About Face

I recently joined Facebook to promote my blog readership and my present and future writing endeavors. I’ve connected with some writers, but also with my past. People have always talked about the connections they make on Facebook, but I didn’t care until I actually joined. As great as it is to connect with other writers, I find it sweet that I’m connecting with past neighbors and my second grade teacher. Yes, my second grade teacher, who used to call me an angel. I’d go home and tell my grandmother she called me an angel, and my grandmother would respond, “An angel with horns.”

Facebook lets us reach out to all moments and interests in our lives. It isn’t the only opportunity to connect with people from around the world, but it is a place where we can create our own little families—share our kernels of life. It’s also educational—a great place to add ‘likes’ and receive updates. I’ve been reading about Barry Eisler’s decision to self-publish. For those of you unaware about the publishing world, traditional publishing is going through major changes. It’s no longer the main or only way to publish. Due to technology, there are so many mediums (paper or Nook or Kindle) and ways to self-publish. The economy played a role in traditional publishing houses being choosy with their book choices. Since writers wanted to get their story out there, and publishing companies began focusing on known writers or celebrities, self-publishing became the main competitor of traditional publishing.

It’s a relief to read what Barry and Joe Knorath have to say about self-publishing. Self-publishing has always been a taboo in writers’ circles, so Barry’s and Joe’s information helps writers  know the challenges of both so they can make the best decision for their works. It lets me know that traditional publishing isn’t the only way to go, and it also makes me feel that rejection from big house publishing companies doesn’t mean my writing is bad.

Barry Eisler is a well-known author of many books, and has now decided to self-publish. This decision has made agents and traditional publishing companies angry because it puts them in jeopardy. There are many arguments between self-publishing and traditional, but seeing an established author who has gone the traditional route then change to self-publishing, has caught many people’s attention—especially mine. Barry and Joe Konrath, a Chicago writer, had a long discussion about Ebooks and Self-publishing. In December, Joe wrote a blog post titled, “You Should Self-Publish”. You can read the discussions between Joe Konrath and Barry Eisler on Barry’s blog: Ebooks and Self-Publishing: A Conversation Between Authors Barry Eisler and Joe Konrath and Part 2.

So I made an about face with Facebook, and the publishing world has made an about face with self-publishing.

Have you done an about face?