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> Newton also wants to publish Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, to explain the laws of motion governing the universe. But his literary agent explain
by azangru 9y ago
> Newton also wants to publish Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, to explain the laws of motion governing the universe. But his literary agent explains that he can’t get a decent book deal until Newton builds his ‘author platform’ to include at least 20k Twitter followers
Is this really a thing? Can authors nowadays be required to have a strong social media presence?
- matt4077 9y agoIf you're a Harvard professor, you'll find someone to print your book. No worries. For others, it could obviously be something that makes it easier to find a publisher. Not because it somehow proves your PC-credentials, but simply because it's sort-of proof that you have an audience.
- pjc50 9y agoHarvard has its own press for this sort of thing. They produce all sorts of books with tiny print runs.
- chippy 9y agoI think the main thing is "a decent book deal". Most authors do not have these. Most academic books are not read outside of academia. Even a book that gets published and does well within academia (gets on many courses reading lists) will not give the author an income. A decent book deal is the very rare book that is both used in the academy and which goes mainstream - something like A Selfish Gene, or a Carl Sagan.
- Cthulhu_ 9y agoI'd say that nowadays, anyone can be an author - which is the problem. Without marketing or going viral, whatever shit one writes will go nowhere. It's not enough to write something good, it needs traction. Which also means why bad writing also becomes popular - more marketing / traction.