Quote:
Originally Posted by VydorScope
If some big publisher would come along and pick up my novels and handle marketing, editing, covers, etc I would definitely listen.
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Of course, who wouldn't. If the wolves come sniffing it's becuase they see the possibility of a good meal. It's probably still one of the biggest slaps on the back a writer can receive, but at a massive financial price in terms of your success, unfortunately. Tradition is a hard thing to break away from, but I think the core question here is, (
Elfwreck's thoughts notwithstanding) does a
good writer with a
good story still need a publisher in the conventional sense? Can a small competent independant freelance formatter/editor compete on a level playing field with the "Big Boys"? I think we still need a third party to ground our expectations and doe-eyed view of our own work, but is that a role that can only be fulfilled by a tradional publishing house as we go forward into the "New World" of digital publishing?
Mr Ploppy,
(
so true!) But I think we still have to respect there dreams, although there may be some benefit in them having a quick flick through Darwin's "Origin of the Species."
Elfwreck,
Yes, there are a LOT of speculative/novice writers pumping poorly written and formatted work out into the market these days, that's a given. A massive wave of hobby writing is making it onto the virtual shelves without passing muster, or even having a spellcheck run in many cases, never mind a good copy/style edit & proofing. Haste and ease to publish is their worst enemy. But, that said, are we any less likely to discover the next "Big Thing" (
I didn't say her name
) or cult/viral series (
like "The Twiglet Saga", or whatever it's called) if it is produced by a small independant, or indeed completely (
and properly) self-published? Remember, the first "H-word" book was only a 1000 print run, UK only, and 500 went straight to libraries. But the main publishing houses aren't prepapred to follow this "pile them high sell them cheap" or "suck & see" approach to authors anymore. Twenty titles on a catalogue that may sell a couple of thousand each and combined generate some revenue is really a thing of the past. Where once you may have had a one in blah thousand chance of signing a deal, now, as a debut author, you have the preverbial snowball's chance.
Opinion:
Writing a decent novel in terms of content & quality is a much harder skill to master than "making" an ebook and firing it out there to dilute the shelves, if you get my meaning?
Just because you know how to "drive" doesn't mean you're going to win the Nascar series or F1 championship. Natural talent is rare. Most of us have to learn, pratice, and work very hard to even get close to the lucky few who seem to do it with ease and dominate the leaderboards of the literary world.
Related question:
It's the old question again, do you write to live? Or, live to write? The former I think has new options today, the latter, very probably, still really needs
some form of publishing support to temper and polish their work. (
A bit harsh, but true I think.) That said, I think those who can provide this service should do so on a percentage return basis, not as paid for up front services. They should be engaging with, not exploiting the dreams of, aspiring new talents.
What do you think?
ps Before anything gets out of hand, this thread is intended as a forum for witty remarks and a little philosophical comment. It's just food for thought and opinions, and everyone is entitled to their own. 