Quote:
Originally Posted by JeremyR
To me, that's pretty much like saying, "I'm going to always eat at McDonald's or Taco Bell, because I can't be bothered to try places that might be better but might be worse. So instead I'll choose to eat something that is flavorless and dull because I know what to expect."
Or listening to the big musical acts that music companies manufacture. Which I guess right now is Justin Bieber.
What the big publishers push really is no different than their music or culinary counterparts. It might be sellable, but that has little correlation to quality.
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Sellable has a correlation to quality: something sellable should at least be
readable. That doesn't mean it will be something I think is good or will like, but it will have at least jumped the first hurdle. And big publishers are in turn composed of specialized imprints, so there's a lot more available than the bestseller of the moment. The bestseller may be what they market, because that's where the make the most money, but it's not all they sell.
Once something has been traditionally published, further filtering before purchase is possible. One is genre: my usual fiction reading is SF/fantasy, with some mysteries and the occasional techno-thriller. Another is who published it. I have a good idea what folks like Baen and Tor offer, and give preference because of that. (Half the time, I probably know the editor who bought the book.) Next comes reviews, which at least give me an idea of whether the book is the sort of thing I'm interested in. Last is personal recommendations from people who have read the books.
And to use your analogy, it's a lot closer to eating at class restaurants and places that have stars in the Michelin guide, because I
know the quality is high. I may not like all the dishes on the menu, but I can assume they will be well prepared.
I'm sure there's worthy stuff self-published, but right now, the Internet is the world's largest slush pile. I have no interest in reading slush, or in spending the time required to pan for the occasional nugget of literary gold in the mountains of gravel.
I want to spend my time
reading, not
looking for stuff to read when it's a search for the needle in the proverbial haystack.
I'm sure the occasional self-published writer will be extraordinarily lucky and break out to a wider audience, and may even be someone writing what I like to read. If so, I can play catchup.
If you can satisfy your reading needs with self-published work, enjoy. I can't, and don't feel like trying.
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Dennis