I know you've all seen American Idol or at least the commercials for it or heard people talking about it over the water cooler or a grande vente coffee. But, in case you've been living under a rock, here's how it works...

Thousands of wanna be singers line up at football stadiums. Granted some are screened out early on, but lots of the rest get through to the judges. Within those hundreds of people there are some that are spectacular singers. A few. A very few really. Then there are a bunch that are pretty good. Not quite the big time, but not bad.

Then there's the rest. Couldn't carry a tune with a handle. Painful to listen to. You just want to pour concrete in your ears rather than listen to any more from them. But their mother said they were good. Their bff told them to try out. They're screaming at the judges and flipping them off on camera (mom is so proud).

That's the self-publishing world too. A few gems. A pile of pretty darned good. And a whole bunch that might have a good story to tell, but have so many technical flaws, we can't find it in there. They get mad at Amazon, Barnes & Noble or the website they're distributing through. They get mad at the customer for daring to point it out. They argue with other authors or reviewers that try to point it out. Mom said they were good singers. They must be.

You want to write, paint, make pottery, dance? Great. You want to do it for fun, have at it. You put it out in public, then you have to step it up. Hone your craft. Invest the time and energy to do it well. Or keep it at home. Mom will love it either way.