I've decided to take some time off from being an author. I've had it up-to-here with the state of the publishing world right now. I've gone three publishing routes throughout my career: self publishing, traditional publishing through a major house (Kensington) and traditionally through a smaller house (Anexander). Perhaps one day I'll blog on the pros and cons of all three, but today it's more of a big picture thing.Personally, I'm frustrated that bells and whistles outsell those with true talent and passion for the art. Authors who know how to "grind" are winning and real talent is falling by the wayside. Have you ever read a book from one of these "bestselling" authors that are all over the media and wondered "who the hell reads this crap and actually likes it?" Now, I am not throwing shade at certain genres. It has nothing to do with the subject matter, moreso it has to do with the writing itself being lackluster. It's like these reality stars...Snooki is a household name from being on TV but what about the actors that went to performing arts school and would give their right arm for the attention that the media and society pay someone like Snooki? But the Snooki's and Kardashian's of the publishing world are winning. I am not mad at their branding or grinding but much like these reality stars, what are they really famous for? Certainly not talent...
Let's be clear, I am not excluding myself from this judgment!! When I first hit the scene I was so consumed with being a published author that I didn't take the time to find my voice, learn the craft, or learn the biz...nothing! I just threw in drama after drama and thought it made for a good read. I saved up enough money and voila! I was a published author! My self publishing grinding paid off because my deal with Kensington just fell into my lap. Two book deal? It was a dream come true. So they bought the rights to my first book and I pumped out another adrenaline filled story for them. Third deal was easy too, almost the same drill. (I find that many aspiring authors have the same stars in their eyes that I did. They're so eager to become published that they don't put the writing first!)
Let's not even mention the poor editing, exploitive book covers, etc., nowadays. UGH...
So I'm taking my hat out of the ring for a minute. I will never quit writing because it's my passion. However the last thing on my mind is another publishing deal. I'm putting the quality and integrity of my work first, getting it on shelves last. I am very proud of my first three books, but I guess with age comes a sense of wanting to be better and the desire to really push myself. I will return, and I will continue to be one of those grinding and branding authors but next time it will be well earned :-)
