Whenever I post about the debate between traditional publishing and indie publishing, readers comment about their frustration over the morass of bad self-published books on the market. In short, they wonder if it’s worth the effort of sifting through all the garbage out there to find good self-published fiction. Some, like author Joe Konrath, believe readers will separate the wheat from the chaff by relying on sites like Goodreads.com. Today, on The Creative Penn, author Gerard de Marigny offers a different idea – create an association to establish quality standards for self-published books.
I’m not sure how an association like this would work, especially if it’s not tied in some way to the marketplace. I trust the marketplace – i.e., the readers – but I’m not so sure about an association of select individuals, especially since judging fiction is necessarily subjective. For now, I lean more toward Konrath’s view, although I understand that readers appreciate the “stamp of approval” that’s provided by traditional publishers. I’m curious about what you think. Would a stamp of approval from some association be the next best thing?
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