Rise of Females Authors with Self Publishing
Book publishing has been a notoriously vicious business. And if you are a woman, the chances of your book getting through are almost ambiguous, in the traditional publishing model. If you look closely at the books published by traditional publishers, the data will show you that the number of authors who come up with a book are mostly men. The gender gap in the literature world has been criticized for decades. Studies from various organizations tell us that the number of women vs. men that are covered and accepted in traditional publishing houses are mostly in favor of men. Even many female authors when tired of rejection, opted for male pen names from the days of Louisa May Alcott to today’s most successful female writer, J.K. Rowling.
More and more female writers are seeing success in Self-Publishing platforms. In recent discussions about self-publishing platforms, women seem to thrive more. According to recent research, it is found that almost 67 percent of best-selling authors are women and this percentage is only growing as more and more women are knocking at self-publishing doors because they have been shut out of more traditional publishing avenues.
While searching for ideas regarding this year’s International Women’s Day, I came across many female authors who used ‘male pen name’ just out of fear of rejection of not getting their work published by traditional publishing houses. As heart breaking as it is, it is true. In fact, more women buy, read and write books in numerical terms, but more ‘weight’ and ‘limelight’ are given to male authors. But that is not the case with self-publishing, it’s the effort by the individual that counts, not the gender.
The major discrepancy is that women writers aren’t treated solely as writers but with a stereotypical notion attached to them as feminine- chick-lit, romance writers. Take the example of all-time favorite classic fiction ‘Little Women’ by Louisa May Alcott, where throughout, the protagonist didn’t want to settle down but had to at the very end as the publisher suggested it won’t sell if the main character is female and won’t marry at the end. We got to know about this as the author herself never married. The literary world should take more notice of what women writers are writing than what they should be writing.
Mainstream publishing tries less to take a chance and publish only predictable anecdotes and female characters who represent the same old romance and family traps and we talk about creativity being lost. But where are today’s ground-breaking female authors coming from? The answer is that they are taking the help of the self-publishing platforms.
In self-publishing, there is no glass ceiling or certain criteria to smash through, it’s all about the talent rather than the usual. It’s not about who you know, but what you can do and what can you write.
Wishing all the wonderful writers, authors, poets a very Happy Women’s Day!
FEW OF OUR PROUD WOMEN AUTHORS -
Permila Gupta - Ujali Kiranein, Bharat Ki Lok Kathayein, Rochak Baal Kahaniyaan, Vishwa Prasidh Darshniya Darohar Sthal, Ikyavan Manoranjak Lokkathayein, Guldasta
Khemlata Negi - Hope : The Journey to Life, Seasons of Life: A collection of Poems
Shweta - How to Live Happily Ever After
Garima Johar - Color Outside the Lines
Amrita Priya - Emails from Nani
Komal Adlakha - Bits Of LifeWhere Midnight is the Sun
Amanat Chahal - The Centre of Infinity
Revathi Raghvan - Sunflower Soul
Amrita Akhouri - Mind Maps of Clinical Research Basics
Reeba Kapoor - #EndUp Right
From
Sagrika Banotra