Quote:
Originally Posted by DNSB
As far as I am aware, most authors do not edit and proof their own books and covers are mostly handled by cover artists though I have noticed more stock photos creeping into the mix. As for formatting? Quite a few indies are now having their books formatted into readable ebooks by outside services. As one local author put it on one occasion, every cobbler to her last.
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All true but the "general contractor" label is about control.
In tradpub, the publisher is in control. They choose what to publish, when, and how; they choose the editor and decide what amount of editing if any they'll demand; they choose the artist or stock art.
The publisher is the boss.
In the Indie workflow, control stays with the author.
They hire the editor and decide what changes to accept, they hire the artist or buy the stock image. They decide if they're hiring a formatter or not.
They're the boss: the book sinks or swim on their judgment.
It is increasingly popular, especially with newcomers without a reputation, .who instead of spending years to get an agent and more time waiting for the agent to place the book and yet more time before the publisher assigns the book a release date, typically two years away. For many newcomers it can add to five years. Sometimes more, occasionally less.
Versus clicking "upload".
And if they really are good writers--a big if in any case--those are five years of building up a catalog and a brand instead of just waiting.i
In either case, it all comes down to how good readers think the writer is.
Workflow has little to do with that.