There is no Shame in Self-Publishing!

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There is no Shame in Self-Publishing!

by Mary Hilaire Tavenner, Ph.D.
(Lorain, OH 44052-2202)

Memories of Mom

I have self-published all 8 of my books, including my Dissertation and I am not the least embrassed. I tried the traditional publishers, but after 75 rejections, I decided my books were worthy of being read.

My first experience was trying to publish a short 30 page biography of Helen Steiner Rice with Dorrance Publishing in Pittsburg, PA. They sent me a 6 page contract to sign, (with small print!) and I ASSuMEd they would market and distribute the booklet for their fee of $8,000.00. They even threw in 50 free copies of the booklet! So that was a very, very, very expensive mistake.

Now I use Print on Demand (POD) and pay a one-time fee of about $900.00 for them to take my prepared manuscript, photographs, and cover design and bind it professionally, including services such as ISBN, copyright, sales records, sending my royalties, advertising with amazon.com and posting my books on their website.

The last book, I self-published is called MEMORIES OF MOM, THEY CALLED HER DUTCH and I wrote it out of love and respect for my mother and father, their 7 kids, our ancestors, and the family yet to come. I didn't write it to get rich; I wrote it to enrich.

Now I'm in the process of self-publishing MY FRIENDSHIP WITH ST. ELIZABETH ANN SETON. It may never be a best seller, but remember many famous writers, such as Louisa May Alcott, Edgar Allen Poe, and Mark Twain began their careers by self-publishing.

Some institutions make it their policy to not even engage or entertain self-published authors. I know the CLEVELAND PLAIN DEALER in Cleveland, OH is such a place. It is ironic, because all writers go through the same process of inspiration, reflection, time, energy, and self-discipline...and the true worth of the value of our investment as a writer is judged by those willing to buy and read our work. The public -- in and over time, will decide who's message is the one to be received.

Meanwhile, my advice to everyone is the same: write. Write and publish. If your messag is worthwhile, it matters not if it is published "traditionally" or "non-traditionally". Go for it! Believe in you.

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There is no Shame in Self-Publishing!

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Jul 27, 2009
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Tiresome
by: Steve B. (webmaster)

Corey whatever-your-name-is, my full name and bio are available a single click from this page. We still don't know who the hell you are, and speaking for myself, I have ceased to care.

Your posts are peppered with grammatical errors, so in an odd way you serve as an example of the point you're trying to make.

Since Mary seems to be done with you, I'll be shutting you down with your next post. I trust you enjoyed yourself.

Jul 27, 2009
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I'm sorry you continue to focus on yourself
by: Corey R.

I'm sorry that in each one of your posts you continue to focus on yourself. I was under the impression that your blog was meant to help other writers.

I only commented because I hate seeing new young writers given advice that will not benefit them, not to judge you or your work or comment on your decision to self-publishing.

And so I say, to any writer who stumbles on this blog and doesn't know what to do with your first manuscript, DO NOT "write and publish." Write, get feedback, improve, and continue to write. Now, understand that there is no one piece of advice that can work for every manuscript. A local history of a small town is completely different than a romance novel, but, in most cases, the best place for your manuscript is with a publisher who knows what they are doing. When you're ready, make a list of agents and/or publishers (depending on the type of work you have) that deal in your type of book, and submit it to them. If it's rejected (most will be their first time out), ask why. There may be some common themes in the critiques that will show you where you are lacking. Take what you've learned and improve your writing skills. There are numerous publishers out there and, unless your book appeals to a very limited market, if you have the talent and take the time to perfect your manuscript, you'll find one for your book.

Jul 27, 2009
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I thank you for your opinion but have not changed mine
by: Dr. Mary Hilaire Tavenner

Steve B is the webmaster for this blog. It is nice to see at least a first name....Mr. R. --- I thought Steve did a great job of modifying my position and I agree with everything he said. Many poor writers are self-publishing and consequently giving us all a bad reputation...but I am one who believes we all have a right to write. American Idol is a collection of very talented singers and some remarkably bad voices---but I think every one deserves a shot at trying. The best talents usually "rise" as does the ever present morning star (more commonly referred to as our sun)--- I realize there are countless books to read....many are worth our investment of time and money and far more are probably not...but I will never tell anyone not to try. I write because I love doing it, I'm extremely well-educated, I have the opportunity, I'm good at it---and often it is just plain therapy--- perhaps the way art may be for those in need of knowing that co-creating any thing of beauty is great fun. I don't answer for the work of others. I only put my name on what I write. I've always said that literature is very much like food: "We all have different tastes." So, Mr. R.--- forgive me but you may have the last word in this ongoing discussion as I need to spend my time finishing my next book. Thank you. Sincerely, Dr. Tavenner

Jul 26, 2009
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Example
by: Corey R.

