Indie Author Magazine: How will the strategy of publishing wide play a part in the future of the industry?
Dean Wesley Smith: It is everything. Going with only one store with exclusive rights is just bad business. Go with as many stores around the world as you can get into.
Indie Author Magazine: Do you anticipate that the definition of wide will ever evolve to mean more? If so, where do you see authors going?
Dean Wesley Smith: Wide might eventually mean not only selling in every bookstore you can around the world, but selling products in your own store, as well as your own books.
Indie Author Magazine: On an individual level, direct publishing can equate to greater control over titles, greater royalties, and a closer relationship with readers. What will the trend of authors publishing direct mean for the industry as a whole?
Dean Wesley Smith: Direct publishing will be critical to the future of any writer going forward.
Indie Author Magazine: With AI being such a hot-button, divisive topic now, what role(s)—if any—do you think it will play in the indie publishing world in five years’ time?
Dean Wesley Smith: I think it is theft and will be pushed into the background.
