Waiting for a publishing contract from the big six is like waiting for Scre4m's Ghostface to call you

I've been trying to channel my inner "Konrath" on the topic of self publishing recent. I've not been successful, but still trying.

I've self published after years of trying to get a publisher for my work. Does anyone in their right mind believe a writer doesn't want to have the ego trip of walking through a bookstore with a friend and show off your latest work?

But it wasn't happening. One reason may be my location. Another may be that I am selling something that appeals to a smaller audience or one that is not focused in big city life. Regardless, I self published after receiving emails from Editors of 3 of the big six. Each said they liked the writing, the style, the story... But marketing wasn't impressed. Or two other people didn't like it. I had it in the hopper with the three publishing companies for six months. Then rejections after a little hope. Huh, imagine if they said that to James Patterson or Stephen King? The sad part, they probably have...

So I've self published. After having several edit the manuscript and go over plotting to ensure it didn't fail the reader. Okay, I've sold 45 in two weeks. But so what?

Things don't change right? To be published means published in book form. Really? I'm typing this out at a bar on a IPod touch. Stay where you are and hold your breath. Things are changing quick.

This is 1991 all over again.

Why is that significant? It's when a guy named Quentin Taratino debuted his independent film "Reservoir Dogs.

Some guy named Kevin Smith would go to Sundance with a film called "Clerks."

They didn't use the Hollywood studios to make those films. They had editing which wasn't done by an Oscar winner. No score that was off the Top 40 or a producer who had made the "thrill ride of the summer."

They succeed through blood, sweat and tears. And they didn't get in every theater in order to show their movie.

How is this different than self publishing? Should you write to have it sit on a shelf or collect dust? Movies are virtual now. Unless you haven't heard of Hulu or Netflix. Is it not a real movie or television show if produced to specifically air on those outlets? According to some, it's not a book if everyone has a chance to access it.

And here's the rub. It's also looking exactly like the film industry in the 1990s. Big Hollywood studio executives start swooping in, buying all of the good independent movies. And after a while, the word "independent" isn't a bad one in film. Studios start marketing the term because it suggests a fine, quality film which is not a blockbuster. It is only a matter of time that the publishing world will do the same thing with self-published ebook authors. Or they may create "independent" boutique brands to grab that market share.

So, what does this have to do with Scre4m? Kevin Williamson who wrote them was turned down several times because who wants a slasher movie with the novelty of self-aware characters? Well, after the "independent film" boom started to crest by 1996, Miramax made the film because they were buying anything unknown and "independent" (even as a boutique studio brand owned by Disney).

That film made box office gold. It propelled the illusion of sequels which continue to this day. Mirror that with how books will be in five years. All that self publishing that you are not doing in order to hold out for a contract from one of the big six is getting wasted. However it goes, my stuff is getting seen and bought, prepping for the chance to gain readership. If conformity to Publishing House standards is the key to a deal, then why do it? I write to be read. Why write if no one reads it?