Self publishing redefines children’s books

by Carl Natale on April 1, 2012

The New York Times uncovers a trend of young authors – young being 12 years old and up – writing books that their parents pay to publish.

Young Writers Dazzle Publisher Mom and Dad – NYTimes.com
A growing number of self-publishing companies have inspired writers of all ages to bypass the traditional gatekeeping system for determining who could call themselves published authors.

Critics being critics don’t like the idea that someone can write a novel before hitting puberty. What do they know about living?
Yeah, give it a break.

For the most part, these books are collecting dust somewhere. Or not. Many of the deals are with print-on-demand publishers. So very few trees are killed in the process.

The way I see it, these parents are subsidizing an industry about as mature as their kids. Yes vanity press is nothing new. But the process is cheaper and easier than ever. So cheap and easy that teenagers have a couple books “published.”

So this gives self-publishing a little bit of capital and traction. Hopefully it makes it less expensive for the rest of us to get published.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Previous post:

Next post: