I've been contemplating—and worried about—writing this blog post for a long time now. My worry is a simple one: Will people be offended, take it the wrong way? I can't answer that, but I hope not, because I'm compelled to discuss it.
So here goes...
I started a small-press horror publication in the fall of 2008. I enlisted the help of some online friends, we dubbed it Shock Totem, and in July of 2009 we published our first issue. (Most of you know this.) Ever since we published that debut issue, I've had one question constantly rattling around my head:
Does an author owe his support to the publications that publish his work?
That question pertains not only to me as a publisher but as a writer as well. Through four issues of Shock Totem, we have gotten some amazing support from authors we've published. But not all of them. Some hardly mentioned us at all, even when the issue containing their work came out. On a selfish level, I can't help but find that disappointing. On a rational level, I understand that I have no idea why an author does what he does. There are things at play here that I am simply not privy to. I can dig that.
But back to the selfish side of things... As a publisher, I find myself leaning toward the notion that writers should be supporting those who publish their work. Because if the publisher is doing it right (relative to that particular publisher, of course), and if they're a publication like Shock Totem where every issue is still in print and actively promoted, then the publication is fully and continually supporting the authors.
Back to the rational side of things... As a published author—hell, as a lifelong creative type—I completely understand that the muse commands one to look forward, to move forward, and create, create, create, to not waste time looking back. I also know how little time most artistic people have to actually focus on their art. So maybe some people simply don't have the time. But that leads to the one thing I can't rationalize...
When I finish a new story, I move onto a new one. But when I have a story published, I never move on. (All this can be applied, as well, to my musician days.) I can't move forward and not look back in that regard. Because I want people to read my work! Do I owe it to that particular publication to support them, promote them? That's debatable. But I sure as hell owe it to myself to support and promote my work! So I make the time.
And that is precisely what baffles me. (This does not take into account the fact that some authors publish bad stories best left forgotten from time to time.) Why do certain writers choose to not actively promote their work? Is a publication credit just another notch in the bedpost for these authors? As a publisher, sometimes it feels that way.
I have just three publication credits. The first was in 52 Stitches, Vol. 2. The publisher, Aaron Polson, essentially put Strange Publications to bed—at least for the time being—when this anthology was published. But this book is still available, and I promote the hell out of it...because I want people to read my work! "By the Firelight," my story in this anthology, is a mere 457 words, but I still want people to read it. It doesn't matter that the publication is inactive or perhaps permanently closed, because I like my story and, in my opinion, I owe it to myself to promote it.
My second published work, "Goddamn Electric," was in The Zombie Feed, Vol. 1. I've sent out copies for review, I've posted about it here on this blog and on the Shock Totem blog. I will continue to do so as long as it's available.
I've done the same thing, and will continue to do so, with Epitaphs: The Journal of New England Horror Writers, which contains my story "A Deep Kind of Cold." In a certain, roundabout way, I'm promoting my work right now.
Which brings me to the revelation of things...
Since that first issue of Shock Totem came out in 2009, I've been asking myself should the author support the publisher? Again, the answer is debatable. But few would argue that an author shouldn't promote his own work, right? And in promoting his own work, is that not, therefore, supporting the publisher? Is there a difference between promoting your own work and supporting the publisher?
I'm no longer sure you can have the former without the latter, but I know what I'm going to do. Always.
9 comments:
Ken, this kind of things happens all the time. In fact, you can look outside the publishing aspect and see people who help promote others only to NEVER have it reciprocated.
I personally don't think it's debatable. If you like a product/publisher you should support it especially if it has supported you and/or your work.
Jassen
I have always had difficulty with this issue. Because of the perceived incest within the small press, it's hard for anyone to take an author seriously when he/she's patting him/herself on the back about his/her latest published story. However, between the dwindling economy and dwindling readership, author self-promotion has replaced publisher advertising budgets. So what's a writer to do?
In my view, a writer has an obligation to support his/her individual books -- chapbooks, collections, novellas, novels. But magazines and anthologies are a different animal. An editor, who acts as a true editor and not just a compiler of the collected work, imparts the heavier imprint -- or should. And for that reason, shouldn't the weight of that promotion fall upon the editor/publisher? Or even third party endorsements? To be honest, which endorsement is believed more...the person who shouts: "Hey, there's this really cool magazine/anthology that everyone should check out"? Or: "Hey, there's this really cool magazine/anthology that everyone should check out... and, oh, by the way, my story, 'Zombie Balls', is in it"? One is perceived as positive critique while the other is perceived as self-serving.
Naturally, it benefits both editor AND author when the project they share is promoted. And toward this end, I try to do what I can with web announcements and signings. But, as a writer who doesn't have the time or the resources to adequately promote every single project I'm connected with, a part of me wants to believe that once a piece has been handed over to an editor of a magazine or anthology (like a child put into foster care) that piece is in good hands and will be taken care of.
I'm definitely guilty of not constantly promoting my own short stories. I promote them when they first come out and if they get a review (good or bad). The reason: I don't want to bore my twitter/facebook/blog pals with repetition. Maybe we should all do a 'here are some stories I had published this year' post (trying to assuage my guilt here - probably not working).
I do promote some of the magazines I've appeared in (Shock Totem - yay!) when they have new issues - mainly on twitter, but yeah, I've probably been a bit lapse.
