[fjtorres]

It is easy to delude yourself into thinking all indie publishing is the product of "barely literate wannabees" but that is not the world we live in.

The world we live in is the one where established authors are getting their long neglected backlist titles reverted so they can self publish--books that have already been "annointed" by traditional publishing as good enough.

The world we live in is the one where midlist authors "good enough" for traditional publishers are being dropped by their publishers not because they can't write but because their books don't meet their "filter" of being able to sell 30,000 copies in the first 3 months. 25,000 copies? Feh! That will barely pay for a week of janitorial at the Manhattan glass tower! So the author takes the book to directly to the readers.

The world we live in is the one where the BPHs are scouring the indie book listings for successful titles to leech off. Even if only by doing the pbook side of the book's business.

The world we live in is the one where established authors with ongoing tradpub contracts are self-publishing not because the new book isn't good enough for their old-school publisher but because they want to see what happens or because their new story doesn't fit any of the marketting pigeon holes or because they're tired of predatory book contracts...

The world we live in is the one where business-savvy writers that are good enough to be "validated" by the traditionalist establishment don't even bother to submit (in all senses of the word) to the establishment.

The world we live in is the world where the backlist is eternal, where niche titles that don't appeal to the masses are readily available to those that have a taste for that niche, whether it be Amish romance novels or Babylonian gay erotica, and where thousands of *good* writers, many with decades of experience, are for the first time making a living off their creativity. Where the Canadian writers union is drafting rules and termsto accept indie authors as members and where the Romance Writers of America have already done so.

The world we live in *is* the world of the Library of Babel.

And it is a glorious world to live in if you have an open mind and can read promo blurbs with a critical eye, know how to download ebook samples, or know how to interpret online book reviews. Yes, there is a lot of crap out there--but there always has been a lot of crap out there and experienced readers have never let that get between them and a worthy read.

It is a world where you are not limited to the hundred titles the local supermarket, newstand, or convenience stores (because the big chain stores don't consider your town worthy of their presence) or, for that matter, to the ten thousand "handpicked" titles said big chain store might carry if they do. You are not limited to the few thousand titles your cozy neighborhood bookstore carries (a great place to while the time browsing, BTW--nice to see they're weathering the ongoing disruption reasonably well) or even the hundreds of thousands of titles they can special order from the catalog of in-print tradpub'ed titles.

It is a world of millions of new ebook titles every year--and notice I said ebook, because many of those new to ebook titles are not new, but republished from established authors' backlist--some from traditional publishers, some from new independent ventures, and some from self publishers. And some are from the Big Publishing houses newly-launched Predatory Presses, created to fleece the unwary.
(shrug)

Anybody who wants to limit themselves to only "traditionally-validated", "quality", "filtered content" is welcome to do so. Nobody is going to demonize you.
It would be nice if the courtesy were returned but not required.

Pretending the world of indie books is beneath you only impacts you--the rest of the world will keep on merrily fishing the troubled waters of the ebook disruption and enjoying the fun reads to be found in the Library of Babel.

In the world we live in, *we* the readers are the gatekeepers.
We decide which authors get the bulk of our reading money. And when we do, they get 50-60% of what the money right on the spot, not 3-12% 6 months later or upon litigation.

And bear in mind that in the world we live in the first important decision in getting (good) books to readers no longer is whether the traditional establishment accepts it but rather whether the author *chooses* to go with traditional publishing. Some will. Some won't. Over time the latter pool will grow, the former will shrink...

Power is moving to authors and readers.
Both camps will benefit.
The rest will have to scramble.

That is the world we live in.
It's called the 21st Century.
Toodles!

PS: To get the full story of what is actually going out there, it pays to actually visit some author-centric online communities in addition to the industry mouthpieces or reader sites. It can be very educational to see what the veteran authors are saying, and more importantly, doing.