I wonder if this hasn't always been pretty much true. Seems like a lot of the best stuff comes out of the smallest publishers, those willing to take risks.
Walter, one more thought. I apologize. We aren't all brain dead. You wouldn't know it by main stream media, but you can see independent here, even commenters, and other places in substack. But not all even then.
This is why I'm an indie author. Being an indie author does NOT mean sacrificing quality - in fact, it demands higher quality than most publishing houses.
Also - the math doesn't math. Trad pub authors get 15% of their royalties and STILL have to do the marketing, etc.
Indies? We get 70-90% of the royalties and have all of the control over covers, distribution, etc.
Not quite true. Censorship comes from the selling platforms. For example, Amazon will 'dungeon' your book or bury it from being found by the algos if it's tagged erotica.
I don't write erotica, but one of my books was incorrectly tagged that way and it disappeared from searches.
Other author friends who DO write erotica have stopped putting their books on the Zon because of this.
There are multiple forms of censorship. There’s both pre and post publication censorship. It’s really kind of astonishing how much control malicious powers have over what people say and think.
Walter, I'm older than you. I remember in college in the 60s that it seemed teachers encouraged and liked independent, analytical thinking. Being different was good, exciting, explored. Now it seems that kind of thinking is gone. We need it. Hope it comes back.
Walter, you are right on so many levels, I think. The wealthy oligarchs and those in power have "groomed" us for decades, years, to think that wealth is the only power worth having; that we must not make waves or we are deemed trouble makers and need to be corraled. It starts in schools. They want easily controlled sheep. Not real thinkers, lest we see the wealthy and powerful aren't. Anyone different is seen as an enemy to the status quo. We see it today especially under Trump. I agree if we don't have free, independent thinkers who shine light on all the wrongs we are seeing highlighted today; if we don't stop being afraid of the new or different; stop seeing value in it; stop seeing that the wealthy and those "in power"care only about using us for their own purposes and are not special leaders; if we are not independent thinkers, we are lost. Not brave, Not free. Sheep. Robots.
I wonder if this hasn't always been pretty much true. Seems like a lot of the best stuff comes out of the smallest publishers, those willing to take risks.
Well, for the last 50 years or so anyway.
Walter, one more thought. I apologize. We aren't all brain dead. You wouldn't know it by main stream media, but you can see independent here, even commenters, and other places in substack. But not all even then.
Yes, and more are awakening.
This is why I'm an indie author. Being an indie author does NOT mean sacrificing quality - in fact, it demands higher quality than most publishing houses.
Also - the math doesn't math. Trad pub authors get 15% of their royalties and STILL have to do the marketing, etc.
Indies? We get 70-90% of the royalties and have all of the control over covers, distribution, etc.
Absolutely! And you don’t have to submit to censorship. That’s the big selling point for me.
Not quite true. Censorship comes from the selling platforms. For example, Amazon will 'dungeon' your book or bury it from being found by the algos if it's tagged erotica.
I don't write erotica, but one of my books was incorrectly tagged that way and it disappeared from searches.
Other author friends who DO write erotica have stopped putting their books on the Zon because of this.
There are multiple forms of censorship. There’s both pre and post publication censorship. It’s really kind of astonishing how much control malicious powers have over what people say and think.
Walter, I'm older than you. I remember in college in the 60s that it seemed teachers encouraged and liked independent, analytical thinking. Being different was good, exciting, explored. Now it seems that kind of thinking is gone. We need it. Hope it comes back.
I agree. It's always been a fight for me 🤣🤣🤣
Walter, you are right on so many levels, I think. The wealthy oligarchs and those in power have "groomed" us for decades, years, to think that wealth is the only power worth having; that we must not make waves or we are deemed trouble makers and need to be corraled. It starts in schools. They want easily controlled sheep. Not real thinkers, lest we see the wealthy and powerful aren't. Anyone different is seen as an enemy to the status quo. We see it today especially under Trump. I agree if we don't have free, independent thinkers who shine light on all the wrongs we are seeing highlighted today; if we don't stop being afraid of the new or different; stop seeing value in it; stop seeing that the wealthy and those "in power"care only about using us for their own purposes and are not special leaders; if we are not independent thinkers, we are lost. Not brave, Not free. Sheep. Robots.