In the past few years there has been a shift. A multitude of Independent Publishers have been formed, mainly through the appearance on the scene of KDP and the likes of Ingram Sparks, (Lightning Source) enabling groups and individuals to publish fiction and non fiction with lower cost options. Since I began writing just after the turn of the century there have been such changes in the world of Publishing.
There are so many arguments as to why Traditionally Published Books are perceived to be better, so lets have a look at and try to unpick some of them:
Quality
‘Self Published books are full of grammatical errors and spelling mistakes.’
This may have been the case in the early days before authors became more business savvy and tapped into the plethora of advice about self publishing ~ but it certainly is not the case now. Those who self publish tend to do so in a professional manner or seek a small Indie Publisher to do so.
‘Indie books do not go through the same rigorous copy editing and proof reading as traditionally published books
They may not go through quite the same process, but often they do by buying in author services, usually at cost to the author. The results to me are equally as satisfying to read.
Check out the likes of Tony Riches or Cheryl Burman to give but two examples.
Bookshops
When my first two novels were published bookshops like Waterstones and Independent stores welcomed new and local authors and often stocked our books, sometimes giving shelf space specifically for local self published authors. Then there was a clamp down. Indie bookshops went to the wall in their droves and the large remaining stores chose to focus on Traditionally published books.
Before the pandemic a plethora of Indie Press has taken off and two things have happened. Firstly, more Indie Bookshops popped up and some bookshops seemed to be willing to take a chance on barely known authors, especially local ones. Secondly the books were integrated in the store, indistinguishable from the major well know publishing companies. These were all hugely encouraging signs.
For Waterstones the quality needs to be checked, verified and approved first at head office for each Indie Press. Books can then be on their system and ordered by readers and if the demand is high enough they will stock the books.
Now what’s happened? There are so many books being published each year that the main distributors and the bookshops have to make tough decisions. It is yet again tough for small Indie Press to get noticed. Thus choice for the reading public is narrowed to ‘safe bets’.
What next, I wonder?
Kindle v Paperback
Many statistics say that Kindle and other e readers have not taken over the reading habits of the public, in fact news says the very opposite. However, let’s unpick this with a theory of mine. Have you noticed how expensive books from well known and traditionally published authors are in e book form? These books obviously make up the lion’s share of the ‘to read books’ on readers’ lists. These publishing companies have huge budgets for advertising and getting the books out to the public, gaining reviews in national papers and added to this TV and radio interviews are more frequent. They also have a budget for issuing copies to book groups for pre-launch reviews. Indie press cannot compete with this. Is the high price of Kindle books from Trad Publishers trying to suppress this medium for reading. After all, with three for two offers in bookshops the cost of a paperback can in fact be less than the Kindle version.
However, this may be backfiring a tad with Kindle offers. Many readers browse through the 99p section and only download those, reassured by reviews that the quality of book is good. Some folks, I’m sure, only download free books when they are being promoted, but this is a tool used by Indie Press to promote a book before the release of the next one by that author. I am not of the school, ‘Never give your books away for free.‘ There is a time and place for Giveaways and they can be an effective marketing tool.
I hear though, that real paperbacks are back in vogue, despite the cutting down of trees which is a different issue. There is nothing like handling a new book off the shelf, is there?
Genre Led Books
One huge advantage of Indie Press is the way in which many have embraced books where the genre is blurred, multiple or non existent. This produces a refreshing change where the unexpected is expected and enjoyed. This might give bookshops and libraries a headache though, which is no bad thing. Maybe they all needs a shake up too.
Conclusion
Back to my original question, ‘Do Traditional v Indie Press really exist anymore?’ Well, of course the Traditional Publishers, the main five and their subsidiaries, exist and have a huge impact on market trends, but the numbers of Indie Press are increasing once more, and that half way house between Trad and Self Publishing has really blurred the lines. I expect any really successful Indie Press may be swallowed up in time, but hopefully a few good ones will survive, offering refreshing less formulaic and less refined options for our pleasure. Novels will continue to be part of our leisure time as they have done for centuries.
Enjoy reading and enjoy writing! That’s what I say.
Diana Jackson 