And now for the news!
Some highlights from this month in the world of self-publishing, specifically interviews with or articles written by self-publishing authors and experts!
If you’ve spent much time browsing our blog over the last few years, you’ll know that self-publishing isn’t just a thing for authors of novels and book-length manuscripts; there are all sorts of materials that can be self-published, from music to video games to comics, and that the indie sector in all of these industries is growing at a rapid clip. This week, Nicole Herviou of Comics Verse put together a great interview with comic creator and letterer Ryan Ferrier, who has had a hand in many major “mainstream” comic franchises (including Godzilla and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) over the years, as well as a profound influence and prolific presence in the indie and self-published corners of the comic market, most notably multiple D4VE arcs and Curb Stomp, one of our personal favorites). What’s so special about this particular interview, you might ask? First of all, Ferrier’s experiences run the whole gamut of possibilities for a comic creator, and he’s not shy about talking about any of it. He also delivers some great insights into how the world of comic publishing (and self-publishing) has changed over the years, particularly in relationship to and support of creator-owned material. This is one enlightening conversation, and we highly recommend you read the whole thing if you’re at all interested in pursuing a career in comics.
One of the things we love most about running this blog is the opportunity to identify, discover, and boost the stories of authors who are finding new and unique ways to make self-publishing a part of their lives–and those lives all look very different, making for quite the diverse field of possibilities. Meet Marie Force, another author so prolific that it would take hours simply to list and describe her more than 70 books out on the market. Force is, ahem, quite a force to be reckoned with (sorry, couldn’t resist)–and after years of publishing, she’s now partnering up with Kensington Books (distributed by Penguin Random House, one of the Big Five traditional publishing houses still scraping by) in a deal that at first glance might seem to be trite, but on a closer look is anything but.
What do we mean by that? Well, there’s a common misconception that success in self-publishing–success of the kind that Force has achieved–is followed by an immediate transition to traditional publishing. Force has added Kensington to her arsenal, that’s all. In this Publisher’s Weekly press release, the traditional publishing house notes that Force “continues to see the advantages to both indie and traditional publishing models,” and that their role is to get “behind her on some previously published and forthcoming original novels,” not to replace her indie and self-published presence.* As the release notes, Force is a champion of the “personal touch,” and that extends to honoring all of her readers. As we mentioned earlier, there are as many ways to be an author as there are authors in the world.
*NOTE: Marie reached out to us on Twitter to correct a few errors in our original post. She writes: “[Q]uick point of clarification: I’ve been traditionally published, without interruption, since 2008. I’ve been with Harlequin since 2010 for the Fatal series. I’m not a self-pubbed author suddenly discovering trad publishing.” Many thanks to her for keeping us honest and right in the facts.
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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