The Difficulties of Self-Publishing/Rant

As you know from my previous post of shameless self promotion, I've just released a new book. Just to give a brief update on sales; I've sold exactly ZERO copies. I'd like to say its the economy causing people to be careful with their spending, or not having any money to spend in the first place, but my book is only $11.85 which doesn't seem all that outrageous. The difficulty I'm finding is appealing to an audience. Its not like as soon as you release a book people say, "oh a new random book by a new and undistinguished author, lets buy it and see what happens." The actuality is everyone now has the ability to self publish, so even if an utter genious released a divine masterpiece, without the correct marketing, buzz, spin, and whatever other hip terms used for selling products, that literary gem will be drown out in a sea of mediocre stories, mindless drivel, and delusional authors. Not to say my work is a masterpiece by anymeans, nor am I suggesting my stories are mediocre, midnless drivel, or that I am a delusional author, but what I am saying is now that anyone can publish it seems to make the whole process seem less rearkable.

However, producing work is one thing, selling is an entirely different matter. With the right funding and spin, even the mindless drivel can sell. Then the brilliance is in the marketing of the book, not the book itself. In self publishing though, there is no powerful publishing company pushing the publication into the hands of readers. The only way my book, or the works of anyone else who self publishes will sell is if the self publishers can coax people to buy. Then, if enough people buy to create some talk about the work, then, if its truly good, it may sell itself. The problem of course, is getting people to buy. Getting published is just like getting a job in the sort of Catch-22 it involves. Publishers look for writers who have already been published. If you haven't been published though, how could you ever get published without being previously published? To allow your eyes to uncross from the confusing paradox that is publishing, think about how previous masterpieces, poets, and classic texts have been discovered. Emily Dickenson, for instance had all of her poems in a desk drawer in her attic. It wasn't till she died that she was discovered. William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge had to combine their geniouses to break into the market and gain credibility, and they both lived in poverty for most of their lives despite their brilliance.

Regular writing, which is appreciated immediately, can be rather profitable, successful, and fufilling, but brilliant writing it seems, will always be the opposite. I think this is why our society hasn't seen a brilliant writer to vie with Shakespeare, Frost, Wordsworth, or any of the classic wordsmiths. The reason of course is that its difficult. Our modern society hates difficulty. Those that suffer life's difficulties are those who can't escape. Those who have the ability flee from it, trampling over the aged, weak, and afflicted people who do not deserve the difficulties that bare down on them. The beauty of brilliant writers was that they would willingly meet any challenge in life and overcome it. Even Lord Byron, an aristocrat, a lady's man, and well loved public figure, bravely faced adversity, fighting in a conflic in Greece which eventually led to his death.

I'm sure, somewhere today, there are people who would willingly face the greatest challenges of the world, abandoning all comforts, security, and accolades to achieve brilliance and immortality in literature, but would we even accept them now? Or, would we laugh at them as fools. Perhaps that is how all geniouses are recieved in their time, but if we call ourselves civiliazed, advanced, and well educated, shouldn't we expect more? SHouldn't we finally embrace those who dare to look at the world differently? Shouldn't we, as intelligent beings, be able to recognize and encourage those who will outshine us all?

Now I can't even come close to saying that I'd ever hope to be such a genious. My IQ is well above average, but nothing remarkable. My background is average, my life experiences have been average, there is no indication of anything of transcendant brilliance in me. All I am is a dreamer. As a boy I used to dream of being a super hero, now I just dream of somehow rising to be a brilliant writer. I know its just a dream, and perhaps thats all it can be, but in that dream I can see the reality. I can see how brilliance is measured by number, success measured by profit, and any other thing of value in life is measured by what it was, or is now. What could be, well thats simply foolish talk. So what I was and who I am was undistinguished. My brilliance, not a high enough number. My success, low since I haven't profited much. What I am now, and who I am is no different than who I was, and so who and what I could be, well thats just foolish talk. So if a genious were to come along I can see him suffering the same fate of anyone like me. Unless some circumstances arise to distinguish them, their words will fall on the same deaf ears that mine befall. It does seem a little silly to expect brilliance to be created by chance instead of by the gifted individual who is able to face whatever chance gives them.

Well, I guess all we can do is roll the dice, wait, and hope someone will come to shake us out of the monotony that life has become. I know I wandered off from the topic of self publishing, but when a well crafted message, brilliant or otherwise, is not heard or allowed to at least be critisized, there is a problem. What I've published is meant to be read. My message may not be brilliant, but it is for all eyes to make of it what they will. In not being able to be read, to be critisized, I believe there is a problem. When we don't embrace whats new or different, we can never hope to find anything of greater value than that which we already have.