The wrong question

I had an event on Saturday, April 24, that I'd forgotten about until a reminder popped up in my calendar. Thank goodness for reminders! The event, originally scheduled for December, was postponed and rescheduled. Since my son's death in January, I've been hard pressed to remember darned near anything. "Grief brain," you know.

I decided to go, leaving the house at 5:45 AM to drive three hours to Toledo, Ohio. Along the way, my cell phone-cum-GPS died, which necessitated a quick detour to purchase a new charging cord. That helped, but I fear the old iPhone is on its last legs anyway.

I arrived on time and set up by the 9:00 AM deadline the organizer specified. The event didn't open until 10:00. Most of the vendors participating didn't arrive until after 9:00, so I sat at my table and watched with mild curiosity as to what wares they brought. I purchased a package of rooibos tea from the vendor next to me.

Then the doors opened and patrons trickled in. A deejay played music. Loudly. Occasionally, someone would stop by my table and ask, "How did you get into writing?" or "Did you write all these books?"

"I've always been a storyteller," I answered. "And, yes, I wrote all those books."

To steer the conversation back to the shopper's preferences, I shouted over the volume of the music, loud conversations at other vendor tables, and muffling effect of the face mask, "What do you like to read?"

The conversation sometimes continued with the shopper's genre preferences, but just as often led to the next question, "How much does it cost to be published?"

I'm sure they didn't mean to insult me by insinuating that my work isn't good enough to be published unless I pay for its publication. At least the mask I wore covered my face in case I couldn't hide the twinge of annoyance I felt at the inquiry.

Publishing is a business; for many authors, it's a hobby they hope will earn income. Because of the difference in mindset, publishers (and literary agents) don't publish anything they aren't convinced will turn a profit. Just because a traditional publisher rejects a story doesn't necessarily mean it's not good. Sometimes a story's genre isn't in their wheelhouse. (That happens with a lot of genre-spanning literature: it can't be neatly categorized.) Sometimes a story doesn't fit their audience. (That happens with an author doesn't review and heed the submission guidelines.) Sometimes the deciding editor's just having a bad hair day.

Regardless, I answered the question with probably more detail than the shopper wanted. Self-published authors don't "pay to be published." They pay for the services that produce a professional product. Some authors pay ghostwriters to write for them: they have the idea, but not the skill, motivation, inclination, or time to produce the story. Smart authors pay editors to help them refine their work, to improve it, to tighten the language, find the plot holes, and fix the errors. Other authors pay graphic designers to format their manuscripts and design their book covers. These services, especially editing and design, are crucial for producing work that meets professional standards.

A handful of authors pay coaches to guide them through the publishing process or to manage the publishing process for them. Authors even buy ISBN numbers from the Library of Congress. And, of course, they pay for marketing and advertising.

(By the way, I do provide those services: ghostwriting, editing, book formatting, and assisted publishing. Authors keep their copyrights and receive all royalties.)

But savvy authors don't pay to be published. The publisher receives income as a percentage of book sales paid to authors.

That bears repeating: authors don't pay publishers; publishers pay authors. The other services are just that--services that help authors put their best work in front of the world.

The question arises from ignorance and ignorance can be corrected. As for publishing, anyone can be published. Whether one produces a good book worth paying to read is a matter of time, skill, talent, and professionalism.

Every word counts.

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