4 ms·

This may be possible, but I think part of the value a publisher brings an author is editing/review services.

petercooper 17y ago
I agree, and it won't work for a lot of authors yet, but I see no reason why a smart, modern author can't become better at dealing with business, marketing, and publishing and outsourcing or performing certain editorial functions. (Of course, you could argue that a publisher is better value for money, but authors need to calculate that for themselves.) Once upon a time, putting together a community newsletter or a magazine was a big, difficult job that involved many people. Now you can use DTP, graphics editors, on demand printing, etc (such as MagCloud), and get great results by yourself. Similar advances are being made (and will continue to be made) in writing/publishing.
- MikeCapone 17y ago
  Yeah, that's what I'd like to see. A lot of companies specializing in offering reviewing/editorial/typography services to authors (for a fixed fee?) who are otherwise selling their books directly to the public via digital platforms like Amazon and Apple's iBooks.
  - clistctrl 17y ago
    Maybe a good YC candidate? :)
    - petercooper 17y ago
      http://www.inkling.com/ http://www.inkling.com/ is doing stuff like this for textbook authors and publishers. But, yeah, totally. It's not just all about typography, editing, etc, but the interaction design too. There are lots of opportunities to pioneer here, even down to producing individual book apps for the regular app store (so iPhone users can read too, or for better interfaces).
    - chromatic 17y ago
      I've considered selling editorial services. I haven't figured out how to market them, though -- nor a cost strategy.
      - stan_rogers 17y ago
        You might try checking the existing services selling on, say, Lulu.com -- there are a number of price points with various expectations of service, from the merely editorial to editorial/design/typography, and covering the gamut from the family Christmas album to multi-volume academic tomes. There's got to be a niche or two that isn't being hit or that could use a competitive bump or two. If you can offer Kindle-formatted and Mobipocket in addition to the standard PDF (and make 'em all work right and look good), there's a bit of value-added right there. (And if you can build a tool set to do the majority of the grunt work, you can do it either more cheaply or in higher volumes than the competition.) I'd do it myself, but I'm the type who can "correct" a Douglas Adams until it reads like The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, and I'd have to pay people for the privilege (negative pricing).
- lsb 17y ago
  You do realize that that's not their core competance, right? An author wants to write good books, so there's a great market opportunity for someone to outsource to...like an existing publisher, who has the reputation of choosing high-quality authors, which they want to bask in.
  - petercooper 17y ago
    Software developers want to develop good software, but they often choose to learn extra skills - such as database maintenance or sysadmin - when the numbers work out better that way. Some authors will continue to want to use a publisher, but others now finally have the choice (without looking like rejects or fruit loops).

I agree, and it won't work for a lot of authors yet, but I see no reason why a smart, modern author can't become better at dealing with business, marketing, and publishing and outsourcing or performing certain editorial functions. (Of course, you could argue that a publisher is better value for money, but authors need to calculate that for themselves.) Once upon a time, putting together a community newsletter or a magazine was a big, difficult job that involved many people. Now you can use DTP, graphics editors, on demand printing, etc (such as MagCloud), and get great results by yourself. Similar advances are being made (and will continue to be made) in writing/publishing.

MikeCapone 17y ago
Yeah, that's what I'd like to see. A lot of companies specializing in offering reviewing/editorial/typography services to authors (for a fixed fee?) who are otherwise selling their books directly to the public via digital platforms like Amazon and Apple's iBooks.
- clistctrl 17y ago
  Maybe a good YC candidate? :)
  - petercooper 17y ago
    http://www.inkling.com/ http://www.inkling.com/ is doing stuff like this for textbook authors and publishers. But, yeah, totally. It's not just all about typography, editing, etc, but the interaction design too. There are lots of opportunities to pioneer here, even down to producing individual book apps for the regular app store (so iPhone users can read too, or for better interfaces).
  - chromatic 17y ago
    I've considered selling editorial services. I haven't figured out how to market them, though -- nor a cost strategy.
    - stan_rogers 17y ago
      You might try checking the existing services selling on, say, Lulu.com -- there are a number of price points with various expectations of service, from the merely editorial to editorial/design/typography, and covering the gamut from the family Christmas album to multi-volume academic tomes. There's got to be a niche or two that isn't being hit or that could use a competitive bump or two. If you can offer Kindle-formatted and Mobipocket in addition to the standard PDF (and make 'em all work right and look good), there's a bit of value-added right there. (And if you can build a tool set to do the majority of the grunt work, you can do it either more cheaply or in higher volumes than the competition.) I'd do it myself, but I'm the type who can "correct" a Douglas Adams until it reads like The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, and I'd have to pay people for the privilege (negative pricing).
lsb 17y ago
You do realize that that's not their core competance, right? An author wants to write good books, so there's a great market opportunity for someone to outsource to...like an existing publisher, who has the reputation of choosing high-quality authors, which they want to bask in.
- petercooper 17y ago
  Software developers want to develop good software, but they often choose to learn extra skills - such as database maintenance or sysadmin - when the numbers work out better that way. Some authors will continue to want to use a publisher, but others now finally have the choice (without looking like rejects or fruit loops).