tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2981939676968481781.post2297889220745435541..comments2023-10-30T04:54:14.546-04:00Comments on Diana Kimball: Paper Houses: Vanity, Doubt, and the Perils of Self-PublishingUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2981939676968481781.post-64899839760508054702009-07-08T07:58:20.863-04:002009-07-08T07:58:20.863-04:00As a still idealistic 85 year old when Lulu arrive...As a still idealistic 85 year old when Lulu arrived I thought 'Ah! At last. Vanity publishing is doomed.' (It isn't of course because of the remaining timidity about formatting etc of many would be 'authors'.) Here for no cost other than that of any copy you ordered was your book printed (and formatted!) according to your intentions. Unedited, of course. But then at 85 the arrogance which diminishes in some ways increases in others.<br /><br /> It was and is obvious that <i>selling</i> is a different matter. The self-publisher has, at least and in most cases for ever, to self-market too. It is arguable that sale is as much the distinguishing mark of mainstream success as quality - definition of the former being universally agreed whereas any definition of the latter has been, will be and can be argued about all day. So if I was twenty I might commit myself to ISBNS and Amazon and Barnes & the Nobility of the Market Place. But the inescapable remaining fact, if income is not to be considered - and it <i>is</i> possible to write and earn ones living elsewhere - is that self-publishing allows the book to exist. At 85 I don't really care whether that's all. To be ignored, laughed at or hailed doesn't really matter to me. The books are there if anyone ever falls upon them in some extremely unlikely moment of browsing. What I am really saying is that Lulu - moving. necessarily I suppose, itself more and more to offering 'advice' if not 'editing' - and any other free self-publishing platform. probably despite itself, contains the refutation of Capitulism and the single standard of everything as a commodity. You may not sell - but you can make your own book. It's almost medieaval!Alanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11062343012246634804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2981939676968481781.post-1902142920211800682009-07-08T07:54:12.410-04:002009-07-08T07:54:12.410-04:00As a still idealistic 85 year old when Lulu arrive...As a still idealistic 85 year old when Lulu arrived I thought 'Ah! At last. Vanity publishing is doomed.' (It isn't of course because of the remaining timidity about formatting etc of many would be 'authors'.) Here for no cost other than that of any copy you ordered was your book printed (and formatted!) according to your intentions. Unedited, of course. But then at 85 the arrogance which diminishes in some ways increases in others.<br /><br /> It was and is obvious that <i>selling</i> is a different matter. The self-publisher has, at least and in most cases for ever, to self-market too. It is arguable that sale is as much the distinguishing mark of mainstream success as quality - definition of the former being universally agreed whereas any definition of the latter has been, will be and can be argued about all day. So if I was twenty I might commit myself to ISBNS and Amazon and Barnes & the Nobility of the Market Place. But the inescapable remaining fact, if income is not to be considered - and it <i>is</i> possible to write and earn ones living elsewhere - is that self-publishing allows the book to exist. At 85 I don't really care whether that's all. To be ignored, laughed at or hailed doesn't really matter to me. The books are there if anyone ever falls upon them in some extremely unlikely moment of browsing. What I am really saying is that Lulu - moving. necessarily I suppose, itself more and more to offering 'advice' if not 'editing' - and any other free self-publishing platform. probably despite itself, contains the refutation of Capitulism and the single standard of everything as a commodity. You may not sell - but you can make your own book. It's almost medieaval!Alanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11062343012246634804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2981939676968481781.post-4413625435198298852009-06-24T11:14:02.881-04:002009-06-24T11:14:02.881-04:00Well said, Diana. As the self-published author of ...Well said, Diana. As the self-published author of "Becoming Alice" I have personal experience with the problems we face. The vicious cycle is that book sellers won't stock POD books at the outset, so authors have no track record for sales in their computers, making future sales impossible. I was lucky to be able to get book signings at my local B & N to get a foot in the door. I can't complain about my book sale record, but I still get rejections for having published POD. I agree, our future is with internet sales.Alice Renehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15842421953125592364noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2981939676968481781.post-76064413640409774292009-05-31T17:51:15.287-04:002009-05-31T17:51:15.287-04:00Really enjoyed this, Diana. You are a beautiful a...Really enjoyed this, Diana. You are a beautiful and insightful writer.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04020825332943527338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2981939676968481781.post-86139621278813059682009-05-26T05:26:56.249-04:002009-05-26T05:26:56.249-04:00That's fascinating. As a photographer, I have a re...That's fascinating. As a photographer, I have a real nervousness about legitimising my work by committing it to real paper - real dead wood. (This tree died for my art!) It's also intensely liberating. There's a really valuable emotional finality in the digital age of endless re-writes and Photoshop tweaks about having work printed and on paper. <br /><br />I suppose that's one of the allures of shooting film. Having your work on paper is an intrinsic result of the process, even if the end result is often scanned, post-processed, and uploaded to the internet.<br /><br />I was interested to read <A HREF="http://rachelhulin.com/blog/2009/05/tell-me-a-bit-about.html" REL="nofollow">this blog post</A> by Rachel Hulin documenting the process of her exhibition catalogue being printed up and created by photography gear outlet Adorama's printing and self-publishing arm.Jodihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08885598777901324643noreply@blogger.com