THE INDIE LABEL
Today, Nathan Bransford asked who deserves the "indie" label - self-published authors or independent publishers.
We answered:
Shelfstealers is a new, independent publisher with 15 books, and looking for 35 more before we launch in 2012, but we don't call ourselves an 'indie' publisher.
One reason is that self-published authors have usurped the 'indie' label in their efforts to escape the 'self-published' stigma. We believe they would usurp whatever new label the independent publishers might choose.
A second reason is that the quality of books published by independent publishers varies almost as widely as the quality of self-published books.
So what's an independent publisher to do?
We believe we must develop a brand that is identified with good books, i.e., we must earn the respect of the reading public by inextricably linking the Shelfstealers' name with the names of our authors and their good books.
Each of our books, even books previously published by the majors (one of which was short-listed for the Canadian Governor General's Award for English Fiction) goes through a rigorous editing process. Does this mean readers will like all our books? Of course not, because readers' tastes are varied.
In the past, readers rarely sought the publisher's name in their search for books to buy. Word-of-mouth is still the most powerful marketing tool in a publisher's tool kit, and will likely become even more powerful with the decline of bricks and mortar chains. Some things don't change.
What might change, however - and we can't predict the future any better than anyone else - is that readers may seek more ways to sift the chaff from the wheat, and one of those ways might well be a publisher's reputation for good books.
In other words, the only label we hope to control is our own name.
Sincerely,
Sheryl J. Dunn
Chief Thief (a.k.a. CEO)
www.shelfstealers.com
Shelfstealers is a new, independent publisher with 15 books, and looking for 35 more before we launch in 2012, but we don't call ourselves an 'indie' publisher.
One reason is that self-published authors have usurped the 'indie' label in their efforts to escape the 'self-published' stigma. We believe they would usurp whatever new label the independent publishers might choose.
A second reason is that the quality of books published by independent publishers varies almost as widely as the quality of self-published books.
So what's an independent publisher to do?
We believe we must develop a brand that is identified with good books, i.e., we must earn the respect of the reading public by inextricably linking the Shelfstealers' name with the names of our authors and their good books.
Each of our books, even books previously published by the majors (one of which was short-listed for the Canadian Governor General's Award for English Fiction) goes through a rigorous editing process. Does this mean readers will like all our books? Of course not, because readers' tastes are varied.
In the past, readers rarely sought the publisher's name in their search for books to buy. Word-of-mouth is still the most powerful marketing tool in a publisher's tool kit, and will likely become even more powerful with the decline of bricks and mortar chains. Some things don't change.
What might change, however - and we can't predict the future any better than anyone else - is that readers may seek more ways to sift the chaff from the wheat, and one of those ways might well be a publisher's reputation for good books.
In other words, the only label we hope to control is our own name.
Sincerely,
Sheryl J. Dunn
Chief Thief (a.k.a. CEO)
www.shelfstealers.com
DO LABELS MATTER?
I think they do. Ask anyone who has acquired an undeserved and negative label: slut or player, thief or liar, flighty or gold-digger, or a host of epithets many people so easily apply to others in the absence of the facts. Those labels can hurt feelings, and they can damage reputations almost irreparably.
The opposite is also true: people can acquire a stellar reputation that is unearned.
No one can control, or even know, what others really think of us. Even our best and loyal friends can say unkind or thoughtless words about us, and when those words are repeated, they are often believed.
So, what does an individual or a company do in a world that isn't fair and where justice seems unattainable?
I think you carry on living your life and running your business the best way you know how, and especially in a way that's consistent with your true values, not because anyone else, including God (if there is one), will reward you, but simply because you won't find peace or happiness any other way.
So, labels? Who cares?
Do you?
Sheryl J. Dunn, Founder and CEO for Shelfstealers, wrote this post, and takes full responsibility for its content, typos, lack of clarity, tone, boredom-quotient, and lack of originality.
I enjoy the honesty of the Shelfstealers' blog. The content is tight and to the point and wastes no words.
ReplyDeleteI am thrilled to see the world changing in regards to publishing and self-publishing. Authors need other choices and possibilities. I am proud to belong to the Shelfstealers team. Kaye Linden