Helping or Hurting

Is Self Publishing helping or hurting? I feel like the Benedict Arnold amongst my fellow authors, but Im gonna whisper the truth. Which is my truth anyway. And I don't think I can express a whisper through the written word anyway. But here it is, self publishing has helped individuals, has decimated certain genres, has flooded the market with mediocre product. Oh boy, I put it out there. Give me a chance to explain, before you click off. Let me just tell you what I see, through the limited lens behind my desk in my tiny world.

Traditional publishing closed the doors too tight. Air sealed the cracks. Left open a tiny pin hole by which non"mainstream" authors could enter. African American authors face definite limits in opportunities, reach, influence, etc...Enter self publishing. You can do it yourself. You can use a Print on demand shop to edit, format, provide an ISBN, etc for a limited fee. And you keep retain ownership, get royalties. You are the creator and the controller (This is an inherent lie. With the exception of Lulu nothing is free, the POD's only pay you a percentage on your earnings and vanities aren't too much better. In fact, after discounts, expenses, and other unexplained fees, most authors don't see a dime. But that's a more complicated post on a much better day than today.)

But, who tells the self published author that one of their products isn't good. The theory is that, if given a chance, a self published author can produce the same quality as a traditional publishers. And in some few cases thats the truth. But, on the other hand, many one time "i think I'll write a book" folks are just throwing out "published" material as well. And more of that type of product is flooding the market. In African American lit it appears that this flood is overwhelming the quality product. The majority of the books I read now, by self published authors, just aren't ready. They need more development, more expansion. They need severe editing. They need idea and concept work. They don't examine deeper issues. Many fiction writers, or writers period, have an understanding of mental growth or psychological analysis. Therefore they can develop a character during the book, such that his experiences and mindset flow into his decision making. That is not the case with these books, where there are paragraphs about the characters hair, clothes, body type and looks. Then the character dissolves into a stereotypical caricature. BY BLACK AUTHORS.
The characters feel empty, void. The book feels...soap operish.

Why is it alright? Cuz we're Keepin It Real. Representin. Bringin the hotness. But this fiction, our literature, is not expanding minds, is not encouraging development of imagination, is not a demonstration of the word art of which are capable...And, many of the books I have noticed this in are....self published.

So, I don't know. I don't know the solution. There are powerful authors who were only discovered through self publishing. Individually, there are great benefits. But, overall, I suspect self publishing may be hurting more than helping...