This week, we talk about the benefits and pitfalls of independent pursuits and the benefits and pitfalls of going the traditional route. Some sides are all or nothing: extolling independence over all, or shunning anything remotely done completely on one’s own. With recent leaps in technology, though, the lines are blurred — even people who have spent decades going the traditional route with the things that matter to them are finding success blending working with established companies and doing it themselves. In many ways, there’s never been a better time to do your own thing, even though it might be harder to be seen in the crowd.
We’d love to hear about (or see) the stuff you make — feel free to share stories and links in the comments.
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Discussing what’s considered ‘selling out’
I guess my definition of ‘selling out’ would be when you do something because the audience wants it, rather than what YOU want to do.
For example, David Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” album. Yes, it’s probably his best-selling album, but he’s always hated it because he did something he didn’t really want to do. (Now, I’m conflicted on this because I LOVE that album) – but from an artistic point of view, I would consider this a sell-out.
That’s a good way of looking at it. In the 90s, when people were self publishing comic books, a big part of the movement was people wanting to do their own thing. When companies caught on and picked up some books, allowing creators to continue doing their own thing, some people shouted “Sell outs!” I never saw it that way — as you point out, they were still doing their own things…just with a company’s support that allowed them to focus on creating.
Had Dave Sim gone to a company with Cerebus and kept doing the same thing, I’d have understood. Had Disney given him a bunch of money to turn Cerebus into a kid’s book, I’d have seen that as selling out.
This has become my go-to place to get inspired and motivated. So the pressure is now on you guys. JK 😉
Christopher: I guess I shouldn’t be surprised anymore that you were influenced by yet another semi-fringe thing which also influenced me – The Whole Earth Catalog. Growing up, I remember reading old copies from my parents’ hippie days. And now I even like the publisher’s name. Here’s another influence I’ll throw out there – Be Here Now. If you say you also read that, I’ll laugh. 🙂
Interesting perspectives about “selling out” and staying “indie.” My writing goal is to share my writing with as many people as possible. Of course I’m not going to turn into a self-promotion machine, that’s just not me. I’m going have to rely more on the quality of my writing to promote my writing. Good thing I prefer that route. I don’t know (yet) where I would draw the line at “selling out,” or changing my writing to comply with an agent’s or a publishing house’s request. I may have to make a decision on that soon, on a very small scale. As you may already know, I write mostly in present tense. I like it, and it works for me. I know present tense fiction is still considered trendy and faddish and even irritating by critics and readers who strongly favor past tense. Still, there are people – besides me – who enjoy PT, and I’ve read numerous examples of readers who at first didn’t care for PT, but after a while, they begun to appreciate it. Back to my potential sell-out decision – I’m slated to have one of my stories in an anthology coming out this fall, and the editor told me he’s trying to decide if my PT is “wildly effective” or “mildly off-putting.” If he ultimately goes for the later, would I be willing to rewrite my story in past tense? I don’t know. I’m leaning “yes.”
You want links? You got links!:
Anybody who wants to contribute a chunk or a smidgen to an experimental mini-movie, drop your paragraph or suggestion here: http://cmstewartwrite.wordpress.com/2013/03/10/wanna-make-a-mini-movie/ This is an internet collaboration, no monetary exchange, just a fun, amateur artistic exchange. Anonymous or credited, your choice.
BTW I’m encouraged by your “ease of indie film-making” points. Thanks for the mention. 🙂
Got a twisted tale to tell? Check this out for a chance to have your flash fiction story included in the next “Twisted Tales” anthology: https://ragingaardvarkpublications.submittable.com/submit
Want to work with a group of talented, aspiring short story writers on G+? Sign up to be notified when the next writing spot is available in Theme-Thology: https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/109985509129850131136
Cheers to crazy!
CMS: Pressure? We’re good with pressure! 🙂 We’re also glad you feel that way about the podcast because, if nothing else, we hope we give people stuff to think about. It’s nice that we’ve had people comment and take part in furthering the discussions!
The promotion machine. When I look at the people I admire the most, they may promote themselves, but they really only did after some time. Coming up, they just worked and when they met with some degree of success, then it’s like they felt entitled to say, “Hey, I have this new thing coming out…” and then returning to chatting with fans online, or retreating to their offices to do the things they do. I don’t react well to the hard sell, so I gravitate toward people like that instead of noise.
Present tense. It’s funny because for awhile, people were telling writers to avoid past tense. And there was a glut of first person books out there; enough, to the point, that if I browsed a book store and saw, “I…” the book went back on the shelf. I think one of the reasons I really liked Anne Ursu was, when I picked up her books, they were in present tense. It was nice at the time, before she moved on to writing for young adults — seemingly — exclusively. I like present tense. The novel I’m working on right now is present tense. I don’t understand the hatred some have for it.
I hope you’re able to find people to work with on the video project you want to do. There are times going the indie route feels lonely, but then I look at communities online and discussions like this one and realize, even if indie never pays the bills, there are other benefits than money for doing something you love.
Hope everybody has a great and productive week!