'A' is for Awesome Authors

I was checking out Twitter last night, and one of my authors (yes, I do think of you as "mine") linked to an interview with Sue Grafton.  You probably know Sue Grafton - mystery writer who latched onto a "clever" titling system ("A" is For Alibi, "B" is For Burglar, etc.).  I do not recall that I have ever read one of her books, but I do know who she is and that she has fans around the world.

Well, now she might have lost some of those fans.  Her interview has a paragraph that is pretty insulting to those who self-publish.

And here is the response M.J. Pullen had for her.  One of my favorite lines of M.J.'s - I may be a lot of things, Sue Grafton, but lazy isn't one of them.

I know that as self-publishing authors, you face challenges.  Yes, you are probably writing in your spare time, in the bathroom, on the bus, while your kid plays on the swing set, on a break from your "it-pays-the-mortgage" job, and anywhere and everywhere else you are.  You have to get a cover done.  You have to get the manuscript into the hands of beta readers.  You have to get it proofed. {Please, get it proofed!}  You have to get it formatted.  You have to promote.  You have to self-promote (which can be harder than just promoting your book!). You have to be able to take the criticism and rantings and ravings and cyber-stalking of those that hate you.  You have to be able to take the criticism and rantings and ravings and cyber-stalking of those that love you.

And you have to face the scorn of those in the "old" system as they see you steal their thunder.

So, read Sue's interview.  Then read M.J.'s response.  And tell me, are you lazy? Or are you a proud self-publisher, ready to face the challenges head-on?