Albert Einstein was quoted as saying:
As I consider this very simple of Theory of Insanity which requires no advanced degree, abacus, slide rule or computer, it confounds me that I seem not to grasp the principle. In thinking about my life lately, I realize that there are certain things that I have been doing over and over, always expecting that somehow I’ll have a more favorable outcome.But Einstein was right. Do the same thing. Get the same result. Always.
“So what to do?” I ask myself. Shake things up somehow? Try something different? I’m conservative by nature, so rocking the boat is not normally my thing, unless injustice is involved. I can’t stand to see people abuse power.
“So where shall I start making changes in my life?” I ask myself yet again this very cold not yet Spring morning.
Let’s start with the writing gig. So many changes are happening in the industry so quickly. The supposedly tried and true way of climbing the publishing ladder – the NYC print publishers – are taking a bit of a rocking lately with book store issues and the defection of writers like Barry Eisler to indie publishing.
Not that I recommend that approach to those who have not been previously published. Eisler had an established following, something which the average unpublished writer does not and before someone tosses out the Amanda Hocking story, just remember that for every Amanda Hocking there are thousands of writers who spend thousands of dollars self-publishing and get nowhere. Hocking is to be admired for her perseverance and determination, but ultimately she chose a six figure deal with a NYC publisher so that she could write instead of being a promotion machine.
But in the case of a published author, is the now titled “indie” publishing a viable option? And if it is, what is the price point for an indie book?
Would you spend 99 cents on such a novel? If you liked the work, would you then make the jump to pay $5 or $6 or even $8 dollars for the next work by that author.
I’d love to hear your thoughts as this writer considers breaking free from Einstein’s Theory of Insanity.