Quote:
Originally Posted by pwalker8
Four years. I don't think that I would have that kind of patience.
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There weren't a lot of options at that time (although I could have gone indie a lot sooner than I did). Toni often posted on the forums that as a small publisher, no matter how many good manuscripts were on her desk, they could not afford to edit, publish and market more than X per year (something like 6 to 8 books if I recall, but don't quote me on that). They had x authors in the stable who had new books coming out at about one per year and that only left one, two or sometimes zero slots for a new author. It wasn't just money, it was also the editing and managing time. There was a guy on the forum who had something like 3 manuscripts on her desk at one time. I hope he somehow got published somewhere.
The wait was part of the reason that I was submitting to agents (after about the first year or so after it made the desk). It's never a good idea to put all your eggs in one basket, not even now (which is why my books are wide, rather than exclusive).
It's a difficult business to be in, but it's not unique. I listen to indie musicians and bands sometimes and follow a few on FB. They have a lot of the same challenges. Song writers and graphic artists too. You see all these groups post about piracy, lack of payment for work, being unable to get the word out, being asked to do work for free or on a basis of 'let's see how it does (translate: You do all our marketing for us and we might pay you if it does well enough") or...contests that ask for 3 different pieces of art--none of which will be paid for except a single winning piece of art that might make 500.
Indies aren't perfect, but most of us are working very, very hard for very little return. I'm not saying it's wrong to point out the flaws inherent in being an indie, either, but there's always enough time and enough places for that sort of thing.
