Suw Charman-Anderson writes:
But anyone taking an objective view of self-publishing can see that it shows every sign of reaching the Peak of Inflated Expectations. And that can mean only one thing: Soon it will take that inevitable, unavoidable tumbling slide down into the Trough of Disillusionment. Just because new tools make the technical aspects of something easy doesn’t mean that the creative side of it becomes easy too.
Read the rest of the article and see the chart here.
The good news is that after the Trough of Disillusionment is the Plateau of Productivity.
They also link to a fantastic article by Cat Valente, author of The Girl of Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making and more, who has published in all kinds of venues.
Much of the blaggering about How to Publish Without Those Foul, Cackling Warlock-Publishers relies on the idea, which most aspiring writers have, though the smart ones keep it on the down-low, that there is some kind of magic Success Wand that can cast Accio Everything I’ve Ever Wanted over them and make them sell a million ebooks just like Amanda Hocking.
I can’t say I agree with everything she says. But then…I kind of like doing my own publishing. I like editing and formatting and making covers. I even, to some extent, am starting to like the marketing parts of things. I’ll never be a cat-herding marketing mastermind. But, you know, it’s not that bad, because I do the things I like.
I think those of us who actually like what we do as self-publishers will end up living through the hype cycle and hitting that sweet spot of the productivity plateau.