“No fate but what we make for ourselves.”*
Thanks to the Internet and to technology, we are getting closer and closer to those words being true. Where once upon a time it was extremely difficult to get your work–by which I mean, for the most part, your art–out where people could see it, it is becoming easier and easier. The gatekeepers have less power. If you are willing to take the chance and invest a little sweat equity, you can bypass them.
It’s not always a good idea. Perceptions change more slowly than technology, and the seal of approval provided by being selected by a reputable publishing house or signed by an A-list agent still has value. I’m not advocating “going rogue” entirely.
What I am saying is that the delivery channels are not as narrowly held as they once were. If you think you have something to offer, there are ways to offer it without waiting for the over-worked and over-solicited gatekeeper to realize its value and pluck you out of obscurity.
I’ve been considering self-publishing for some time, and this Monday’s Miracle is that I have made some significant progress in that direction. Like the builders of the Six Million Dollar Man, I “have the technology.”
And I’m a little closer to making it work now that I’ve figured out how to turn a standard word processed bit of writing into something that can be delivered in the formats used by the all the major eReaders.
If you want to to the same, you can check out Calibre–a terrific free software for eBook management. It’s not all I’m going to need. There are some limitations to its conversion processes, but I’ve solved one of the major difficulties. I’ll be talking about that tomorrow in Tuesday’s Tips.
Meanwhile, this is a big step forward in what is shaping up to be a major project. The goal is to take much of my writing and make it available for purchase and download at the bookstore on this website. Instead of spending my energy trying to attract the attention of literary managers, agents and publishers’ assistants, I can spend it on making the work as good as I can and making it available as quickly as I can.
There are many, many hurdles to overcome before I get there–but getting past the gatekeeper isn’t going to be one of them!
* James Cameron, Terminator 2: Judgment Day
