a show together in the hinterlands before they take it to Broadway.
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Cynique
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Cynique
Post Number: 3644
Registered: 01-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 - 04:35 pm: |
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Emanuel, there does seem to be a pattern of people having to move away from their local environment to get attention. That's why there was a time when a lot of black musicians went to Europe because they weren't appreciated in America. There are a lot of antecdotes out there about now-famous people who were never taken seriously by their hometowns but who went to NY or other big cities and took the place by storm. e.g. Janis Joplin. |
Thetiesthatbind
First Time Poster
Username: Thetiesthatbind
Post Number: 1
Registered: 01-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Tuesday, January 31, 2006 - 09:16 pm: |
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Emanuel,
In regards to marketing and promotions, most publicist will tell you to start from the inside and work your way outwards. I think that is a general rule of thumb.
For instance, I live outside Atlanta. My initial promotions were in the metro Atlanta area, then I focused on hitting the southeastern states and eventually worked my way out to select markets.
Think about hip-hop artist. . . you make a name for yourself in your backyard first.
Just my twenty-five cents.
Electa Rome Parks
www.electaromeparks.com |
Mzuri
Newbie Poster
Username: Mzuri
Post Number: 8
Registered: 01-2006
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 02, 2006 - 06:32 pm: |
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What comes to my mind when I hear someone has "self-published" is that they didn't want to go thru the rigamarole of submitting their manuscript and being rejected. Or they already submitted their manuscript and have been rejected. Either that or they didn't want to be stifled, censored or heavily edited. They have a strong desire to do their own thing and are willing to back it up with their own funds. It's not necessarily a negative. |
Abm
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Abm
Post Number: 4177
Registered: 04-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, February 03, 2006 - 11:04 am: |
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"What are the first things that come to mind when you hear the words "self-published" and "local author"?"
GOD I hope there are no mispellings and/or grammar & diction errors.
And if there are "mispellings and/or grammar & diction errors": GOD I hope the author is NOT Black. |
Chrishayden
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Chrishayden
Post Number: 1821
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, February 03, 2006 - 12:31 pm: |
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Abm:
You have a mind that tends to minutiae--fitting for somebody who lives within the tiny panels of the 7" by 10" funnybook.
I suppose if you had read the "Diary of Anne Frank" bad grammar or misspellings would horrify you more than the persecution of the Jewish family by the Nazis. |
Renata
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Renata
Post Number: 677
Registered: 08-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, February 03, 2006 - 12:34 pm: |
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I usually think that they didn't want to wait to be accepted or rejected based on the opinions of the publisher, and they wanted their book 'out there' on their own terms and in their own time. |
Emanuel
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Emanuel
Post Number: 148
Registered: 03-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, February 03, 2006 - 12:42 pm: |
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It sounds like more writers defend self-publishing than readers. Am I right? Of course, most everyday readers can't tell the difference because they don't know who the major publishers are. |
Abm
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Abm
Post Number: 4189
Registered: 04-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, February 03, 2006 - 03:32 pm: |
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Chris says: "You have a mind that tends to minutiae--fitting for somebody who lives within the tiny panels of the 7" by 10" funnybook."
Uhhhhhh...thanks(?)
*shrugs* |
Abm
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Abm
Post Number: 4190
Registered: 04-2004
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, February 03, 2006 - 03:37 pm: |
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Chris,
"Take THAT, you villainous cur!!!" |
Babygirl
"Cyniquian" Level Poster
Username: Babygirl
Post Number: 243
Registered: 04-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, February 03, 2006 - 04:26 pm: |
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"Of course, most everyday readers can't tell the difference because they don't know who the major publishers are."
I wouldn't underestimate your audience. Die hard readers are well aware of what is self-published and what isn't. Some have no issues with it, others do. |
Deebaby
Veteran Poster
Username: Deebaby
Post Number: 62
Registered: 08-2005
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, February 09, 2006 - 11:59 pm: |
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First thing that comes to my mind is that the author couldn't get a publishing deal, which is not always true, and even if it is, that, of course, doesn't mean that they have weak writing skills or the book is garbage, especially when it comes to Black folk...just like the many great singers and musicians don't get recording contracts and the best songs aren't even played on the radio.
I like memoirs and autobiographies and I'll go through a stack of self-published ones any day. Especially, Black folks. Wish I could find some though.
Self-publishing and E-publishing seems to be more and more popular and, it seems, most are novels. I've read some very unimpressive and uninteresting excerpts from E-published novels that folks promote in various forums. And I'm sure there are good ones too that I just haven't come across.
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