I was at an author event last night, run by my local library,

and a woman who writes science fiction

– like me –

was talking to me about my experiences with getting published.

When I asked if she considered self-publishing

she recoiled in horror –

the expression on her face was plainly telling

but she backed up her reaction with,

“Oh, no. I want to make sure my book is of high quality and respected.”

I was flabbergasted.

I mean, I’ve always known that there’s still a stigma

on self-published books and those authors who choose to go that route,

and I’m aware that some writers have goals of publishing traditionally

or not at all.

But this wasn’t a glass half-empty/half-full

kind of perception here…

This woman honestly thought that the quality of her book would suffer

if she tried to self-publish.

Her narrow understanding of the industry and how it’s actually the individual authors’ choice

to make a well-edited, formatted, and eye-catching cover

or not

is what’s causing the hesitancy of suppliers and professional book reviewers alike

to degrade and back-talk all self-published works.

Her perception was due to

ignorance.

But not everyone has the same goals

or does the same research into their writing career.

I knew there was no changing her mind and the only reason she bought my book

was the fact that I did publish traditionally

and she believed

that meant a higher quality of product.

~

How has perception of book quality shaped your beliefs about the publishing world?

Categories: Notables

Tags: C.S. Lewis, editing, glass half-empty, glass half-full, industry standards, notable, perception, publishing, publishing industry, quote, self-publishing, traditional publishing, writing