Back with the final point. Dr. Tavenner, I have no idea how good or bad your books are, or if traditional publishers were not interested in them because of quality, or simply because they appealed a small market. What I do want to point out is the people your advice is going to. I don't want to pick on anyone, so I'll leave out book information and the author's name in this example, but it may be someone you know. I stumbled across this person's website in the same way I stumbled across this article, and that was looking into a book festival (that both you and this author appeared at) to see if it was worth the drive for me to attend.

This is from the "author's" web page: "I write thrillers. Everything is Fiction. The best way to describe what I write is this, slasher stories where at least ten are going to die. However, they are not graphic. There is violence though. I don't tend to put a lot of gorie details into my books. I'm working on adding that in future books." The page continues on like this, not horrible, but not the type of English and paragraph structure you'd expect from an author. Now, I don't know if this authors stories are good, but IF they are, the worst advice in the world to give this person is to "Write and publish." This person NEEDS to work at their craft. No matter how good the story ideas are, execution like this is going to kill the book. The worst thing this author could have done is self-publish. This is someone who needs those rejections. They need to be told what they are doing wrong so they can fix it.

Here's an example of my all-time favorite amazon.com review, reviewing a horrible self published book. To save space, I'm just pasting the part where he quotes lines from the book and comments on them:

"Spiers's eyes popped extraneously from their sockets, as his face turned from a deep red to a sickly purple."

"Extraneous" means "irrelevant." I don't think that's what he meant. At least, I hope not.

Here's my favorite:

"The lamp's glow was very weak compared to the blue glow emancipating from the basement."

Emanating, Rayburn, EMANATING. When will people learn never to trust their SpellCheck without verifying it's the word they meant??? There are, in total, 11 instances of Rayburn using the wrong word, and believe me, each one is funnier than the last.

Okay, one more.

"It infiltrated his lungs, filling them with a kind of innovativeness he had never felt before."

Again, an author who should never be given the advice "Write and publish."

Jul 26, 2009
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Response to Dr. Mary Hilaire Tavenner
by: Corey R.

I am sorry if you take my posts as a critique on you or your decision to self-publish. It is not. Again, I am attacking one piece of advice: "Write and publish." That's is, that's what I have a problem with, and neither you or Steve B. have addressed this point.

In your last post you wrote, "but maybe you are not aware of the fact many writers write for the love of writing and not for money . . . ." True, but you don't say "Write and publish if you simply want to have your book in print." You advice all writers to "Write and publish." Again, in general, if they are thinking at all about getting their book to the largest number of readers possible, this is bad advice. Don't you think a novelist would be better off if their novel was published by a big New York publishing house?

You also wrote " I was rejected 75 times the traditional route . . . ." That's fine, most writers are rejected many times before success. I hope you took something from those rejections and it made you a better writer. This is something writers should go through and can only help them. I was rejected many time before my first book was published. But the feedback from those rejections, as well as feedback from other published authors, help me improve as a writer and finally get the book published. And the publisher has done a lot more to promote the book than I could have ever done on my own.

I have one example to illustrate the point, but I have to find it again, so I'll be back one final time.

Jul 26, 2009
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Really, Steve B.?
by: Corey R.

You going to delete the majority of my post because I don't have a name, regardless of the points raised in it. I would think on a site like this, the issues and helping new writers is what is important. So, since it's okay for you to use Steve "B", is Corey "R" okay with you?

Jul 25, 2009
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You are entitled to your opinion....
by: Dr. Mary Hilaire Tavenner

Mr. Anonymous, You are entitled to your opinion. I am very aware that "brick and mortar" (traditional publishing houses) have lost a lot of revenue because of self-publishing, but maybe you are not aware of the fact many writers write for the love of writing and not for money, fame or glory. I was rejected 75 times the traditional route, but that does not mean I cannot write, nor does it mean I don't have books worth publishing! I do know this, the more I write the better I get doing it....perhaps not unlike a musician who practices his piano daily to improve his natural talent, or the scientist who repeatedly works his experiments to find new truths. Practice makes better. So, who ever you are, look at my website and notice I have published many stories and articles for money, but that expressing one's message (s) is not a waste of time. As for the Cleveland Plain Dealer---many large circulation papers (the Dealer has the largest circulation in the state of Ohio) have such a policy---and understandably so---but you also shut out some very good writers and let in some who are not so good. This debate is everywhere...and oviously we are on two different sides of the fence. I've been an educator all of my life and have spent a lifetime encouraging young people, so it is my nature to encourage those who write and want to write successfully. Think what you may....but I don't care to agree with you. Last time I checked the Constitution, it read I had the right to pursue happiness. That, I am doing! (With or without your opinion.)

