SFWA Opens Up to Self-publishers
Oh-holy-crap-Swiss-cheese-and-gravy-on-a-cracker!
Ok, I know I've been blogging too much, but the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) voted to open it's loving bosom to self-published authors!
As someone who aspires to one day be a successful author - whether that's traditional or self-published (leaning on self) - this is really awesome news! I hoped one day that I'd be allowed access, but I worried that it would be at the cost of personal choice. Either traditionally publish, or no SFWA.
The required benchmark ($3000/year in earnings off of a novel or 10,000 words of short fiction at $.06/word) is fairly high considering that self-published authors report making less than $500 a year, but when comparing with the incomes of other traditionally published authors it makes a lot more sense. If you want to run with the big dogs you have to be able to keep up.
A part of me isn't really surprised. Science fiction and fantasy have always been fairly progressive genres, so it follows that they would allow indies in. The part that is surprised is wondering what took so damn long. Self-publishing has been a viable option for over five years; why should the SFWA open its doors now? Easy: because it's now obvious that e-books are not a fad and that self-publishing is here to stay.
Author Earnings recently reported that up to 30% of e-books don't even ISBNs - pointing out that these e-books are either self-published or published under very small presses and collectives. The e-book market appears as though it's plateaued, but that could just be bad data hiding the fact that huge swaths of self-published e-books are being sold right under market analysts noses.
I'm glad the SFWA is letting these accomplished authors - often just as professional and hard-working as their traditionally published counterparts - in.
Time for cake!
Ok, I know I've been blogging too much, but the Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) voted to open it's loving bosom to self-published authors!
As someone who aspires to one day be a successful author - whether that's traditional or self-published (leaning on self) - this is really awesome news! I hoped one day that I'd be allowed access, but I worried that it would be at the cost of personal choice. Either traditionally publish, or no SFWA.
The required benchmark ($3000/year in earnings off of a novel or 10,000 words of short fiction at $.06/word) is fairly high considering that self-published authors report making less than $500 a year, but when comparing with the incomes of other traditionally published authors it makes a lot more sense. If you want to run with the big dogs you have to be able to keep up.
A part of me isn't really surprised. Science fiction and fantasy have always been fairly progressive genres, so it follows that they would allow indies in. The part that is surprised is wondering what took so damn long. Self-publishing has been a viable option for over five years; why should the SFWA open its doors now? Easy: because it's now obvious that e-books are not a fad and that self-publishing is here to stay.
Author Earnings recently reported that up to 30% of e-books don't even ISBNs - pointing out that these e-books are either self-published or published under very small presses and collectives. The e-book market appears as though it's plateaued, but that could just be bad data hiding the fact that huge swaths of self-published e-books are being sold right under market analysts noses.
I'm glad the SFWA is letting these accomplished authors - often just as professional and hard-working as their traditionally published counterparts - in.
Time for cake!
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