I treat all of this with much apprehension because, frankly, there are still a lot of drawbacks to the "take control of your destiny" route. The internet may reach many people but it is by nature muddled with content and widgets vying for people's attention left and right. Finding an audience that will even pay attention to you takes extraordinary time, patience, and, to some degree, funds. You can't expect to create a Facebook page and become an overnight internet sensation. Think of all the major corporations and how much effort they put into grabbing our attention. It is an enormous investment. There is a lot that I don't like about the "new model." Self-publishing actually HURTS people's chances of ever getting traditionally published, not having had your film accepted into a prestigious venue dissuades people from dropping their hard-earned cash on your media in this economy and "noisy" environment, and extraordinary time can be wasted on exploiting these means, time that can be spent perfecting your craft. We can only do so much. However, for those of us starting out, trying to build a portfolio of projects we feel will allow established people to trust us, I think it's a great option. There's no flawless solution and no quick fix. Having a creative career is hard work no matter how you spin it.

Thanks for that dose of reality, TD. And you are quite right. I've done considerable research on eBooks and only a small percentage of self-published titles go on to generate any significant income. However in the realm of content creation, it often comes down to the right set of eyeballs happening upon the right project. A classic example is Diablo Cody who started blogging, displayed a unique voice while posting a lot, which ended up drawing the attention of Mason Novick, a Hollywood manager-producer, which eventually led to the script "Juno." Yes, maybe a one-in-a-million shot, but if you have talent, and if you nail a great concept, and if you create content and put it out there, and if you, as you say, you do the "hard work" necessary to put that content in front of as many eyeballs as possible, anything can happen.

I'm taking a two pronged approach. I am making a film on my own and writing specs that require larger budgets. It helps to have something to show and proof that you can make something happen. I think both can feed off each other and one can build fans and eventually leverage that into something. Recently Louis CK filmed a show and put it up for sale for $5. He's had a huge success, but he has worked his ass off to create his own fans over the years that ended up buying from him. One might say "He already had a base." True, but he built it by his hard work and we can do the same thing. All you have got to do is find your voice and find those people that like it. Easier said than done. Your work will resonate with someone.

The other important mindset reboot when looking at self-publishing is that, while of course it would be nice, it's not actually necessary to hit it big with your books. Sell two books a year to 6000 or so regular readers, at a net of $10 (not completely unreasonable) and you have a very nice, steady, livable income. Even one book a year of 6000 readers would be the average income for most people in my city. The big paydays from scripts and large advances on novels generally have to be averaged over many years, as it might be the last payday you see for sometime, unless you're that ultra-rare screenwriter or novelist who can bank on rolling out a new, big-payday project work every year. But that writer is so rare as to not really even factor. I love the practicality of being a working writer in an environment where the writer can expect 60-70% of the list price of their books! Of course even 6000 readers at $10/net list is pretty rare, so it's still a lot of work! And the downside of self publishing is now you're more than just a writer -- you're a publisher too!

You hit on a key point, Zampana, and let me expand on it. Let's say a writer has a long-term goal of putting out 10 books, a combination of self-published eBooks and traditional publishing. Even if 8 of them were eBooks, even if they were priced at $2.99 [the lowest price allowable to get 70% of revenues], and even if they only sold 2500 copies on average per each title per year, that is $41,800 in revenue. What if the author had the same sales with eBooks priced at $3.99? That's $55,860. That does not include POD on which the author can charge a higher price. Once the books are done, they become this evergreen asset. Plus they help to market the author, too, through reviews and BWOM. So if you're smart, a good writer, work hard, promote smartly, there is a path toward creating decent to significant income aside from banking all your hopes on a spec script sale.

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