However, it’s also true that many an independent bar owner will take on a going concern and quickly ruin it by treating it more like his or her own living room than a business.

You might at first see those two things as unrelated, but there is a connection. Authors do of course read other people’s works, but just like the rest of the population, only a (often relatively small) proportion of those who see a book will like it, or find it interesting and author networks online can and often do become little more than mutual admiration societies, or support groups at best. It’s natural of course. People want to talk, read, or otherwise engage with like-minded people – in the case of authors, that’s often other writers. You may write largely just because you love to do it, but actually selling those books is a business and your friendships and comfort are largely irrelevant to that end.

From the above, it seems obvious that the best way forward is to acquire the largest number of followers you can on systems like Twitter and that is certainly the aim of CWEP in the hope of providing a publicity platform for our authors, but there is a snag to even that. We too need a lot of like-minded people in our lists or few will be interested in what we say, but they need to come from the book buying public. Furthermore, in our opinion, taking the easy way out and gaining followers by means of all the “follow back” and similar hash-tags is a deeply flawed route. For many who are involved in that sort of enterprise, gaining a huge number of so-called followers is an end in itself, so their activity is often automated and they may rarely even log on in person, let alone read anything of what the people they supposedly follow have to say.

The truth is that there is no substitute for diligent and carefully selective hard work. Of course we need to build a large following and we need the support of as many writers as we can get, but it’s also vital that we don’t become too parochial either and create some sort of writers group, though that is one of many things we may attempt to do in the future as a separate enterprise. More importantly though, we need followers who do log on and will sometimes see and read what we have to say about the great writers we support as well as others.

If you read or write books or stories, or even if you’re just interested, please join in our growing following – “follow” us on Twitter http://bit.ly/si6gdw (@cwepub) and “like” our page on Facebook at http://on.fb.me/v0twek

Now, I do understand how many people, authors in particular, may feel somewhat aggrieved when they have expended countless hours creating their works and spent good (and considerable) money on professional editing, cover pictures and more. But there is another side to this and I think it’s worth pointing it out.

Firstly, one person’s “crap” is another’s “best ever” book/film/TV show. Just because a work doesn’t have some great and deep message, or huge literary value, doesn’t mean that a vast number of viewers/readers won’t find it enormously enjoyable – and that is surely what it’s all about in the end, for most of us. I personally have never been a great fan of non-fiction (except for the specific purpose of study, of course). Whilst I might sympathise with the awful story of some young woman abused throughout her childhood and on into marriage and her adult life, or some similarly heartrending story, frankly (particularly as I’ve aged) I find the real world depressing close to the point feeling almost suicidal at times. Consequently, I seek entertainment and escapism, or to put it another way, fiction – and I generally want the hero/heroine to triumph in the end, to some degree at least – but that’s just what I want for me.

Furthermore, in a lot of ways, the traditional publishers have forced those who have an urge to write into a corner. Perhaps their work is not exactly of the highest quality, but many authors have something they want desperately to say (and many others may want to hear) however badly the writer’s lack of skill and perhaps education may irk some who read it. What are such people to do if they don’t have the time, money and/or background necessary to achieve the “standards” the frequently snooty, protectionist and self interested publishing establishment demands?

My view is that, if someone has something to say, then the rise of the Indie author is a damned good thing and we should applaud it. If others don’t like that, then it’s up to them to find ways to be sufficiently selective in order to satisfy their own individual tastes and censorship criteria.

This is, of course, just my opinion, as I have said, but just as those who want to see the Indie bookstores be much more “picky” about what they accept on their sites, we live in a supposedly free society and we are all entitled to our views, desires and preferences, aren’t we?

That said, whether you agree with me or not and even if you don’t want to comment here, I believe this is an important matter for discussion, so please consider sharing this post on Facebook, Twitter and perhaps on your own blog too, if you have one.

CJ

Wickedly Sweet and Sweetly Wicked: A Week In The Snow – Gwen Masters

Sons of Avalon: Dee Marie

Terri Giuliano Long: Interview – Natasha Larry

The Manicheans: Interesting post on French kissing

Russell Blake: Interesting article – Free or Not

We hope you find something of interest there, but there will hopefully be many more links to come. Stay tuned, as they used to say a millennium or so ago.