A Good Book is a Good Book- No Matter Who Publishes It

I've read a few Indie books that were just awful. Likewise, I've read some books that were traditionally published and I didn't get beyond several chapters; one I could read no more than a paragraph, yet a big name publisher spent millions to pub it. When all is said and done, it's not only that a book is well-written; it's about commercial, editorial, and market appeal. Before you (*looks at industry and rest of the world) turn your nose up at Indie publishers/books, here's a list of books that were self-pubbed:

Photo courtesy of Suzy Hazelwood, Pexels. 

Christopher Paolini. The creator of the Eragon dragon series was initially self-published by his parents. You know the rest of the story.

Richard Kiyosaki. Rich Dad, Poor Dad sales for this must-have personal finances have been astronomical.

Beatrix Potter. The Tale of Peter Rabbit is perhaps one of the top classic children's stories.

Richard Bolles. What Color is Your Parachute. A career and employment-seeking breakthrough work.

James Redfield. The Celestine Prophecy. This psychological and spiritual adventure made it from being sold out of his trunk to Hollywood screen.

Walt Whitman. One of the premiere and successful American poets, he published Leaves of Grass and its many subsequent revisions.

Irma S. Rombauer.  Still popular today, The Joy of Cooking was originally published by Irma herself.

Marcel Proust. Swann's Way was a part memoir, part fiction story told by two narrators. It has since become an institution.

Mark Twain. Who doesn't know The Adventures of Huck Finn. Both controversial and classic, this tale of the South was published by Twain and his nephew under their own publishing company.

Other books: Margaret Atwood. Yes, the author of The Handmaid's Tale and other phenomenal books self-published one of her books of poems. e.e.cummings. This great and innovative American poet self-published his third book of poems. Edgar Allen Poe. Now it's one of the rarest books (actually, a pamphlet and under a pseudonym) in American literature, Tamerlane and Other Poems. William Strunk, The Elements of Style, which is a must have for any writer, was originally written by Prof. Struck for his Cornell University students. After he died, E.B. White revised it for Macmillan.

So yes, there are successful Indie writers, some, like the above, which have moved over to traditional publishing, although these cases are extremely rare when one considers the total amount of books published each year. Not all Indie books are bad (hence, above) and not all traditional books are good (we can each cite a book we thought was horrendous and wondered why anyone would publish it). As a hybrid author having both traditionally and Indie published books, all we want is for readers (and agents and editors) to keep an open mind. Don't just automatically turn up your nose. Publishing is highly selective and personal to editors and agents, it doesn't mean that automatically an Indie book is bad and a traditional book is great. As Charles Dickens said,

There are books of which the backs and the covers are by far the best parts.  (Charles Dickens)

Try to be open-minded. 

Char