Is 'Self-publish' No Longer a Dirty Word? Author Solutions Inc. CEO Kevin Weiss explains why some major publishers now are embracing this model.
Extra: What sort of reaction is ASI getting in the industry from the introduction of this model?
Weiss: ... It's far more favorable than unfavorable. But the unfavorables tend to dominate the landscape. When we announced the Harlequin partnership, the Romance Writers of America just threw up their arms and went into a fit about this. ... The Mystery Writers of America came out and said, "No way. Absolutely not. We're not going to support Harlequin." And the Science Fiction [and Fantasy] Writers [of America] came out [with] ... (basically, my words, not theirs): "No one in their right mind would ever read something that was not traditionally published." ... It's amazing to me that these writers guilds would … be so archaic. They're there to support writers. We have mutual interests. ... We're in an age where consumers choose, right? ... I think that, over time, they will come around and see that this is not something that's going to restrict writers' ability to get published; it will not restrict anybody's ability to be a traditional publisher versus an assisted self-publisher like we are, an indie publisher like we are. And everybody's going to come around. It'll be a while before they do.