Jul 22, 2009
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Attacking me avoids the issue
by: Anonymous

Attacking me, or discussing the quality of Mary Hilaire Tavenner's work is irrelevant to the (blah, blah, blah...)

Webmaster's note: This poster continued to remain anonymous, causing this webmaster to shut him/her down.

Jul 14, 2009
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Did you know?
by: Dr. Mary Hilaire Tavenner

My remarks are for anonymous.....did you know that Mark Twain, Edgar Allen Poe, and Zane Grey are only a few of the many successful writers who began their career by self-publishing?

Jul 14, 2009
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Odd Choice
by: Steve B. (webmaster)

Dear Anonymous,

While your thoughts are valid, it certainly seems to me you made an odd choice in picking this post to single out. There are posts all over this site in which the authors reveal their lack of writing skills.

I don't know if Mary deserves to be a published author or not. It's certainly possible that she's a brilliant writer who is attracted to subjects with appeal too narrow to interest a traditional publisher.

It's also a little odd to claim to be a published author and to withhold your name. I'm sure your "readers" could stand to know that you've had a conversation on the subject of self publishing and could decide for themselves whether to read it. What is it that you're choosing to hide from them? Are your expressions here somehow at odds with the public image you're trying to project? Your explanation is specious. I think you could stand to be a little more honest.

Jul 13, 2009
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Sorry, my rating of the advice hasn't changed
by: Anonymous

Just forgot to set the rating on my last post.

Jul 13, 2009
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I wasn't rating yout thoughts
by: Anonymous

I wasn't giving your thoughts a one-star rating, I was giving your advice a one-star rating. Write and publish is irresponsible advice. Young people might read this and take your advice to heart, and in many cases it may kill their chances for a good writing career. While self-publishing is good for certain types of books, it completly inappropriate for others. Any novelist would be better off with a publisher who can promote their work properly then just putting it out themselves.

If you want to get distracted by focusing, that's fine, but it ignores the bigger point, which is what is good for new writers. FYI, the reason I didn't use my name is because I am also a writer, and I doubt many of my readers care about my views on self-publishing, so I didn't use my name simply because this page would be useless to someone who might google me.

Jul 13, 2009
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Where's Your Name?
by: Dr. Mary Hilaire Tavenner

You rate my thoughts as one star, but you don't have the inegrity to put your name on your thoughts. I sign my name to what I write, what I say, and what I do.

Jul 11, 2009
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Bad adivce
by: Anonymous

Sorry, but I have to say "write and publish" is horrible advice for a new writer. If you're publishing for your own enjoyment, or publishing something geared towards a small market (like a regional history), then self-publishing is sometimes the best choice, but for any writer who wants a career as an author, they need to work to find a traditional publisher. I know you can point out authors who have made a career out of self-publishing, but they are the exception. A good publisher can not only provide a good editor, but also can invest in advertising and has connection that no first time author will have to get reviews, get the book in stores, etc.
Also, instead of advising an aspiring author to self-publish because they've received rejections, the first advice should be to figure out WHY their work was rejected. Most of the time, the work isn't very good and the author doesn't have the talent they think they do. Instead of dumping money into a sub-par manuscript, they should try to improve their writing to the point where publishers do want it.

Jun 27, 2008
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I love being told I'm right!
by: Steve B.

Five stars! Thanks, Mary.

Jun 27, 2008
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Steve has the right idea and I agree....
by: Mary Hilaire Tavenner

Steve, I completely agree that publication should be done only with a self- and other-critical eye, if not many "eyes"! I have been told that people who self-publish mediocre, poorly executed work, grammatically incorrect---and even untruths---disservice all of us. I probably should have quantified my remarks. Shoddy work reflects not just on the writer, but their education, circle of friends and upbringing as well. Good point. Thank you.

Jun 25, 2008
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Shameless!
by: Steve B.

I agree totally, Mary: there is NO shame in self publishing. Though I would contend there is some shame in self publishing poorly.

If an author's writing skills are decidedly sub-professional and the author is blind to that fact,

If research was shoddy,

If editing was not professionally done,

If the product was executed with no eye to detail...

...then I would contend there might be some cause for shame. Maybe not if you're simply publishing your work for the purpose of sharing with friends and family. But when one takes it upon oneself to market to the world at large, I think you're putting yourself out there for critique and criticism, just like a published author. If those unkind words come, well...

The author might just have earned them. Don't you think?

When I speak to aspiring authors about writing, I ask them to take "The Embarrassment Test." I say,

"If you've never come across an old piece of your writing and gone red in the face with embarrassment remembering that you actually shared this immature or highly flawed work with other people, then you probably don't yet have the necessary self critical skills to be a professional writer."

I still stand by that. (And I hope that's okay with you!)

Thanks for a terrific contribution.

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