I was excited! Anxious at all the possibilities! Thoughts were seemingly flying through my mind and I knew that I could grab a hold of any one of them and use it for my blog posting today. But I was too busy at the time to make a note. That's okay, though, I'll have no problem remembering this.
My creative mind was whirling away so much that you could almost hear it. One subject after another whizzed about my mind and it felt like I had struck gold. The Motherload of great ideas was now within my reach. I could not wait for today to get here when I knew I would have the time to write and I could put up a real kick-ass blog.
I call it getting old. I could also blame it on the MS, forgetfulness is one of the things really cool things that come with the Multiple Sclerosis. Sometimes I even forget where I am.
You might find this odd, but I've slept since I wrote that last paragraph. Now I remember what I wanted to share with you.
I want to tell you that I have adopted a new way of reading and I'd like it if the whole world does it too. From henceforth, I will no longer purchase and read best selling books that have been produced by any of the traditional publishing houses. I am only reading books that have been self-produced. By that I mean, independent authors who have no publishing contract with any traditional publisher.
There are way too many good authors out here that can't afford to pay an editor, or can't get the attention of agents and whose perfectly good novel is laying at the bottom of a slush pile hoping to be discovered, but never will. It's time we take a stand and make our presence known.
I have read books by great authors who can sneeze on a napkin and their publisher will not only print it, but will promote the hell out of it so that it makes the NY Times Best Selling List. I'm sorry, but I have read their books and I have read the books of authors like me that go unnoticed and I believe the quality of many, many self-published authors are as good, if not better written than the famous writers.
It's obvious that the big publishing houses want to keep us hidden. Do you know that many of the big book retailers won't even put a book on their shelf if it hasn't come from the big publishers. The chances that a new or unknown author has of getting discovered is so heavily stacked against him/her that their chances are almost non-existent.
Just imagine what it would be like if suddenly, the books of us indie authors started selling more than those on the New York Times Best Selling list. The likes of Dan Brown, Sandra Brown, James Patterson, PatriciaCornwell, Michael Crichton, Stephen King, John Grisham, Sue Grafton, Lee Child and on and on ad nauseum, would suddenly have competition. As it is today, they are all established and well supported by the big publishers that they can turn out any drivel and make big bucks while we all struggle to feed our children.
We can turn things around in our favor if we could only manage to do this one thing. Stop buying their books and start buying only those of us self-published authors. I am sure that we would find new and very good authors who till now have gone unnoticed and may never be noticed.
So, here's what I'm saying, show your loyalty to the self-published industry. Buy only our books. I dare you. I double-dog dare you to do just that and watch how fast the publishers start coming to us and seeking us out. We can change it all, ourselves.
