The most recent 20 comments posted to Making Light by Scott:

Jonathan Shaw writes: "I don't imagine Teresa would have a problem with this activity."

I agree--because the activities you describe don't purport to compete with/bypass the establishment. Printing a few copies of a book for friends is not the same as trying to make a go of it as a business. Therefore, no threat to the entrenched corporate players.

My point is this: the PublishAmerica line has become a straw man of sorts. Because it is such a patently foolish way to publish, it is often used to smear all self-publishing ventures, by implying (through omission) that PublishAmerica is the only way people self-publish.

Every time you see a blog entry on the subject of self-publishing by a New York publishing insider--whether an editor or writer--they can't resist the PublishAmerica straw man.

But there is another side to self-publishing--including POD self-publishing. Foner Books, for example, is a POD publisher that sells computer-related titles. This is a self-publishing venture--and they are making very profitable use of POD.

With all due respect, this topic has been beaten to death..Everyone agrees that the folks at PublishAmerica, etc. are parasites and charlatans.

Nonetheless, you never seem to say anything good about self-publishing. While self-publishing for fiction is probably a bad idea, there are plenty of niche non-fiction topics where self-publishing is the norm. Many of these self-publishers use POD and other short-run printing technologies. So we can't necessarily say that POD = bad.

In regard to politics, this site always seems to opt for the anti-establishment position. Concerning publishing, though, you seem to suggest that *any* attempt to compete with big corporate publishing is necessarily contemptible. Some writers (especially niche non-fiction authors) actually are interested in being self-publishers. While this may present certain challenges, why is it necessary to constantly take pot-shots at it? Sometimes you sound a bit like the folks at Microsoft deriding the latest Linux-based software.

Let's face it, you guys do kind of represent the establishment in this area. You have vested interests--and this is no crime. But asking you to be open-minded about self-publishing might be a bit like asking Bill Gates to be open-minded about Linux.

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