Quote:
Originally Posted by Blue Tyson
Not like they haven't had YEARS to deal with that. Current stupid contracts their own doing. CEOS etc. are supposed to be forward-looking and strategic, it is why the pay the tossers the big bucks.
Firing a whole bunch of the people at the top a while back, or at least get rid of them now, given they were clearly lacking in the necessary vision.
|
Years? A very few of the very most forward-looking publishers started thinking about these issues 10 years ago. More got into the game starting not much more than about 5 years ago. I guess that counts as "years."
As for CEOs being forward-looking and strategic, sure. Some have even taken action in forward-looking ways. Consider for example the (new) CEO of Holtzbrinck -- which owns MacMillan, which owns Tor. Tor and Baen made a deal to put Tor's books up on Baen's Webscriptions site -- the deal was negotiated at Tor's level, approved at MacMillan, and then shot down by senior management at Holtzbrinck. Fast-forward 15 months, and Holtzbrinck's new CEO asked all divisions to explain what they were doing to remain relevant over the next 30 years. Tor responded by describing the shot-down deal, with the result that it's now back on and in the works ("Real Soon Now", whenever
that is). Is that strategic enough for you? It certainly involved firing several of the people who were previously at the top (not, however, as a result of that particular deal).
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blue Tyson
Renegotiation doesn't exist in their language or world? Non-exclusivity? Not rocket science, here. A couple of the latter mightn't hurt at the top levels of publishing, though.
|
Ah... I see! You're recommending that they follow either option #2 or #3 from my list in
this prior post. Meanwhile, you're
assuming that they are following either option #4 or #0 (the just ignore the whole thing with head-in-the-sand approach)...
based on which evidence, exactly? And you're choosing to do it with public namecalling and bad language. This brings to mind an old folk-saying about flies, honey, and vinegar. Perhaps you may wish to reconsider your approach.
Part of the point I was trying to make is that you're tarring publishers in general with a very broad brush. There's no need to invoke any evil intention or poor business practices or even general cluelessness to explain the current mess. In fact, it would be quite possible to wind up where we are even if
every publisher and publishing executive was a totally well meaning guy/gal who's solidly on the side of the angels and loves all humanity -- not that I believe that's an accurate description of all publishing executives and publishing companies.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blue Tyson
Failing that, if you are the Americans - you could just start grabbing the whole enchilada, perhaps. Want to be sold in the USA? Do this, or go away. They have the clout, they do it in other arenas, so not sure why they play nicey-nice when they could sell directly to everybody.
|
Just to make my position clear: I hate regional restrictions, and I wish they would go away! While I'm at it, I also wish that all publishers would go the Baen route of low prices, no DRM, no regional restrictions, and solid and honest up-front dealings with their authors, agents, readers, etc. (Of course, I also want world peace, the end of hunger and global warming, lots of money from the tooth fairy, and a pony!
)
Meanwhile, back in the real world, I also understand that publishers and authors face an overhang of existing contracts that they must cope with. And that renegotiating contracts requires time and attention, and costs money -- and because time attention and money are not infinitely available, even a well-meaning publisher must make choices about how to proceed. And those choices are more complicated than "don't those fucktards know
anything?"
Meanwhile, what do you suggest that authors and agents do to help clean up the current mess? Again, I'm looking for realistic (or at least plausible) concrete suggestions, not overheated rhetoric. Use AgentY and
BigBestseller as a way to illustrate your proposed approach. How should AgentY proceed? While you think about it, remember that he has a fiduciary duty to his client (the author) to attempt to get the best business outcome possible for the client.
Can you tell I'm an academic who is used to posing homework problems? But I digress yet again...
Xenophon