And now for the news!
This week in the world of self-publishing:
If you’ve ever wondered about the peculiar and wonderful niche works that self-publishing makes possible, this article from Tom Seymour for the British Journal of Photography on October 4th might provide an insight. Seymour follows the work of Czech photographer Stanislav Bříza, who self-publishes through a platform called “BFLMPSVZ” (which we’re assuming either stands for something or operates on an Eastern European pronunciation with which we’re not as familiar as we’d like to be). According to Seymour, Bříza uses the edgy possibilities of the indie universe to publish a “chronicle of a joint road trip through America, and through the dark recesses of a relationship ‘that goes beyond the confines of the road,'” here quoting Bříza himself:
The series documents what is very much the liberated youthful dream of discovering the continent itself of America – a photo diary of the pair as they hitchhiked, ate wild mushrooms, slept under the sky, or, when that got too much, gorged on McDonalds or checked into the relative luxury of cheap roadside motels.
But the trip was about H, and her struggle with her body that, at times, felt like it could threaten her very life. “Her problems were crucial for the whole journey, her life and our relationship,” Stanislav says.
The female body has long been an object of the male gaze in print media, but as Bříza notes (through Seymour), going indie offers the chance to break the accepted perspective and offer fresh insights into the sometimes disturbing realities of life. For more of Seymour’s piece on Bříza and H. and the vagaries of their publishing choices, follow the link. (It’s fascinating!)
“We all wear masks, whether to seem more corporate in the workplace by covering up tribal tattoos or simply to fit in with friends by pretending to like EDM music that you actually hate,” writes Rebecca Brown in this September 27th article for PopSugar. Brown, who began writing her memoir eight years ago but only reached the point of publication earlier this year, decided to go indie after facing an all-too-familiar routine from the traditional publishing institution: rejection, followed by the cold shoulder. Even after reaching a breaking point with this system, however, Brown wasn’t automatically drawn to self-publishing. She admits: “Self-publishing felt like a huge failure.” But she grew past this knee-jerk reaction to disappointment to reach a more comprehensive revelation: “My end goal was to share my work with the world — or some minuscule fraction of the world — and while Simon & Schuster would have been an incredible resource to help usher the project through, I didn’t have to have them. If my goal was really just to publish a book, I had the resources to do it.”
And so do you! For the rest of Brown’s excellent piece, including insight into dealing with the most common fears associated with going indie, access the original article here.
As a self-publishing author, you may find it helpful to stay up-to-date on the trends and news related to the self-publishing industry. This will help you make informed decisions before, during and after the self-publishing process, which will lead to a greater self-publishing experience. To help you stay current on self-publishing topics, simply visit our blog every Monday to find out the hottest news. If you have other big news to share, please comment below.
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