Quote:
Originally Posted by Alisa
Absolutely. One of the things I find fascinating in the changes brought by the advent of ebooks is the new role of the editor. For so long that has been subsumed by the power of the gatekeeper, the publisher. With the relevance of that role dwindling the editor could become a professional service on its own with a powerful brand identity to its author customers. With the printing and distribution expenses being less of a factor, the jump from writer to editor is entirely different. That gatekeeper that vetted the raw works may not be needed quite so much by an editor since there aren't as many other expenses to deal with. If there's more to gain for them from a good partnership between them and the author without the other expenses, the traditional publishing house needs to start justifying their existence. There's a whole level of people in the publishing industry that could subvert the current market if ebooks take hold.
|
That gatekeeper still plays an important role: marketing.
Ebooks have reduced costs of production, manufacturing, and distribution, but you still face the challenge of letting your intended audience know your books exist.
Back in the late '60s, SF write Norman Spinrad opined that there ought to be enough magazines that
everyone could get published. My feeling was "That's very nice, but who will
read it?" Now we have websites, blogs, ebooks and Print On Demand publishing, and everyone
can get published. I still have the same question.
Being published by a major publisher still makes it more likely your books will be noticed and read.
______
Dennis