It has been a while since I have had a good rant so I think its past time that I do one. As you know I am a huge social media person. Not only as 'Author Ashley Nemer' but as my regular 'Ashley' self. I love following the celebrities that make me laugh and that I grew up with. Or the authors that I read and even other random things that just make me laugh.
But sadly I am noticing a trend and it isn't making me extremely excited to be apart of the Social Media Culture that is becoming the masses.
So what is it that I am talking about, I bet you wonder... I'm not even sure what to call it exactly because it is an array of things. So I am just going to focus my rant down to one category...Authors.
For those of you who do not keep up with the 'author drama' that goes on in the industry there are few different variation of professional authors. (For the purpose of this blog, the definition of professional author is someone who gets paid to write regardless of the source.) You have your traditional authors, small press, indie authors, and then the hybrid. Some quick definitions ...
Traditional - Authors who have taken their polished manuscript and either through their own courage or with the help of a manager or agent, had their works published through a large publishing company. I.E. Harper Collins, Penguin, Harlequin, etc.
Small Press -Same as traditional except their publishing houses are smaller in revenue size and author representation.
Indie Publishing -Authors who publish their finished manuscripts themselves at various outlets for purchasing
Hybrid -Authors who are both indie published and have one or more of the others mixed in.
Now you might ask, why does this matter at all? Well that is what I am getting into. One of my all time favorite authors is very active on her Facebook page. She posts throughout the day, writes blogs, her books and some general entertaining things online. One day, she went on this long tyrant about what is wrong with Indie Authors.
Now this hurt me very much. Because not only am I a fan and someone who pays a lot of money for her books when they come out on release day (because they are always over $12.00 for EBOOKS!) but I am also an Indie Author. (Actually technically I am a hybrid because I have one short story with a Small Press publisher.) So I went and read all of her ridiculous reasons as to why she dislikes the Indie Revolution and how we are hurting the book world.
There were one or two points that she had that I did agree with. Indie authors can tend to through that 'Best Seller' around when we hit Amazon's top 100 list for a day or two. We also sometimes miss a few key things like 100% editing or choppy covers, but that too is getting better. As the Indie Revolution gains momentum there are becoming greater sources of outlets for us indies to gain more ways of professionalism and that rectifies the said issues over time.
But what she was having issues with is our price points. Most indie authors sell our full length novel between $1.99 and 3.99. And if you are a big book reader you know most traditional and small press books new release are anywhere from $5.99-19.99. For Ebooks mind you. Keep that in mind! So this author was upset that we indies are hurting their sales by selling our books so 'cheap'. Saying that her publisher and other 'real' authors publishers have costs they have to afford and by indies doing their books so cheap it hurts them.
Well, news flash Ms New York Times Best Selling Author, us indies have costs too! While we may not have the payroll and marketing costs your companies have, we still have things we have to pay for. We pay for the same blog tours you do. We pay for our book inventory. We pay for marketing, email and web hosting. A whole onslaught of things!
So now ... because of comments like this .. I can't read her books anymore. How can I give my hard earned $12.99 to her new release knowing she is thumbing her nose at what I work so hard at doing?
And if this wasn't bad enough then another of my favorite authors. One I have been reading with my sister since I was in high school. When Facebook opened to the general public I added her on my friends list and have been following her for quite a few years now. So obviously I have really adored her.
Then this happened. Now, I am a Republican, I registered as one, but I do not vote straight ticket Republican. I vote for who I feel is the best candidate for the job. This author posted "Anyone who doesn't like the President must be a racist."
Now, do I respect President Obama? Of course, he is our Commander and Chief. Do I like his politics? No. I don't. Life for me was better under Clinton and Bush. Now to be fair ... I was in junior high and high school through Clinton...but my parents seemed to be doing better!
But does this make me a racist that I don't agree with our current President? No! Why would it? My reasons for not liking him are based on the policies and actions he does! This angers me more than anything, it is almost like in America where we have the freedom of speech we are punished by giving a difference of opinions! UGH!
At the end of the day, where does this leave me? Ashley, the consumer, Ashley the fan?
Avoiding Social Media. Why would I want to follow the people I love when the more I get to know them the more they disgust me? I like the idea of people being perfect and just like me. I can hold a book in my hand and imagine the author is just like me. Then come to find out they are some crazy radical political movement pusher who can't stop throwing their beliefs up in your face.
ANNOYING!
And thus, causing me to rant.
I am a very opinionated woman. I am not shy in stating how I am feeling or thinking on a certain issue. But you know what ... I always try to keep in mind people do not all think like me and my opinions, as much as I am entitled to them, do not need to be shoved down people's throats day in and day out.
While I might only be a tiny Indie Author ... I am really begging all of the authors I
have come to love and feel as apart of my cultural upbringing to please, keep your damn opinions to yourself! Or at least ... not as freaking often!
Okay ... Rant Over.
What do you think ... Am I crazy or do you agree?
But sadly I am noticing a trend and it isn't making me extremely excited to be apart of the Social Media Culture that is becoming the masses.
