Is there a LOVE/HATE relationship developing between Kindle and its Indie Authors and readers?

Point & Counterpoint by Bob Wiltz & Bob Rustico
indiekindleauthors

Point by Bob Rustico
The opportunity to get published with just a few clicks had initially seduced most if not all Indie Authors. I readily admit that I was one of them. After reflecting on the entire Kindle Books problem/opportunity, I believe there is a harsh reality beginning to take hold for both authors and readers.
It is clear that digital books have been and will continue to gain substantial market share in the overall publishing industry. There will be more ebook publishers, platforms and distributors coming in waves at readers. It is hard to imagine that releasing tens upon tens of thousands of new books will be good for the publishing industry or its authors and their readers.
At one time, before the internet’s big bang, getting published was a tedious and time consuming process. When print publishers decided that they were tired up being inundated by unsolicited manuscripts…they added the agent link to the process which became the first step in the screening process. What the publishing version of ‘running the gauntlet’ did offer… was a weeding out of inferior works.
The books offered to readers by many self publishing platforms do not go through a filtering process. Is that a bad thing? I realize that opinions on books are mostly a subjective exercise…and readers have a right to draw their own conclusions about the merits of someone’s work—assuming the work is of some quality and has been through a diligent editing process.
If more and more books are published digitally, what will that do to the overall quality of books being sold? I appreciate that some books are only 99 cents. But if a reader buys several cheap books that are not up their standards, how will that affect their buying habits? Will it cause them to shy away from unknown or lesser known authors?
The marketing of books on Kindle is for lack of a better word—a huckstering process. A brilliant author who presents a solid literary work can easily go unnoticed in the Kindle warehouse, if he is not adept at being a self promoter. And that is a loss not only for the publishing industry but also for the reader.
How many talented Indie Authors who are going it alone, in addition to being a good story teller and solid writer…can also be marketing mavens and talented at public relations? I fear not many.
In conclusion…I believe that there needs to be some level of intelligent screening before a book is published. Let’s face it…Kindle’s primary business at this time is the selling of Kindle readers. Perhaps someday they will be concerned that the books they publish are of a quality to match their readers…thereby giving the unknown talented author an opportunity to showcase their work without having to become a huckster. Hopefully the others trying to get a piece of the Kindle pie will feel the same way.

Counter Point by Bob Wiltz
I agree with Bob Rustico on much of what he says about the process and result of Kindle Publishing. Where we differ is in our view of this unique and relatively recent avenue for unknown authors to get their books published. I also agree that the job of being discovered has just begun when your book is uploaded and available to readers everywhere.
Where we disagree is the role that Kindle Publishing should play after they provide a page for your book and a means of downloading it to anyone with a Kindle or a Kindle app.
Time was (before ebooks appeared), the system in place was to type up your manuscript and send it off to a publisher (or many publishers) and wait for a response. If you were not previously published…or a well known personality…or expert on something, the answer invariably came back in the form of your manuscript and an impersonal rejection slip. I have a drawer full of these.
The agent thing was similar, but you might have actually found an agent to represent you, and they were responsible for contacting the publisher. The agent, if he/she took you on, usually helped with your manuscript and with editors and proofing. Still…there was no guarantee that your work would see the printed page.
Enter ebook publishers, and suddenly there was a way to get your book showcased. Then came quality readers that didn’t cost a fortune, and well funded retailers who could permit you to market your work to your potential readers.
Some indie authors (very few in fact) have made it to the big time, selling hundreds of thousands of their books and even getting contracts from established print publishers.
I think we all realize that the quality of the indie offerings vary all over the map. Some are good, some are not so good, and some would never have seen the light of day without a Kindle Publisher or equivalent.
But the path is there, for all of us to use if we choose. For the most part, what these new offerings represent is first efforts from fledgling writers of every age and background. The average indie author HAS SOMETHING TO SAY! It may be a rehash of old tenets already explored to death, or it may break new ground, with fresh eyes and a new perspective.
The more we write, the clearer our material becomes.
Few writers are born to the pen. Most have something to say, a story they want to tell, but their skill at organizing their thoughts, defining their characters, and getting it all down on paper may require years of trial and error. The majority of new authors are not trained in literary techniques and styles. They typically come from non-literary backgrounds. They need to write, they must write to hone their story-telling skills. We (the Bobs) are engineers who became marketing specialists and then executive management practitioners. But we always hoped to tell our stories and see them in print.
I realize that without a serious and sustained effort to be noticed, reviewed and talked about, most of us are going to sell a few dozen books…and run out of family and friends with a Kindle.
But (and here is the dream) the possibility does exists that someone may see the book and read it and love it and just happen to have a blog with thousands of devoted readers and bingo—recognition and the opportunity for acceptance.
We have all worked hard on our books. We have had them reviewed by colleagues. We have edited out the clumsiness and tamed down the rhetoric…and we all believe that the stories are worth the effort to a reader. (I know, I know, we wrote them and every writer should believe that their work is good).
Regardless, without ebooks and Kindle these stories go unread by the world. With ebooks and our efforts at promotion, we all have a shot.
It’s not just about the money! It’s about being published, and having someone other than our children or our siblings think the endless hours we spent trying to create a credible, enjoyable and entertaining work was worth it.
In my opinion Kindle books rule! They offer the possibility for success and reknown to be just around the proverbial corner.

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