For a very long time (considering I’ve been meaning to be published for about 16 years now), I had been told by industry professionals and experts that self-publishing your work meant you would never be traditionally published.
Self-publishing got you blacklisted, is how it came across.
It wasn’t until just a few years ago, while attending one of the RT Booklover’s conventions, that I learned this was no longer the case. You could actually be a “hybrid author”, as they called themselves, and make a good living, and be happy.
And no one would blacklist you.
Imagine my relief! That’s exactly what I had always wanted as an author, even 16 years ago. I guess I just had to wait for the publishing industry (and technology) to catch up to me.
Then you hear all the few and far between (but highly popular) stories about authors like Hugh Howey, and suddenly everyone tries to do the same thing, but without the proper preparation and learning beforehand.
Sigh. Oh well. It was bound to happen.
Still, I love to find articles by industry professionals on this phenomenon, and today I found another great one by Jane Friedman. If you think being a hybrid author might be for you, you’ll probably like this post. Good points to keep in mind!
Enjoy!
Thank you for this 🙂 I’m just starting to explore self-publishing, and this was one of my biggest fears. It’s so comforting to hear that the industry is changing!
I’m glad it helped you feel better! It still makes me feel better too to see articles like this, even though I’ve been hearing it for a few years now. It’s all very reassuring. And I love that she provides some links to resources, too. It can get very overwhelming, so it’s nice to have sign posts pointed to by professionals that you know will be both helpful and accurate!
Interesting article!
I thought so too!