Oh, and your post was so not a rant. Or if it was, it was a gentle rant.
Jassen,
I have met people whose work I continuously buy complain to me about how many times Shock Totem has rejected their work. Yet they've never read or bought a single issue of Shock Totem.
The worst part about saying that is that, it's happened so many time, I'm not singling anyone out.
Of course, again, they're in no way obligated to buy Shock Totem. And, in case anyone says anything, that's a bit different from the point of this post. =)
Kurt,
I totally get what you're saying. I would never expect an author to continuously promote Shock Totem. What initially got me thinking about this whole thing is those authors that barely mentioned us at all.
Like I said, though, there was a selfishness involved in that sort of thinking.
When I thought about it more, that's when I started to wonder why authors weren't promoting their own work. Damien replied on Facebook that she's always worried about annoying people by promoting her work. That is totally understandable. I'm always worried that my Shock Totem Twitter updates come off as annoying to people, because typically they're geared toward our product. So I get that overdoing it can hurt. But not doing it at all? Or very little? Doesn't make sense to me.
And that's the writer in me saying that, not the publisher.
Last month Shock Totem put all past issues online in digital format. Sales have been pretty good. With the holiday issue and issues 2, 3 and 4 online for less than two weeks in November, we sold over 200 digital copies by the end of the month. Those are, one would assume, new readers, which is fantastic. But how many Shock Totem authors promoted the digital issues? I'd bet just a few.
Promotion should always be the greater responsibility of the publisher. And regardless of how much an author or authors promote, that should never change. But authors still owe it to themselves to promote their own work. They're not obligated to, of course, but one would think they'd want to. After all, if a writer didn't want people to read his work, why would he ever put it out there in the first place?
And again, promoting one's own work is in essence supporting the publication, especially if it results in a sale.
Cate,
I should have noted in the main post that I have never expected anyone to constantly promote, you know. But every artist with something to sell should do it every once in a while, right? As an artist, you owe it to yourself. Just having a link to it somewhere on your website isn't enough. It's good, but it's not always enough.
That said, Cate, you have always been good to us. Even a retweet now and then goes a long way.
So again, this began in my head long ago as kind of a selfish complaint or question, but it is no longer that. I genuinely wonder why, especially these days when so much power is shifting hands, some authors rarely, if ever, promote their work. I just don't get it. =(
In reference to what you said to Kurt - " I'm always worried that my Shock Totem Twitter updates come off as annoying to people, because typically they're geared toward our product. " - If I follow a publisher/magazine then I'm interested in their product and expect them to tweet about their books/mags pretty much all the time. When I follow an a person (not that you're not people :D) I like a little diversity.
Kurt, I'm not sure how much promotion Mr. Wood is talking about, but I don't think he expects writers to become a PR or marketing machine for a publication.
A magazine has the thinnest margins going and they need the most help. If you don't respect the mag, don't submit, but if you get a story in a mag, you can take fifteen minutes out to post on your blog or twitter or facebook. In the time it took you to make this post, you could have done a post supporting a magazine.
Please don't use the time excuse, it's weak. Just admit it if you don't care enough about your short fiction to push it. Are you obligated? No, but please don't ever complain there aren't any stable short fiction markets when you won't even take the time to support them with a few easy posts.
In Kurt's defense, he was one of our very first supporters, and he's been very supportive ever since. =)
Hey, Ken
As I'm sure you already know, I'm a huge advocate for the small press publisher. I totally agree that authors should promote their work regardless of whether or not it's a short or a novel.
As an author, I do promote my short stories, my upcoming novels and novellas, and I get great responses from those who follow me, sometimes over 77 likes and comments.
My publishers, are excited to have me promoting, and I do my best to do it right.
Now here's the trick. No one wants to be inundated with your posts every minute. If an author only uses the media for their own promo, and does not take the time to comment on those who comment on your stuff, the author is going to see less and less comments and support over time. People see this.
I've seen authors who may have 1600 followers, but all they do is post the same book over and over and over again. Hell, we got it already. That's why there now hearing crickets when they post again.
There's a method to this madness folks.You need to have balance. Spend some time showing your readers you're a person as well, a family man, a lover , hell whatever you want to talk about, but don't talk about your works for awhile.
Like someone else's work, go ahead and post it, share it with others. buy a copy.
As publisher, I'm also known to be a huge promoter of our works and our authors, but like you Ken, yes I can get easily frustrated when some authors don't even take the time to do any promo. Maybe they think their name alone will do all the promo, and to some degree they're right.
Hope this helps a bit.
Charles Day
Great article, Ken. I could support Shock Totem MORE if you'd just take one of my damn stories. SIX rejections so far. Just kidding, I love you guys and always toss out your name as a top magazine and press when my friends are shopping their work. I know that every time I publish with somebody, I do my best to not only support and promote THAT issue, with my story in it, but to keep supporting and promoting them, indefinitely. I want that publication to grow and do well, because it only reflects positively on me. AND, because I respect and enjoy that publication. There are so few "professional" horror magazines out there, ST is really one of the few that is doing it right. So, why wouldn't I support you all, in general, in addition to supporting you if I published with you. Any author that DOESN'T support and promote ST after getting accepted is selfish, stupid, and a bad promoter. (And yes, I HAVE bought copies of ST!)
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