Amazon destroys the book industry again

[mr ploppy]

Originally Posted by sbroome

How many new authors are making a living from the internet?

Not many, but certainly more than there would be without it. Quality wasn't really what determined whether a corporation would publish a book or not, it was all about expected market share. Even Lord of the Flies was turned down because someone didn't think it would sell enough copies. As was Harry Potter, and one of the corporations who were bidding on Amanda Hocking said she wasn't a very good writer but readers seemed to buy them.

What the internet has done is give us all books that either never would have been written, or would have never got past someone's computer or desk drawer. It's also brought back a lot of genres that the publishers gave up on decades ago.

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by mr ploppy

Not many, but certainly more than there would be without it. Quality wasn't really what determined whether a corporation would publish a book or not, it was all about expected market share. Even Lord of the Flies was turned down because someone didn't think it would sell enough copies. As was Harry Potter, and one of the corporations who were bidding on Amanda Hocking said she wasn't a very good writer but readers seemed to buy them.

What the internet has done is give us all books that either never would have been written, or would have never got past someone's computer or desk drawer. It's also brought back a lot of genres that the publishers gave up on decades ago.

It's also pushed down prices of books (more for the readers to read!), provided new work opportunities to burgeoning artists, contract editors, photo-download sites, etc. I worked with an artist early on who was charging 100 dollars for a cover. She now charges upwards of 300. Another guy did covers for David Dalglish. I think he charged 40 dollars for the first cover. Let's just say David got a great deal--the guy is fabulous and I'm sure he's earning a lot more per cover now. I know editors that started out charging 20 dollars who now have a business editing.

So it isn't just about whether writers suddenly make a living. It's an entire ecosystem. Lots of us may not make a living--but lots of us may be living a little bit better because of it.