Am I embittered?

Yesterday, on that brouhaha over at a writer’s forum, when I offended the sensitivities of one published writer, by my article on self-publishing, one of her supporters accused me of being bitter. Or was it embittered?

Her reasoning of course, was the fact that my editorial pulled the pedestal from under traditional publishers, figuratively. My words were a bit blunt and snotty.

It’s not that I have a loathing of traditional publishers, I am just not particularly impressed. That doesn’t mean I am not impressed by a writer’s accomplishment when being published by a traditional publisher.

Actually, if the writer is able to get published by their own merits, meaning they aren’t already a popular movie star (or related to one), or a relative or lover of the publisher, then I am very impressed. It is an amazing accomplishment.

Back to that bitter thing.

If a writer composes a passionate (or ranting) editorial on sexual child abuse or spousal abuse, some readers might assume the writer is writing from personal experience. But, that is not always so. I had a non-traumatic childhood (don’t tell Mom, I like to occasionally guilt her out), and my husband of 32 years doesn’t even kick the cat. Not even when the shedding beast climbs into Don’s chair. Don, by the way, is very allergic to cats.

My point being (if I can find it again) is that if I write an editorial on either of those topics, it could definitely become rant like. Not all editorial expressions stem from some deep emotional trauma or bitterness. (Actually, I have written on those subjects.)

If I can’t muster up any festering bitterness over the Chemehuevi Tribe, and their Council’s shameful treatment of my family, why would I have any personal bitterness towards traditional publishing?

So what is my deep, dark, resentment towards traditional publishing? Why do I resent them so?

I suppose it is about the same reason my husband refuses to go to the movies with me. He believes movie stars are paid an obscene amount of money, while their fans are forced to pay high prices at the box office. Does this mean my husband had a secret desire to be a movie star, and now resents those super rich actors?

No. It means he is tired about hearing every gory detail concerning the movie star’s life, much of it sordid and disgraceful. Simply put, he doesn’t respect the entertainment industry. Bitterness is not part of the equation.

But what about me? I do self-publish my own books, via our company Robeth Publishing. Isn’t there some hidden resentment? Am I jealous of those big guys? The “real” publishers? Don’t I have stacks of rejection letters, that have been sent to me over the years, making me feel unloved, unappreciated and bitter?

Nahhh….I just like to rant occasionally. Can’t you tell?

Actually, during my lifetime I have sent a few manuscripts off to traditional publishers. And those rejection slips? I deserved them. The books needed a lot of work.

The first book I wrote was written in the 8th grade. Not a bad accomplishment for a kid, and it was a little less than a hundred pages. The story wasn’t bad. But, it was written by a teenager with poor grammar and spelling. (You think my grammar is bad now, you should have read me as a Freshman!) I never sent that book off to a publisher. After all, I was not a child prodigy, but I was smart enough to know it would be a waste of postage.

The second book I wrote was a re-write of the screenplay I wrote for a college course. I was pretty happy with the re-write. Unfortunately, I misplace the completed manuscript during a move, and the idea of doing a new re-write, from my notes and draft, isn’t on my current to do list.

The third book I finished was in the league of those 1980’s Harlequin novels. Definitely not a literary gem, but could hold its own with similar published works. By the time I was willing to give a publisher a try, the company began reorganizing and submission requirements changed. I delayed in pursuing a publisher, and as time elapsed, I realized the story line was outdated, considering the changing morals of our society. Back then virginity was a big issue in those early generic bodice rippers, sold on the discount shelves at K-Mart. I enjoyed the books, and writing one was fun. But is it marketable in today’s world? No.

A year later Robeth Publishing was up and running, and publishing a monthly community magazine. The project kept me pretty busy. While I had several employees and contributing writers, I was busy writing articles on history, nature, local government. There was no time for writing fiction, or even books of nonfiction.

When we moved back to Havasu to assume management of Havasu Palms, when my dad became terminally ill, our magazine was sold and our time was occupied with running the resort. Dad died in 1992, and we continued to manage Havasu Palms for another seven years.

In 1995 I wanted to pay tribute to my father, so I wrote the brief history of Havasu Palms, the oldest resort on Lake Havasu, entitled Where the Road Ends. I never considered a traditional publisher, there was too limited an appeal.

A few years later I wrote Lessons, a contemporary romance. I sent off several inquiries to agents, and to be expected, garnered no real interest. Yet, I don’t think I sent out a dozen letters, if even that. I’ve heard all those stories about well known authors who get hundreds of rejections before getting published. As persistent as I am in other areas, the process bored me.

Lessons was accepted by an eBook publisher, and I decided to give it a shot. They designed the cover, and performed typical publisher’s marketing chores, yet not very well. Fellow authors began complaining about the company, and soon many of us were jumping ship.

So, I rereleased Lessons through EbookAd, which allowed me to self-publish the book. I was happy with the results. Unfortunately, EBookAd had some issues with PayPal, which reportedly led to the demise of the company. Or so went the rumors.

Since 1999 my writing and publishing is focused online. I’m publishing another community magazine, this one online. And I’ve published several books. These are projects that are dear to my heart.

And traditional publishers, how do they figure in all this? They really don’t.

So why the tone of the article, that made some believe I was embittered?

Simply put (or repeated) I don’t especially respect the trade publishing industry as the embodiment of quality literature. It is a business, nothing more, nothing less.

Let me give you an example of just one reason I feel this way.

I have a favorite romance author. I have always loved her work, and have read most of her books. (She shall go nameless) After I finished one of her epics, I was so moved by the story, and compelled to write her a letter. I never write those kinds of letters.

She sent me back a nice thank you note, which I tucked into the covers of the book.

So, when she released a trilogy, telling the “rest of the story” of three characters from the epic, I raced to the book store, unable to contain my excitement at being able to read more of her fascinating story.

Boy was I disappointed! The books were nothing more than the publisher’s attempt to cash in on the excitement of the original novel. I suspect they hired ghost writers. The books were bland, lifeless, and someone with good grammar and sentence structure, yet no creative writing ability, threw the books together over a long weekend.

If my once favorite author did write the books, then it’s time she get out of the profession.

For me, it's an example that traditional publishers frequently publish crap, just as self-publishers are accused of doing the same. Many care nothing about literature, just money. But that’s okay, they are a business.

One final note, that offended author claimed one reason she was so opposed to self-publishing any of her work, was that self-publishing on her resume would be a black mark against her, and the publishers would no longer take her seriously.

Bullshit. If a publisher finds a self-published, talented writer that is MARKETABLE, someone they can make money from, do you think they will walk away? If they can make a buck from a successful writer who already has a following, it wouldn’t make business sense to shun her.

Of course, I imagine there are traditional publishers who encourage this line of thinking. After all, with the rapid changes in technology and the internet, other publishing industries are already suffering.

Someday there may be a new breed of self-publishers, who are savvy enough with production, editing and marketing, who will no longer need the traditional publisher or the archaic marketing practices of a changing industry.