02-04-2014, 07:58 AM | #1 | |
Grand Sorcerer
Posts: 11,732
Karma: 128354696
Join Date: May 2009
Location: 26 kly from Sgr A*
Device: T100TA,PW2,PRS-T1,KT,FireHD 8.9,K2, PB360,BeBook One,Axim51v,TC1000
|
Times past: an author's career path 1994-2004
From Salon, circa 2004, the "adventures" of a semi-successful mid-list author dealing with the NYC publishing establishment in the pre-ebook era.
http://www.salon.com/2004/03/22/midlist/ By all indications, she seems to have had a better-than-average experience: good editors, decent advances, great reviews. Quote:
|
|
02-04-2014, 09:00 AM | #2 |
MR Drone
Posts: 1,613
Karma: 15612282
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: DRONEZONE
Device: PB360+, Huawei MP5, Libra H20
|
Cheers for the link and article....
|
Advert | |
|
02-04-2014, 09:08 AM | #3 |
Wizard
Posts: 1,717
Karma: 3790058
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: NYC
Device: Kindle Paperwhite, Sony 650
|
Surely someone out there is doing the math (the pub dates, the Amazon sales figure) and figuring out who the writer is??? I'm so curious!
eP |
02-04-2014, 10:31 AM | #4 |
Fanatic
Posts: 594
Karma: 2905052
Join Date: Oct 2013
Device: Kindle Paperwhite 5 SE, Onyx Boox Poke 3
|
This is depressing. I suppose its got even worse in recent years. People keep going on and on about self-publishing as an alternative but it's so much harder to find something of reasonable quality amid the absolutely enormous slush pile that I usually stick with the big publishers. I just don't have the time to go hunting for the good stuff in amongst the mound of literary excrement. I've only found two self-published series that are good to read and of sufficiently high quality, the Marius' Mules series by SJA Turney, and the Emperor's Edge series by Lindsay Buroker. That's it.
|
02-04-2014, 11:46 AM | #5 | |
Grand Sorcerer
Posts: 11,732
Karma: 128354696
Join Date: May 2009
Location: 26 kly from Sgr A*
Device: T100TA,PW2,PRS-T1,KT,FireHD 8.9,K2, PB360,BeBook One,Axim51v,TC1000
|
Quote:
And continues to get ever worse. Remember this? http://whatever.scalzi.com/2013/03/0...ontract-terms/ The decision tree for writers is getting very simple: 99% chance of rejection, after waiting 12-18 months minimum. Years more likely. 80% chance of not earning out the advance, even if they "win" the contract lottery and agree to the increasingly predatory terms Alternately, the writer can go indie, sell whatever they can, and keep on writing and selling. See this: http://www.hughhowey.com/most-books-dont-sell/ A few thousand sales are better than nothing or, worse, a ride of agony. |
|
Advert | |
|
02-04-2014, 07:01 PM | #6 |
Fanatic
Posts: 594
Karma: 2905052
Join Date: Oct 2013
Device: Kindle Paperwhite 5 SE, Onyx Boox Poke 3
|
Funnily enough, while I was reading and remembering this with horror, outrage, disgust, loathing, repulsion and incredulity, the Fleetwood Mac song Go Your own Way came on, which seemed pretty apt. Seriously though, while I did read this article before, I was too young to fully appreciate it, but now I am slightly older, and boy, do the terms, and Random House's attitude stink. What were they thinking? This is indicative of society as a whole; grab as much as you can, without any thought for the costs to anyone else, because hey, if I make a sh**load of money then its a wonderful world for me, and never mind those graspers who actually want to earn a decent living with far terms. How dare they. Anyway, rant over.
|
02-05-2014, 08:16 PM | #7 | |
Grand Sorcerer
Posts: 11,732
Karma: 128354696
Join Date: May 2009
Location: 26 kly from Sgr A*
Device: T100TA,PW2,PRS-T1,KT,FireHD 8.9,K2, PB360,BeBook One,Axim51v,TC1000
|
They're really coming out of the woodwork now. Three horror stories, today.
This lady isn't hiding, though: http://awriterreads.blogspot.com/201...ruined-my.html Quote:
|
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
PRS-350 About the epub custom font path And how to know the path? | 52manhua | Sony Reader Dev Corner | 6 | 12-20-2013 01:28 AM |
The Tablet of the Future From 1994 | kjk | News | 15 | 05-04-2011 02:53 AM |
The first newspaper tablet, circa 1994? (almost) | daffy4u | News | 3 | 01-13-2010 07:42 AM |