The Face Behind the Story

I've commented on the dilemma of self-published books which tell a story less than perfectly, thus losing their targeted audiences. Today I want to validate the existence of all those self-published books.

As the number of professionally published books diminishes, self-published book numbers are increasing. The result has been a sort of bastardized print medium with the problems inherent to any thing accomplished by amateurs.

The overwhelming majority of self-pubs never make a dime for their authors. And yet, they keep coming. Why? Why put into print a story which has little or no chance of even being read, let alone turning a profit?

I think what drives us to self-pub, or pub any way we can, is the need to tell a story. These myriad stories are a means of claiming visibility in the world and acknowledging our existence. Without them, we are unclear not only of who is listening, but of who is speaking.

Sanity in this age of electronic, impersonal friendships still requires face-to-face recognition. And our stories are part of the geography of our faces.