Gibbs: You edited my new book, “Smack in the Middle,” which, even though it was not self-published, still required your skills to make it as professional as possible. Your process intrigued me. But the word on the street is that you’ve been tearing your hair out because of some of the writing you’ve seen in a number of recent books that are self-published. 

Joel: Which I guess explains why the street is suddenly so hairy. But yes, it’s an entirely new world with the ease of self-publishing and free platforms like Amazon Kindle. Anyone who wants to call themselves an author today can call themselves an author. 

Gibbs: But the fact that it’s so easy to publish these days is obviously a concern to you. 

Joel: Only on two occasions. The first is when the author pretends that he or she is a legitimately published author by neglecting or refusing to say that the book in question is self-published. And the second is when the author makes no attempt to at least try to ensure that the work is as well-crafted as it can be.

Gibbs: I assume that’s because such behavior is an affront to professional writers who practice and support the art and craft of writing and have paid their dues over the course of many years.

Joel: Exactly. Would you like to hear a horror story?

Gibbs: Not particularly. But I suppose you’re talking about something that happened that supports your point. In that case, fine.

Joel: Okay. I used to belong to a business networking group. At every meeting, each participant would make a self-introduction. It got silly after a while since it was usually the same people making the same introductions. There was one guy who self-published a book on how to improve business. He always said something like, “It’s now in its third printing!” Yeah—because he paid to have it printed on three separate occasions. And then there are all the authors who pay vanity houses to publish their books but then write press releases for their local newspapers that make it seem as if they’re moments away from being a Simon & Schuster bestselling author.

Gibbs: But don’t vanity houses provide an outlet for those authors who are highly skilled and deserving, but for whom legitimate houses have been elusive simply as an effect of not being in the right place at the right time?

Joel: Yes. But too many vanity houses do not feel an obligation to make sure that the authors they take on are highly skilled and highly deserving. It’s strictly a business for them. They don’t seem to care about good writing as much as they do about signing on someone to their most-expensive publishing packages. There are a few things these presses should do. For one, they should strongly—very strongly—promote the fact that professional editing can make even the flimsiest, most amateur writing seem respectable and commanding. They should also offer highly affordable professional editing services to their clients and provide the names of reasonably-priced professional editors from which their clients can choose. 

Gibbs: You’re saying that not just anyone should be allowed to call themselves a professional author. 

Joel: I have a friend who’s a real estate agent. A while back, when I was desperately trying to get a novel published, he told me to stop whining and just self-publish the darn thing. I said to him, that’s not what makes a professional novelist. If your neighbor sold his house on his own, can he call himself a professional real estate agent? No! A professional real estate agent has to study rules and regulations, pass a test, and abide by a series of standards. Why should professional writing be any different? Getting published by a legitimate house is the license. It shows that you have the skill, did the homework, and abide by the standards. There are other ways of earning that license, too, including getting published in magazines, or even utilizing a professional editor, because once you get some legitimate reader comments and you’ve learned from the experience, you are a professional author. 

Gibbs: How are you addressing these concerns?

Joel: Other than pulling my hair out and littering the street with it? By eagerly accepting interviews like this one, spreading the word, and helping out whomever I can. 

Gibbs: You’re a true professional, Joel. Thanks for speaking with me on this topic. I’m looking forward to working with you again.

To read up on Joel’s book editing services, visit:  HERE