So what is it that I am talking about, I bet you wonder... I'm not even sure what to call it exactly because it is an array of things. So I am just going to focus my rant down to one category...Authors.
For those of you who do not keep up with the 'author drama' that goes on in the industry there are few different variation of professional authors. (For the purpose of this blog, the definition of professional author is someone who gets paid to write regardless of the source.) You have your traditional authors, small press, indie authors, and then the hybrid. Some quick definitions ...
Traditional - Authors who have taken their polished manuscript and either through their own courage or with the help of a manager or agent, had their works published through a large publishing company. I.E. Harper Collins, Penguin, Harlequin, etc.
Small Press -Same as traditional except their publishing houses are smaller in revenue size and author representation.
Indie Publishing -Authors who publish their finished manuscripts themselves at various outlets for purchasing
Hybrid -Authors who are both indie published and have one or more of the others mixed in.
Now you might ask, why does this matter at all? Well that is what I am getting into. One of my all time favorite authors is very active on her Facebook page. She posts throughout the day, writes blogs, her books and some general entertaining things online. One day, she went on this long tyrant about what is wrong with Indie Authors.
Now this hurt me very much. Because not only am I a fan and someone who pays a lot of money for her books when they come out on release day (because they are always over $12.00 for EBOOKS!) but I am also an Indie Author. (Actually technically I am a hybrid because I have one short story with a Small Press publisher.) So I went and read all of her ridiculous reasons as to why she dislikes the Indie Revolution and how we are hurting the book world.
There were one or two points that she had that I did agree with. Indie authors can tend to through that 'Best Seller' around when we hit Amazon's top 100 list for a day or two. We also sometimes miss a few key things like 100% editing or choppy covers, but that too is getting better. As the Indie Revolution gains momentum there are becoming greater sources of outlets for us indies to gain more ways of professionalism and that rectifies the said issues over time.
But what she was having issues with is our price points. Most indie authors sell our full length novel between $1.99 and 3.99. And if you are a big book reader you know most traditional and small press books new release are anywhere from $5.99-19.99. For Ebooks mind you. Keep that in mind! So this author was upset that we indies are hurting their sales by selling our books so 'cheap'. Saying that her publisher and other 'real' authors publishers have costs they have to afford and by indies doing their books so cheap it hurts them.
Well, news flash Ms New York Times Best Selling Author, us indies have costs too! While we may not have the payroll and marketing costs your companies have, we still have things we have to pay for. We pay for the same blog tours you do. We pay for our book inventory. We pay for marketing, email and web hosting. A whole onslaught of things!
So now ... because of comments like this .. I can't read her books anymore. How can I give my hard earned $12.99 to her new release knowing she is thumbing her nose at what I work so hard at doing?
And if this wasn't bad enough then another of my favorite authors. One I have been reading with my sister since I was in high school. When Facebook opened to the general public I added her on my friends list and have been following her for quite a few years now. So obviously I have really adored her.
Then this happened. Now, I am a Republican, I registered as one, but I do not vote straight ticket Republican. I vote for who I feel is the best candidate for the job. This author posted "Anyone who doesn't like the President must be a racist."
Now, do I respect President Obama? Of course, he is our Commander and Chief. Do I like his politics? No. I don't. Life for me was better under Clinton and Bush. Now to be fair ... I was in junior high and high school through Clinton...but my parents seemed to be doing better!
But does this make me a racist that I don't agree with our current President? No! Why would it? My reasons for not liking him are based on the policies and actions he does! This angers me more than anything, it is almost like in America where we have the freedom of speech we are punished by giving a difference of opinions! UGH!
At the end of the day, where does this leave me? Ashley, the consumer, Ashley the fan?
Avoiding Social Media. Why would I want to follow the people I love when the more I get to know them the more they disgust me? I like the idea of people being perfect and just like me. I can hold a book in my hand and imagine the author is just like me. Then come to find out they are some crazy radical political movement pusher who can't stop throwing their beliefs up in your face.
ANNOYING!
And thus, causing me to rant.
I am a very opinionated woman. I am not shy in stating how I am feeling or thinking on a certain issue. But you know what ... I always try to keep in mind people do not all think like me and my opinions, as much as I am entitled to them, do not need to be shoved down people's throats day in and day out.
While I might only be a tiny Indie Author ... I am really begging all of the authors I
have come to love and feel as apart of my cultural upbringing to please, keep your damn opinions to yourself! Or at least ... not as freaking often!
Okay ... Rant Over.
What do you think ... Am I crazy or do you agree?
Wow, I can see your points. Honestly, when I got into writing and publishing, I was surprised to see how little some authors charged for their books compared to others. I tend to believe we undervalue ourselves as small press/indie/hybrid authors. We work hard to produce a quality piece of work. Why should we sell it for only a $1 (or heck, sometimes free)? I don't have the answers. I just have to remember that when I write, I write for myself and no one else. Heck, there's an 80,000 word novel sitting on my old computer. Just sitting there. Would be a perfect Harlequin novel, if I polished it up a bit. But then I have to decide whether to submit it or publish it myself and to tell you the truth, both options seem like too much work anymore.
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