I recently started publishing some of my work on a platform that has authors from all over the world. It's akin to Wattpad, but it isn't that platform. I'm not well versed in the publishing realm to self publish as of yet. Not to mention my work still requires a developmental edit, as well as a whole host of other treatments. What I'm seeking is some guidance as to whether or not publishing your work on such platforms is good or bad for the emerging author. I've written a romance novel. I have it up on one of these types of sites. I will never, ever disparage a romance author again. Ever. I'm not saying it's the best on their site, I have a very keen appreciation for my failings as an author. I'm not trying to come across as elitist, or snobbish. I've met some lovely people, and I've read some great books, by some pretty decent authors. My book is getting some reads, saves, and reviews. So it's not about not getting something from them. I wonder if I'm cheating the system somehow, and ultimately myself if I bypass the rejection that comes with submitting to a regular publishing house. I also wonder whether or not complacency rubs off. The "Well it's here. So it's good enough." It was actually by being here on writingforums.org that I realized I was complacent with my writing. Soupzim, whoever you are, wherever you are. Thank you. Seriously. I wasn't taking my writing seriously and there were a lot more authors/writers putting in a whole lot more effort than I was. I had some deluded thinking that I could just write, and it would be good enough to print. Cue insane laughter here. Now, without the contest offered by the other site, I don't think I would have written a book. I'd probably have hemmed and hawed and edited it till it didn't even resemble anything I'd written. It's not about the other authors, but rather about my growth as an author and the trajectory of my potential career as a writer and whether or not submitting my work there is a good idea. I have noticed there are a few rewrites of people's works, which rankles, but at the end of the day doesn't matter one iota. The site promotes, they ask for no money, and if you meet a certain metric you can begin to sell your books with them. You receive 70% of your profit from sales and you retain all your rights to your work. To me, this is huge, because it allows me to just focus on writing, and not having to worry about advertisements and getting my work up on Kindle or Amazon. I don't have to worry about getting ISBN numbers. I just write. Do you think sites such as those where you publish your work (not for feedback per se, but for contests and free reads) can ultimately cause an author to become complacent and or cause them to lose out somehow in the long run. Sorry if this is confusing, it seems the more I write, the more I'm convinced I have some form of Alzheimer's emerging.
I doubt if anyone here can advise you without the name of the site you're describing, and without knowing whether or not you've 'met the certain metric'.
In general, I think you're right with your reservations of erm, 'creeping complacency syndrome' when opting for such a platform for your art. But—you seem quite self-aware and savvy enough to hold a standard. You could play it to your advantage... The beta version of yourself, complete with appropriate alias, (self)publishes there. < Always mindful of quality though and with a regime in place to pick up your own errors beforehand. That of being you're your own proofreader/editor. It's admittedly difficult to spot one's own formatting, spelling, and grammar mistakes, but a smidge easier if you allow time for a piece you've created to sit out of sight for a fortnight or so. A don't publish in haste mantra required I figure. You'll benefit too from such patience by getting a rep for quality amongst the others that post there and the casual readership may well become faithful. Then, when ready, the Alpha version of yourself goes for the bigger play and touts one's self with trad. publishing fraternity, hopefully having gained experience/a readership/following (to which you reveal your intentions).
I guess that depends on your goals. If you're satisfied with what you've got going and reaching for more isn't important to you, then complacency sounds appropriate. It would be hard to motivate myself if I was completely happy where I was. Nothing wrong with that. If you are interested in more, I'd probably at least test the waters of a bigger market though. When I published a couple things to a smaller market site, I let my work be fairly low quality and wasn't very motivated. When I publish to amazon there is more potential for gain and therefore failure. It does push me to be better.
