Rules to Live By

Critical Mass has a list of “ten commandments” for publishers from indie publisher and author Michael Kruger:

1. Publish only the books you really love.

2. Publish only the books you love to read yourself.

3. Never publish more books than you can read.

4. Never publish a book that bores you, even if you think that you can sell it.

5. Only publish books that make you wonder.

6. Do not publish only fiction

7. Never think that books make people better.

8. Always be happy that you do not have to publish the books of your competitors.

9. Always be aware that too much reading is bad for your eyes and bad for your back.

10. Publishers who are only interested in books, are dangerous.

I second all of these. And totally agree with this comment from Dick Margulis: “Publishers who are only interested in books are much less dangerous than publishers who are only interested in satisfying their stockholders.”