GUEST POST : GLENN STARKEY

I welcome one of my favourite authors and someone I highly admire to my blog today. Glenn has kindly put together this incredible eye opener of a guest post, albeit one that shocked me. You will see why, once you've read it yourself. The way I see it, is that it's all well and good that libraries have rules and so on, but they should also have the decency, prior to accepting an author's hard work not to mention the cost they have incurred, to lay out said rules/policies before smilingly accepting these 'free' books. To add insult to injury, they then either misplace them or whatever said library (not all libraries) happened to do with the books. I personally think it's disgusting and absolutely degrading. Especially when Glenn's novels, as far as I am concerned - and yes I have read them all, rate far and above others I have read, paid a pretty penny for, were published by 'big names' and given a seal of approval by a 'big name' review house. This in no way makes them brilliant novels! Sad. Ultimately, it's their loss. What are your thoughts?

~ Glenn, I can't thank you enough, but thank you. 

GLENN STARKEY

    Glenn Starkey is a Vietnam veteran, former Marine Corps Sergeant, Texas law enforcement officer, retired as a security manager of a major global corporation, was a security consultant, lectures on a variety of subjects, and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Security Management.  His travels and experiences, in addition to a love of history, are the foundations of his novels.
    Starkey lives with his family and a 93 pound Labradoodle in Alvin, Texas.  He welcomes and encourages readers to write to him with their reviews or writing discussions.

Author BIO

'MY LIBRARY WON THE BATTLE, BUT LOST THE WAR...'

I’m honored my dear friend, Sandra, asked me to write a guest article for her site. When first asked, I wondered what could possibly be written worthy of discussion. I wanted subject matter people will read, comment upon, and weigh its pros and cons for days. The answer presented itself in timely fashion.

    On April 23, I posted an article on my site about a situation I had with my local library (see “Another Gut-Punch to Indie Authors.”) Without recounting the entire story, the short version is this: As a strong supporter of education, last December I donated a brand new, signed copy of each of my three published novels to my local library here in Alvin, Texas. While attending a meeting at the library in March, I inquired about my books. They were not listed in the library system. 

    In April, I received a letter from my county, Brazoria, library system advising me the books were either lost or discarded, possibly sold in a recent library sale of unwanted books. To add further insult to injury, the librarian wrote reasons my books were not acceptable to their library system.

    First, I was self-published. Second, the books are not reviewed by a recognized review source. Third, I would have to pay a $10 per book processing fee while traditionally published books do not require this fee. And she politely closed by wishing me success and thanking me for my support of the library system.

Needless to say, an entire spectrum of thoughts rushed through me upon receiving the librarian’s letter. I wrote my blog and received numerous comments, many of which were sympathetic to my plight. But there were other comments presenting valuable views which warrant consideration by all indie authors. Having said this, I want to break some of the issues down for everyone to think about.

    Okay, if my county library system has such high standards and strict rules concerning the acceptance of self-published works, the library assistants should have advised me first rather than simply take all three of my books.  After all, those books cost me money. I should be able to make an informed decision about their donation one way or the other.

Indie books are believed to be unacceptable because they are not reviewed by a recognized review source?  Then who or what is a recognized review source? The New York Times? The Nobel Peace Prize Literature Committee?  To me this reeks of prejudice and bias on the part of the library system. They are determining what the public should or should not read.

    Folks, I will take a review from Sandra Valente any day over some source that probably scanned a couple of pages and is coerced by big publishing houses to give favorable reviews. When I first asked if Sandra would review my novel, “The Cobra and Scarab: A Novel of Ancient Egypt,” she politely informed me she wasn’t a fan of historical fiction but would read it because she liked Egypt.  I had to WIN her over with my writing—and was fortunate to have accomplished that feat.

    For me to donate three of my self-published novels, their costs paid for by me, then to be told I should pay a $10 per book library processing fee to have them considered for acceptance, is insulting, frustrating, and disappointing. Especially, coming from my local public library.

    So, what does this incident display overall, other than my local branch library’s prejudice and bias against self-published books? The underlying core of the problem is “quality writing.”

Traditional publishing houses or “big houses” as they are known, used the derogatory term “vanity publishing” to indicate writers who published books that were “not good enough” to be published by the big houses and lacked quality. Eventually, the term “self-published” rather than “vanity” came into usage, and like “indie filmmakers,” the “indie” transferred to self-published authors. When the big houses want to combat the rising tide of indie books, they use “vanity” in derogatory fashion. I prefer to be known as an indie author. Makes more sense considering I am independently published. (By the way, I’ve had agents and been the traditional route with publishers.)

    But quality writing is a key factor, distinguished in the past by making it through the trials of agents and reviews by the big houses. This gauntlet of merciless butchers rightfully weeded out many of the poorly written books which lacked depth of story, and so forth. Please note though that many good novels fell to the way side because of “in-house” politics with the traditional publishing houses and agents. Yes, politics plays as much a part in publishing house business as it does getting a bill passed in the U. S. Congress. Publishing is a business. The business is to make money—and with every business comes in-house politics. (I retired from a major global oil corporation and lived with this problem an entire career.)

Independent authors found they could write as they wished, bypass all the checks and balances of editing and review, pay a fee for printing and send their books out into the world. Take a hundred indie books at random, read them and you will honestly state to yourself that far less than half have quality in some form or another. Not every indie book is good.  Not every indie book is bad. But the primary problem lies with quality control; no system is in place to prevent poorly written works from entering the public world—and creating prejudice against all other indie books.

    It will take time, a long time, to lift the stigma placed upon indie authors. Yet it can be done. Doing so requires every author to push themselves, challenge themselves to write their best, edit to the maximum degree, and obtain sound, truthful feedback about their projects’ worth before releasing them to the world. E-books are a fantastic new avenue for the literary world, but partially to blame for this problem. Anyone can write pages of junk overnight and have it published by the next day. Again, the bad writings tainted the good ones.

    Let me pause for a moment and state one fact for the record: I am not saying everything I write is the best thing since sliced bread. I am FAR harder on myself, my writings, than anyone else ever could be. Regardless of what I write (which it takes me a year and a half minimum to complete a novel), I never feel it is quite good enough. What I am saying though is that the stigma can be overcome. It simply requires dedication and hard work on an author’s part.

    I love to write. I love the writing world. I’ve met so many great people (authors, reviewers, readers) since first beginning this journey. I’ve found 99% of the authors I’ve met and know are always willing to help another author succeed. When contacted by aspiring authors, I freely assist them however possible. I only turn away those persons who indicate they are not serious.

    Before closing, I want to state not all libraries refuse to accept indie author books. Many readers of my blog commented on their local libraries being quite happy to accept books. Some authors even wrote of giving talks at their libraries. It is just my misfortune to have a public library system which does not. My library may have won the indie battle, but in the end, they lost the war.
    I encourage everyone with aspirations of being an author to do so. But when you write, give your best, write with passion, and edit without mercy.

Glenn Starkey
AUTHOR

Solomon’s Men

The Cobra and Scarab: A Novel of Ancient Egypt

Year of the Ram (not yet available on Kindle)

Amazon Moon (novel in progress)

Connect with Glenn:

http://GlennStarkey.net

http://www.Facebook.com/GlennStarkeyAuthor

http://www.Twitter.com/GStarkeyBooks

https://www.Amazon.com/author/glennstarkey