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Every author writes for one reason and one reason only: they have something to say.
That’s why most authors strive to get their book out on the market. They want to engage with an audience, to communicate their opinions and tell their stories.
But the world of publishing isn’t as easy to navigate. Especially where traditional publishing is involved, an author needs to do more than submit their manuscript to a publishing house. More often than not, they need to hire an agent and come equipped with an existing platform of readers. Non-fiction writers are especially required to have a solid platform of followers before publishing houses will consider taking on their manuscripts.
The sad truth behind the dream is this: with the influx of new writers every day, traditional publishing houses have to take into account the profitability of a writer’s work. It is a business, after all.
But there is a silver lining here. Traditional publishing isn’t entirely impossible, although it is difficult to navigate this process. But there are other avenues available for aspiring authors who want to get their books out into the world.
One of the most popular avenues is self-publishing.
Women in the Publishing Sector
It isn’t very novel to hear that many industries are male-dominated. The publishing industry is no different. Just think of female authors who have had to take on nom de plumes to appeal to their male audience.
CEO and founder of AMA Publishing as well as a USA Today bestselling author, Adriana Monique Alvarez, pointed out in an interview, “Women were not recognized as, or legally allowed to become, publishing professionals until the late nineteenth century.”
Sure, there has been plenty of progression in terms of gender equity over the decades. However, Dana Weinberg and Adam Kapelner in their article titled, ‘Comparing Gender Discrimination and Inequality in Indie and Traditional Publishing’ found that women authors’ titles cost only 45% of the price of those of male authors in traditional publishing.
Alvarez had also written a book that ranked #4 in the Kindle store. However, her book was delisted from the Wall Street Journal list. After sitting down with her team to configure the reason why, they could only pinpoint two reasons. “Firstly, my book was published by a female-owned publishing house. And secondly, I teach women how to start publishing houses, which very much goes against the Wall Street Journal’s tradition.”
Traditional publishing still has a long way to go to bridge to gap between the genders. But in self-publishing, this issue is addressed more blatantly.
Rikke Hundal, an expert on self-publishing and project management, explained, “Self-publishing allows female founders to not only take control of the narrative surrounding their work but to use their book as a marketing tool as well as a stream of income.”
Retaining One’s Voice as an Author, and How Feminism Plays a Role
Self-publishing comes with a lot of plus points. Perhaps what is one of the most appealing factors about this method of publishing is the fact that authors have greater control over the finished product. There’s not much interference by publishers and editors, and an author’s original voice is heavily preserved.
“[Self-publishing is] by far the easiest, quickest, and most affordable way to become a published author, saving the stress of cooperating with publishing houses or losing out on significant amounts of revenue,” Hundal further said.
In terms of addressing the issue of gender equality, self-publishing allows women to retain their own voices. Sure, there’s an increasing number of traditionally published books that promote feminism and gender equality.
And that’s important. That’s good. But how heavily has feminism been diluted in its true essence under the demands of mainstream media?
Best-selling fiction novels like The Hunger Games can be taken as an example. While the feminism behind this story was likely very genuine, marketing may disfigure a pure notion. The critically acclaimed television series The Boys postulates an important discussion: how much of the feminism that’s marketed on the media is genuine? And how much of it is plastic manufactured for the sole purpose of making sales? These same questions can be put forth in the world of traditional publishing, where the goal is to reach an audience.
In young adult fiction especially, tropes aimed at ‘empowering women’ are often encouraged in novels. While it’s important for women to see a representation of themselves in the media, the problem here is that many ‘feminist’ tropes are, fundamentally, unauthentic. This means that there sometimes isn’t a true representation of women even though a book claims to promote feminism.
And in an industry dominated by men, it’s easy for traditional publishers to filter out messages so that readers only read ‘acceptable’ feminist concepts.
Of course, there are plenty of traditionally published books that show progress towards genuine feminism. But the self-publishing industry has already preceded traditional publication houses by leaps and bounds.
Self-Publishing for Self-Sustaining Minds
“While mainstream publishing plays safe with predictable stories and heroes who repeat the same familiar tropes, where are today’s most ground-breaking authors? The answer is that they are self-publishing,” said authors Orna Ross, Joni Rodgers, Jane Davis, Carol Cooper, Kathleen Jones, and Jessica Bell.
Notice here how these authors – who went on to snag plenty of prestigious awards – are women. The fact that women’s voices are unfiltered in the realm of self-publishing gives women the platform to be heard. Self-publishing doesn’t elevate women’s successes; it merely reveals their potential.
FicShelf found in a study conducted in 2015 that 84% of 134 bestselling fiction titles were authored by women.
Self-published author Vineeta Taneja also stated, “I approached literary agents and publishing houses, [and] they are actually ‘too busy’ to answer my queries. A godfather is needed to guide you.”
Adriana Alvarez’s company, AMA Publishing, is an example of a group of people who work closely with publishing houses to address the issue of feminism in the industry at its roots. By helping to build publishing houses that promote women’s empowerment, more women are thus given an avenue to pursue self-publishing with competent teams. After all, it takes a village to publish a book. What authors need is steady support from the right group of experts.
“I’ve had many hugely successful women whom I have mentored,” Alvarez said. “These women caught the vision and have run with it. They’re go-getters, and they’re on fire.”
Bolstered by the advice and support of a reliable team, female authors are thus able to garner success after their books are self-published. Self-publishing can also cost less than traditional publishing if the right cards are played. In essence, self-publishing allows more authors to put their work out into the world – even those who are constraint by budget concerns.
FicShelf’s Duarte further emphasizes, “In self-publishing, there is no glass ceiling to smash through – it’s about the individual rather than the usual old boy’s club mentality. It’s not about who you know, but what you can do – and what you can write.”
The rise of self-publishing allows authors to sustain their own ideas of success. With the rise of self-publishing, everybody waits in anticipation to witness the continuous rise of feminism.
Perhaps, as a female author, you might have something to say. And perhaps you don’t want to wait for too long before your book is traditionally published. Why not take control of your own dreams? Seize your chance and consider independent publishing.
