Traversing the Difficult Road to Writing a Novel part 1

Is the Self-Publishing Route a good choice for aspiring writers?

 

(Click on the image above to seek out more details about this awesome obscure novel,published by a lesser-known publisher)
    In the last few weeks, my email box has been inundated with requests from writers who published their stuff on "Smashwords." Now, I don't know whether they're written well; that is a question I will answer by reading and reviewing them eventually. Either way, I have been really thankful for these requests because so many of the books have had some very unorthodox plots that are woefully missing in the repertoire of releases from larger publishers. In the last two years in particular, I've read some of Sue Dent's books, which I neglectfully never included a review here on my blog. Hopefully, that will eventually change, as I've been thinking of starting a series on this blog about my own personal journey of trying to write a novel. With that, I want to review works by lesser known writers, who have either been published by small publishing houses like Sue Dent, or who have taken the brave self-publishing route. More importantly, I want to explore different avenues that have recently sprouted up in the industry. In the last two or three years, self-publishing has infiltrated the souring publishing industry, who are working tirelessly to try to stay afloat in this current trend of economic recession. What are the implications of this trend? Of greater importance, Are these self-published/obscure works any good? Are these books written so poorly that they are not deserving of publication? Perhaps, there are stronger reasons for the development of the self-publishing trend (Is trend an apt description for something that might have more far-reaching effects on the publishing industry?)

          Remarkably, self-publishing has become a secondary option for authors, who are finding that their works  run a greater chance of being denied by potential publishers. In what some people have misconstrued as desperation, many aspiring authors are now publishing the works themselves or in coordination with the Amazon-owned, Create Space. Recently, I made a profile there, where I have established a profile for one of my many novel ideas: "Quantum Death." Now, I'm having some doubts about whether this novel will be workable, or will it become defunct much like "Death Seer." With Death Seer, I still yearn to write it someday, but right now the ideas swimming around in my head are just not appearing on the page in the form of an engrossing story.

      If you are a writer, who has self-published anything on either Createspace, Smashwords, or another Self-publishing site? I would also be thrilled to hear from writers, like Sue Dent, who have worked tremendously hard to see their works published. Many of authors like Sue Dent have found their home at small-publishing houses whose published works are never seen at major bookstores.
           For all review requests, just email me at narniafanatic(at)gmail(dot)com. Again, I'm looking specifically for self-published or obscure writers because I would love for their works to have more exposure here, as I work to research the current trends of publishing thoroughly.   It will help me with this recent series on my blog wholly dedicated to an analysis of self-publishing. 


Of course, my zombie series will continue as well, since the book I am deeply interested in writing is a zombie novel at the moment. At the same time, I would also love for people to send zombie stories in particular, since I need a deeper understanding of what makes a zombie story ticks and have a greater understanding of what makes it appealing.