Fairly specific self-publishing warning

[mariness]

Generally speaking I try to avoid the self-publishing/traditional publishing debate like the plague, on the grounds that when it comes to self-publishing I really don't know what I'm talking about, except to note that everyone I know who has done well with self-publishing (i.e., earned actual money) has done so the old-fashioned way: with an incredible amount of hard work. It absolutely can be done, no question, but it absolutely requires lots of work, also no question, either through getting your name known in the first place and then self-publishing your backlist, or starting out as an unknown and getting your name known. Anyway.

But when this many people (and by "people" I mean in part "The New York Times," assuming that counts as "people" and not "frequently clueless robots") start talking about a problematic self-publishing enterprise owned by no less than Simon and Schuster, and previously Penguin, I sit up and feel the need to spread the word. Here's David Gaughran, breaking down the numbers for you and self published author Jennifer Powell with some additional links.

Important note: no, not everyone is or should be publishing in the hopes of making money. Sure, that can be one reason, but for many people, the idea is just to get your work out there, to share whatever you've created with the rest of the planet. And that's fine. But I don't think that anyone should be publishing in the hopes of losing money either.