4 ms·
So we're moving toward a loosely coupled network of small, focused companies (or "branded" individuals) providing services big publishers used to provide, like
by thunk 16y ago
So we're moving toward a loosely coupled network of small, focused companies (or "branded" individuals) providing services big publishers used to provide, like editing, copy-editing, typesetting, marketing, book design, etc., and other companies that'll remove from authors the logistical burden of orchestrating all these moving parts. That's great. But these services have to be paid for, and authors need to eat while they're writing. So who'll foot the bill and finance the authors? Investors? Grants? And is it even reasonable to expect future readers to pay for books? I hate to say it, but I won't read a book with advertisements in it. We're in for a storm.
Edit: Maybe I will read a book with advertisements in it. In a sense, I've already done it. Cory Doctorow's _Little Brother_ and _For the Win_ both begin each chapter with "bookstore dedications". This wasn't advertising they paid for, but something he did on his own. Not only did I not find it intrusive, but I found it sort of endearing. There's a lot of unexplored territory in the field of advertising.
- wmf 16y agoI suspect the self-publishers are reducing costs not by doing things more efficiently but by cutting corners on all the non-writing expenses; this could turn out to be a "worse is better" moment for the publishing industry.
- mynameishere 16y agoWhat are you talking about? Who financed authors previously? 99 percent of the time it was their day jobs or their previous income/royalties. Advance payments are rarely big enough to live on for unknown (ie, poor) authors. And where did you get the idea of advertisements from? These vanity presses pay much higher percentage royalties than normal publishers and so total readership is actually less important.
- RevRal 16y ago>And where did you get the idea of advertisements from? There was a recent submission that touched on this: http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/2010/01/booty-call.html http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/2010/01/booty-call.html
- thunk 16y agoWoah, hostility. > Who financed the authors previously? I was referring to the wide world of midlist authors who make a living writing books, but don't get filthy rich, and who couldn't get by without advances from publishers. Advertisements was just an idea for a possible revenue stream in a future where people are no longer willing to purchase books.