[...] article Real Authors and the Paradox of Desktop Publishing inspired a spirited discussion on [...]

[...] article Real Authors and the Paradox of Desktop Publishing inspired a spirited discussion on [...]

Now just because you are an author doesn’t make you great or even good. Everyone needs time to hone their craft and put in their 10,000 hours of training and learning.

However in a commercial society we let the marketplace be the judge of the value of your efforts. A hack may become a billionaire while a great writer dies in poverty. No one says the world is just.

I love self publishing and think it’s great that I don’t have to wait for someone to validate what I have to say.

I also wish there were more great books (I am an avid reader) but in the meanwhile, I will wait for the cream to rise to the top.

Thanks for letting me comment!

Bernie Malonson

[...] Real Authors and the Paradox of Desktop Publishing [...]

[...] could anyone become a real author without knowing what real authors [...]

[...] discussed the varying values of an Ebook. Second, a few weeks ago, Men With Pens were discussing Real Authors.  Harry said, “If you write, you’re a writer. If you have a blog, consider yourself published. [...]

dcr’s last blog post..The Great Vanishing of the Experts

[...] any hack with a self-publishing program can pump out a book and have it sold on Amazon. Such is the paradox of desktop publishing. What’s “real” [...]

Recently I read about Cell Phone Books–ewww.

In Japan, five of the top selling books were cell phone books and one was made into a hard cover that sold 400,000 copies.

When I ran a group for writers I always hosted guest authors and publishers. Then I had to start screening author submissions because many were so poorly written–and most not edited. They tended to be self-published, vanity publishing houses, or print on demand (POD).

I think in some cases, such as specialty books or backlisted titles out of print, POD and other models might be a great thing.

However, people dream of having their books published and don’t want to got through the work of earning the reward. Hence an abundance of poor material.

Case in point, one of the local writers hooked up with a new “publisher” (someone who decided to use POD to make money off writers wanting to be published).

The local bookstore asked me about it and I shared my concerns. Sure enough, bad reports are circulating through town. I knew both the “publisher” and the striving writer–neither of which I considered to be at a level to be putting material out on the market.

Personally, I look at main publishing houses for the books I purchase because they screen, edit, and then edit some more. The book might not be your cup of tea–but it is at least gone through a filtering process.

It is hard enough to be published–and today it is harder for those who are published by legitimate houses to make contact with local booksellers because of the crap circulating.

Online things are getting really out of hand. People claim expertise just because they put out an ebook–some are great but more seem to be a waste of time and money.

The solution? You tell me!

Diana L Guerrero’s last blog post..Branding: A Business Slideshow

Cheers to being a new blogger, and I wish you many fruitful posts to come.