Cailin Riley Books

As an author, I obviously think quite a bit about the publishing industry.

But what really got me thinking about it in-depth lately was actually a book called Yellowface.

You might have heard of it or seen it on shelves. It’s written by bestselling author R.F. Kuang and was a Reese’s Book Club pick.

But if you haven’t, here’s the blurb:

“Authors June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be twin rising stars. But Athena’s a literary darling. June Hayward is literally nobody. Who wants stories about basic white girls, June thinks.

So when June witnesses Athena’s death in a freak accident, she acts on impulse: she steals Athena’s just-finished masterpiece, an experimental novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers during World War I.

So what if June edits Athena’s novel and sends it to her agent as her own work? So what if she lets her new publisher rebrand her as Juniper Song—complete with an ambiguously ethnic author photo? Doesn’t this piece of history deserve to be told, whoever the teller? That’s what June claims, and the New York Times bestseller list seems to agree.

But June can’t get away from Athena’s shadow, and emerging evidence threatens to bring June’s (stolen) success down around her. As June races to protect her secret, she discovers exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves.”

If you’re wondering, yes, the book is wonderful and you should definitely read it.

But what most intrigued me about the book was how realistically it paints the process of writing and getting your name out there. Even when the main character eventually does achieve some acclaim, she struggles with pleasing her readers while trying to stay true to her craft.

In many ways, it reasserted my own choice to stay a self-published author.

I’d be lying if I said that I don’t have dreams of one day making a bestseller list or being able to support myself and my family through my writing alone. Of course, that would be amazing.

But as Yellowface shows, becoming book-famous comes with a price. Traditional publishing might get you more sales and fame, but it also means things like taking a smaller cut of your book sales, having less creative freedom over design choices, and you might have to make some serious cuts on your content.

In a way, being a self-published author means that I get to keep the “soul” of my book intact. I don’t have to cut chapters I love or change a character to be more “palatable” to the masses.

I would certainly be open to querying again and trying the traditional route someday if the chance arose, but for now, I’m just really enjoying the freedom to keep my writing the way I like it. I think it keeps my love for writing healthy and I would never want to sacrifice that feeling for wealth.

Do you think the publishing industry has become too cutthroat? If you’re an author or writer, how do you prefer to share your work?