To POD or not to POD
Last night I attended the
Beaufort writers’ workshop and met several interesting writers. Because of
another local author event, the group was small, but the dedication to writing
was there.
The question of whether to
pursue an agent or self publish came up, confirming that it’s a common issue
for writers everywhere. We don’t want to give up hope of securing an agent. On
the other hand, when we spend more time trying to get one than on writing, the
merits of self publishing become more interesting.
Self publishing isn’t an
option on par with traditional NYC publishers yet mainly because there’s a lack
of quality management regarding the manuscripts that are published. If POD
publishers could fix that, it would challenge the establishment in a major way.
In fact, I hope the day
comes when POD publishers realize a benefit from specializing, such that they
become high-end and low-end. If a POD publisher sets quality standards for what
it accepts, i.e., refuses inferior manuscripts, why couldn’t it build a
reputation with clout comparable to Random House or HarperCollins?
In workshop we critiqued a
couple of autobiographies in progress. I’m not accustomed to critiquing work
presented orally without a hard copy and had to pay close attention. Anyway,
one excerpt was by a writer who traveled in a yacht with her husband for eight
years. Another was by a writer who has experienced miraculous healing with
meditation.
Before I sign off, I was
impressed with the hospitality of St. John’s Lutheran Church on Lady’s Island.
Parishioners who were there for reasons other than writing ushered me past the
locked and coded door and into the conference room, which I couldn’t have found
by myself.
No comments:
Post a Comment