Your perspective suggests to me that we have entered the golden age of independent publishing. Back in the dark ages of 2012, I self-published my debut novel as a high quality print edition, a labour of love in every sense. Promotion and distribution were a thankless struggle, and of course I came out much poorer for it; notwithstanding the battle scars, I *knew* from that experience that the hegemony of literary publishing was coming towards its demise. And yet the few people my book reached loved it enough for me to consider the whole venture a success!
It seems that the missing element back in those days was a community of practice amongst independent writers. I love that this exists now online; back when I published my novel, I spent literally half a year picking brains and doing research as to how to go about it. Now I serialize my work for free, knowing that it's only going to appeal to other collectors (of newsletters) like myself, just appreciating the satisfaction of that direct relationship to audience that it was so impossible to achieve even a mere decade ago as an independent writer.
I think the artist/audience relationship is a function of an individual's affinity for an artist, the possible ways they can build and maintain interest with the artist (via channels), the depth a channel can provide, and the amount and quality of communication the artist then provides.
It's on the artist then to use all good/appropriate channels for discoverability, direct/indirect relationships, and sales. For distributing work widely, there'll be a lifecycle stage consideration too.
I think there are also the rare few who want to support the creator because they enjoy their creations. One of my supporters told me that is why he became a paid subscriber. Not for any extras or early access. Just to support a writer he enjoys.
That goes against the "what do I get for supporting you?" mentality that sites like Patreon are based on. But hopefully, that supportive mindset will become more common.
This is a nice piece. I'm thinking it might be good to share somewhere where I talk about the value of becoming a paid member to my own newsletter.
Your perspective suggests to me that we have entered the golden age of independent publishing. Back in the dark ages of 2012, I self-published my debut novel as a high quality print edition, a labour of love in every sense. Promotion and distribution were a thankless struggle, and of course I came out much poorer for it; notwithstanding the battle scars, I *knew* from that experience that the hegemony of literary publishing was coming towards its demise. And yet the few people my book reached loved it enough for me to consider the whole venture a success!
It seems that the missing element back in those days was a community of practice amongst independent writers. I love that this exists now online; back when I published my novel, I spent literally half a year picking brains and doing research as to how to go about it. Now I serialize my work for free, knowing that it's only going to appeal to other collectors (of newsletters) like myself, just appreciating the satisfaction of that direct relationship to audience that it was so impossible to achieve even a mere decade ago as an independent writer.
Thanks again for this article!
I think the artist/audience relationship is a function of an individual's affinity for an artist, the possible ways they can build and maintain interest with the artist (via channels), the depth a channel can provide, and the amount and quality of communication the artist then provides.
It's on the artist then to use all good/appropriate channels for discoverability, direct/indirect relationships, and sales. For distributing work widely, there'll be a lifecycle stage consideration too.
I think there are also the rare few who want to support the creator because they enjoy their creations. One of my supporters told me that is why he became a paid subscriber. Not for any extras or early access. Just to support a writer he enjoys.
That goes against the "what do I get for supporting you?" mentality that sites like Patreon are based on. But hopefully, that supportive mindset will become more common.