Publishing Pitfalls

It's tragic and disheartening to hear when traditional publishing doesn't adhere to their contract to promote an author's book properly or even put it in their lists of new releases, etc. I've heard and witnessed this happening, and I always wonder what they are thinking, shooting their own foot in such a way. It makes authors leery to go to trad publishing company with their book, wondering if the company will do as promised, and knwoing what limited options there are if they fail to put in the effort because they have already moved on to try to grab what they think the reading market wants.

And in my unhumble opinion, I don't think traditional publishing has any clue what readers want. I'm not sure they ever really did. They just got lucky here and there.

And we have all heard the horror stories of the Damn-azon and how they treat their authors, how they will not pay them even though they keep their books on their market, how there's a huge slush pile of AI mixed in, and other atrocities that degrade the book market. And honestly, a good writer would do better to get a few people's Kofi tips anymore. They would make more wiht a few dollars form readers than what they would on Amazon. The success stories are far more rare.

Recently, the what-pad (yes, I'm misspelling on purpose) has also seen a huge migration of writers to other platforms because they've tightened up their adult writing allowances. I actually don't mind a platform tightening their policies at times to avoid abuses or being tied up in lawsuits, but it does show another platform that, yet again, does not know how to manage and market to their reader's interests.

Understand, I've never been on what-pad, because I was never interested in playing the algorythm/popularity game. I want to be able to find and read what I wish, and the site never allowed that. I have also heard too much about the demands and self-entitlement of the reader base, and I am not sure I can remain polite to people telling me what to write when it's as simple for them to click on something else to read. (Reader Karens make so little sense to me.)

Things like this are why so many writers are turning to indie publishing. The big names in entertainment, not just for books, but film and music as well, are continually indulging in unsustainable practices. It's more than their not keeping integrity with their contributing artists, either. They push money into bombs and then fail to promote true gems, or overpromote to the point they add to the invevitable negative figures.

Which is why readers and watchers are turning to Indie markets as well. If an industry cannot provide what they want to consume, they will search for other options. As readers especially hunt for venues that don't cater to AI, they turn to these smaller markets to find real creative works.

As the climate around art continually evolves, artists must as well. We must keep a close eye on the changes, the new nebulous markets, consider all options, and adapt accordingly.

In closing--there is no wrong to publish you creative work, be it trad, platform, indie, etc. But be smart. Be educated. And know your options.

Write feral, corvids.