Success.

Amanda Hocking seems to be trying to get a book deal from a traditional publisher, despite the fact that she’s making boatloads of money selling her books independently.

Barry Eisler turned down a $500K traditional deal to publish independently.

Who’s right?  Who’s an idiot?  Who is completely letting down the publishing community?  Who is going to regret it, because everyone knows they made the illogical choice that’s going to bite them in the ass later?

Dude.  They’re people, not flag wavers in a giant publishing war.  There are some choices you have to make, or you’ll look back and regret them, no matter how many people are telling you to do otherwise.  Sometimes they pay off; sometimes they don’t.  The choice isn’t about that chance of what other people consider to be success; it’s about choosing, and about being yourself.

Writers, of all people, should get that.

3 thoughts on “Success.”

  1. Hear, hear!

    Amanda Hocking is my hero. In my wildest dreams, I duplicate her sales. (No, really, I once dreamed I sold hundreds of dollars in ebooks.) Sigh.

  2. On a related note, I think people are going to take a while to grasp that a good story doesn’t really have anything to do with good editing…it’s just easier to read. I run across a lot of people who sneer at her, just because she has comma problems.

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