Orna Ross, the founder of the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), followed Nicola Solomon with a careful endorsement of “every single word Nicola said” in an outspoken display of solidarity among authors represented by ALLi and the Society of Authors.
Still, the two pathways to publication are different, Ross said, because they involve different mindsets. Her talk was titled “Why Every Author Should Self-Publish,” and she outlined three very distinct types of self-publishing authors.
“The first are those who are choosing to write for family and friends. They could have their writing on Wattpad or [other] social sites. But they’re primarily there for the writing” as opposed to writing for profit. “Their work is a noble endeavor” and “any snobbery is ill-judged.”
The second type are author-publishers, who are beginning to think about reaching readers and making money. “They’re not sure what they’re doing, and they need loads of help and support. Indie publishing is sometimes criticized for being too supportive and not critical enough.… It’s not that we don’t see the mistakes. Actually we love mistakes. Mistakes are how we learn; we’re in a creative environment. We do see those mistakes, but we know that they’re not half as important as the motivation and support that’s needed to create a good book and publish it well.”
The third type are indie authors. “We don’t talk about ‘hybrid authors.’ I am a hybrid—no. I am an indie—yes.… It’s a mindset more than anything. It’s a change of attitude. We don’t call ourselves ‘indie’ just to borrow from film or music to be cool, but because independence is core to what we do. Independence and being independently minded is the necessary quality for success. So what is the indie mindset? Publication over validation. We realize that publishing is not someone saying. ‘You are good enough to be out there.’ Publication is seven processes you need to get right to publish well: editorial, design, production, distribution, marketing, promotion, and rights licensing.… It’s understanding that you are the owner of intellectual property.”
Ross commented on the frequent criticism that self-publishing has unleashed a tidal wave of low-quality work. She said, “We’re not afraid of the fact that there are loads and loads of books coming on-stream.… They don’t clog up the market as some people say. They don’t actually prevent people from finding the books they want. We’re seeing that the opposite is the case. We’re seeing that people are reading more because they’re in formats that people want to read…. There’s a symbiosis between the writer and the reader that is enhanced when there are fewer middle people.”
Bottom line: Ross stressed that she genuinely believes that every writer should self-publish at least once “to know what it feels like, to understand.” She added that a part of ALLi’s work is evaluating author services and bringing clarity and transparency to such outfits as Author Solutions. She said, “We see that their income is falling, and we welcome that because they’re in the business of selling books to authors rather than selling books to readers. The Cinderella complex doesn’t work for authors. There is no magic bullet.”
Editor’s note: This issue of The Hot Sheet is dedicated to coverage of Author Day in London. Author Day took place on Monday (November 30) as part of the fifth annual FutureBook Conference, Europe’s largest publishing conference.
Author Day was not focused on writing tips or inspirational goals, but on industry and business challenges, and it was limited in size to about 100 delegates, 20 speakers, and 15 staff members.
The concept of trust is the fundamental issue that arose from the Author Day discussions. From many trade authors’ mistrust of royalty statements they can’t read to many indie authors’ mistrust of agents and editors, we witnessed severe—even crippling—gaps in trust between virtually any parts of the industry you might study.
The stories and comments in our coverage from Author Day have not yet been published elsewhere and point to key issues that affect the author experience.
Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Established in 2015, her newsletter The Bottom Line provides nuanced market intelligence to thousands of authors and industry professionals; in 2023, she was named Publishing Commentator of the Year by Digital Book World.
Jane’s expertise regularly features in major media outlets such as The New York Times, The Atlantic, NPR, The Today Show, Wired, The Guardian, Fox News, and BBC. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, Second Edition (The University of Chicago Press), is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs. She reaches thousands through speaking engagements and workshops at diverse venues worldwide, including NYU’s Advanced Publishing Institute, Frankfurt Book Fair, and numerous MFA programs.
