While I watched storm winds try to destroy our balcony garden yesterday I was also watching some Hank Games Without Hank with John Green starting with The Future of Publishing: The Miracle of Swindon Town #136
I love watching these John Green videos as he plays FIFA not only for the game play but also because he always ends up talking about some very interesting things as he plays the game. I have a great deal of respects for John Green and love all of his web content and currently listening to a couple of his books while exercising. It's slow going, not because the books aren't good, but because I'm a lazy sod.
I also don't want people to think I'm trying to take on points that John Green talks about because one, I'm not that smart and two, it's not true, I'm more or less using what he discussed as a springboard for me to talk about things I enjoy to discuss and want to address my own views on these issues. This was me free form thinking while watching the videos.
I don't necessarily disagree with what John says in the first video about publishing but I just have a couple things. One is if an editor is as much of an influence on a lot of books as John says shouldn't they be listed as co-writers of a work or at least be listed on the covers. I know the cover thing is a marketing issue but if a editor had a beyond normal influence on my books I want to credit them properly. I have a big issue with work load getting proper work load credit. A example is recently I was working with an artist on a graphic novel project and it went from me being the writer and him artist in the agreed credits to me telling him after about six pages that he needed to be listed as co-writer because that's what I felt was the right thing.
Another thing to something John mentioned about how the publisher model being the best is how I think modern publishing has failed in many degrees because of its lack of creative forward thinking and by also producing just as much crap as any self-publishing model has done. You can't rip self-publishing for quality issues alone because my friends read a lot and see crap and I read a lot and if I'm spotting mistakes in your work then that says a lot about how the state of quality publishing in general needs to be addressed whether we are talking big publisher or self-publisher. This is not an excuse for self-publishers to put out materials not ready for release but at least they aren't spending thousands of dollars on what sometimes is the same levels of quality checks.
Notice I said sometimes.
Sometimes.
I think people have lost confidence in the major publishers to publish, show, and shine a light on the best that's out there.
The Future of Publishing, Part 2: The Miracle of Swindon Town #137 I think writers can reach readers in so many more creatives ways in this day and age. Big publishers are still falling farther behind in trying to tap into the new media methods. They are spending more money and time but failing in any creative or long lasting way.
I agree with him on some of the differences between the film and music industry and the publishing industry but I've worked in both in very low levels and I will tell you they both do a lot of nothing with a lot of money, that's something they very much have in common. They aren't the same but that's easy to see with a little study.
I think publishing is going towards the Hollywood model, and I agree with John That's Not A Good Thing, in ways such as trying to hit trends even if with a little research they could discover that trend is already tired, dead, and over. They trying to appeal to the masses with brainless approaches and less risk taking is the result. That's why I think people are finding more comfort in finding books by writers websites, blogs, Twitter, and the like. That can cause issues if you settle into a little area or community on the internet and stop exploring for new and different things. Writers who already have a web following or self-published writers who are taking the risks sometimes that big publishers are scared of are the leaders of the industry.
That's my opinion.
But I think I'm right.
About my opinion.
Like I said before for a lot of readers the big publishers have just lost their way in their methods of showing you great stories. If they ever really had a grasp on that method as their main focal point. Readers are going on their own journey and happily doing so to find books they want to read. I also love when people talk about loving literature being about a broad surface of books but then anything outside of the big publisher market doesn't fit that?
John mentioned how a lot of bookstores are closing. The decline of bookstores is also hurt sometimes by bad stores. Since I was able to read I've always bugged everyone I'm with wherever I go to check out any used bookstores I see and to be honest most suck. People hate to say that but its just true. I think the good ones have and will survive unless the economic situation in a given area is just really bad because they are creative and forward thinking. The digital/print sales issues when it comes to brick and dirt stores can be worked out with clear creative thinking. I with everything I have believe this. I think when it comes to the issue of the closure of those stores hurting people getting books that brings up the issue of the digital divide and I've ranted on that in the past but hate that this is almost never addressed in these types of discussions.
For anyone who thinks I'm just ranting for self-publishing because I self-publish I will tell you I'm ranting because publishers have put the industry into the fuck wrecks its currently in and that a still young and full of problems option(self-publishing) maybe a better option in the long run. Just as media content industries failed when it came to evolving to new technologies, creating this huge black market pirating industry, they also failed in providing readers with new, original, and ground breaking content. I whole heartily believe the self-publishing industry is in its infinticey but I also think it will have to grow or the whole of publishing will suffer because the big companies are not learning any lessons from their failures.
Anyone want to argue that they are?
Again as I'm said over and over. Any self-publisher that can afford it should hire an editor. Any self-publisher who can afford it should hire a cover artist. But not every writer can do that and I don't think they should be shoved into the publishing is about perfection delusion, because prose is the only art form that has to be that way, which is stupid, I see lots of shit by big publishers. As I've stated if you can take the ax hacking of readers on your not finished book I believe the sushi writing mood of crowd surfed editing can work.
Just have your shields up.
And don't check you stats that much.
.... and maybe a couple beers in hand when you hit upload.
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