I had a revelation after years of attempting to get the ‘big guys’ to ‘accept’ my work for publication… it is just no longer worth it to ‘get published’ by a traditional publisher!

This is not only because, more and more, they’re being consolidated into a monopoly that accepts an ever-narrowing (and boring IMO) perspective that is becoming unreadable and uninspired; or because modern publishers are encouraging the dumbing down of the world for the sake of empty activism; or because the ancient literary traditions of story-telling, plot, and archetype are being discarded or corrupted with glee by corporate board leaders who seem to know nothing about literature or readers.

Those are all good reasons why I finally felt like turning up my nose to to any further groveling at the feet of Big Lit. But they weren’t the big reason.

The CLENCHER for me was learning how traditional publishers do little more these days than get your book published for you with a slick cover. That’s it.

• They DON’T, in most cases, do ANYTHING to promote or market your book anymore
• They slap ill-formatted and boring blurbs on your book’s listing page
• They hold you’re audiobook rights but rarely use them, leaving thousands on the table
• They expect you to already have a big platform built for them so you can do the work of promoting
• They don’t buy any ads for you
• They *might* give you an advance, but because they do little marketing, there is a big risk of owing them the money back.
• They often butcher what you’ve written and change the intention, themes, and characters or inject their disgusting activist agendas into your work
• ALL WHILE THEY KEEP NEARLY ALL THE PROFITS!!!

It is not unheard of for an author to glean under $1 a book from sales.

If there are many sales at all.

Today the SINGLE BIGGEST reason why anyone should keep courting the big publishers is purely for vanity: the chance to make it on The New York Times Bestseller List. But also to qualify for some seemingly prestigious awards, too. Now, if that is what you want to feel happy and satisfied with your author career, I want you to have it, and I am not judging you for your desire.

However, this is something (for now) authors are barred from unless they have been published by traditional Big Lit publishing houses. Self-published and smaller boutique presses do not qualify. So if you crave more than anything the prestige of authorship via a shot at these titles and awards, then you have no choice but to keep courting Big Lit. I wish you all the success in the world, too. I really do!

Now, the rest of us who self-publish or publish via small boutique presses such as here at The Focused Author do still qualify for tons of literary awards and to make it on the USA Today Bestseller Lists, and of course, to make it to the top of Amazon’s Bestseller Lists as well.

And you know what? These are the REAL bestseller lists.

What do I mean by that?

I mean, these are the lists that reflect work that is actually being gobbled up by the thousands from hordes of happy readers. They are bestselling because they are, in fact, the highest-selling books!

Well, duh, Desa, you might be thinking.

Perhaps, like me at one time, you don’t know this: many books on the NYT Bestsellers List will barely clear a few thousand books sold.

That’s because the so-called illustrious Gray Lady’s “Bestsellers” List is actually a curated list composed of mostly boring and unreadable trash that happens to suit the fancy of the same narrow set of ‘elite’ who are behind nearly all art, music, film, and lit taking their uninspired swirl around the toilet these last couple of decades.

Ever read an NYT Bestseller and think to yourself, “OMG, that was just crap. I can do better than that!”

Also, I’m sure you’ve noticed we are living in the age of remakes and reimaginings.

All of this is not hard to see why.

Hollywood, literature, art, and music are all ‘running out of ideas’ because their products are being filtered through the same channels that have cut themselves off completely from the Source of all true inspiration. Whether the so-called elites like it or not, that Source is God. You’ll even catch the most avowed atheist artist acknowledging from time to time that he recognized his best work wasn’t coming FROM him, but always seemed to come THROUGH him… from he dare not ponder where.

It’s these same self-worshipping, God-denying elites who have also decided that the fans, readers, and even the artists are stupid, annoying, and an obstacle to the only thing that matters above all else: profit. And maybe their second favorite god they at least like to pay lip service to: the environment. Yes, like the rest of us workers and customers in big corporate America are experiencing, it’s a bunch of know-nothings at the top who think they know everything calling all the final creative shots. And they suck at it. Big time.

So you have the tiny, creatively stunted, and academically indoctrinated few, thinking they can learn all they need from some financial spreadsheets, answering only to big shareholders, trying to control most of the levers of what is allowed to come through from artists to the masses. The word ‘artist’ being less about talent and skill and more about packaging. And the artist who lacks connection, credentials, credit, clout, or the correct Marxist-inspired opinions is being stamped out.

And the slob they like to refer to as merely the ‘consumer’? Who cares what they think or want? They’ll decide what the consumer wants.

That’s the state of Big Lit and publishing today, I finally realized a few years back…

I can beg my blue-haired intellectual betters to publish my book for me so I can avoid learning anything or covering all the upfront costs myself, but only if I’ve turned my book into crap first, in exchange for agreeing to let them keep nearly all the profits. If there are any profits at all.

All so I can maybe get a tiny shot at grabbing a lousy, meaningless and misleading title: New York Times Bestselling Author.

Or…

I can have absolute control over my creative legacy, stay true to my Muse, honor the ancient traditions that created all the great art of the ages AND reap enormous financial rewards.

All this if I just invest a little bit more in the process.

For me, a rugged and visionary INFJ personality, a native Texan, a descendent of the Wallace Clan that birthed freedom fighter William Wallace, and whose top three values are Beauty, Freedom, and Inspiration…there was no contest.

Self-publishing is the greatest gift of our time. IF we learn how to fully unlock its power.

And I did.

Spending decades of time and tens of thousands of dollars.

Now I am honored to place all of what I learned at your disposal.

Join me. Let me help you give Big Lit two middle fingers.

You write it. We do the rest.

Here’s to your success!

Desa

Leader of The Focused Author Publishing Team

Chief Author-Artist Mentor