tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post2917086349273796969..comments2024-03-29T03:05:05.850-05:00Comments on Althouse: "(He declined to be interviewed for this article.)"Ann Althousehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01630636239933008807noreply@blogger.comBlogger35125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-8090906385016519662014-02-17T12:35:49.432-06:002014-02-17T12:35:49.432-06:00RecChief "so there is less money for crappy b...RecChief "so there is less money for crappy books, and less money for vanity publishing, and this guy thinks that's a bad thing. The End."<br /><br />If you knew something about the publishing industry--and I have had conversations with numerous authors and editors over the last few decades--you would not say that. The decline of the midlist has been going on for a long time and is very unfortunate.<br />pst314https://www.blogger.com/profile/08686377680772972035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-54592016239843915742014-02-17T09:40:35.212-06:002014-02-17T09:40:35.212-06:00Some data on self publishing. Packer is way behind...Some data on <a href="http://authorearnings.com/the-report/" rel="nofollow">self publishing</a>. Packer is way behind and coming in late on this controversy. The New Yorker is fossilising even as we watch.chuckhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15164145672293455823noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-22601629236316261422014-02-17T00:32:43.078-06:002014-02-17T00:32:43.078-06:00Long ago either Salon or Slate posted an article ...Long ago either Salon or Slate posted an article praising Amazon for rescuing worthy books which otherwise would have slowly disappeared. The example discussed was Lansing's <i>Endurance</i> a mid-century book little read by the '90s. Glowing reviews on Amazon rekindled interest. Readers began ordering it. Not long after we had a movie and a documentary or two about Shackleton.<br /><br />I'm one who reads most anything. Doesn't have to be well written - I loved <i> The Da Vinci Code</i> for example. But I must admit, Amazon has about cured me with all those awful less-than-$3.99 books. There may be gems, but I'm too old to spend any more hours sifting through and trying them. My respect for editors has <b>increased</b>.Christyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12623422545436294378noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-91338404833511828582014-02-16T23:41:27.661-06:002014-02-16T23:41:27.661-06:00Couldn't happen to a nicer industry. Shall we...Couldn't happen to a nicer industry. Shall we talk about what the publishing industry was really like when they held all the cards? Okay, let's talk about Robert Heinlein and Putnam.<br /><br />Putnam published <i>Stranger in a Strange Land</i> in 1961. They bought Berkeley in 1965, and then in 1967 sold Berkeley exclusive publishing rights to <i>Stranger</i> for $1. The way the contract was worded, by selling the rights to, well, themselves they could split the royalty between the right hand and the left hand and cut Heinlein's percentage from 12% to 6%.<br /><br />Heinlein never sued. I don't know why, but I can guess - publishing was a small club back then, and suing your boss was probably tantamount to career suicide.<br /><br />These kinds of stories are legion. Book publishers have taken advantage of their position as gatekeepers to take the lion's share of profits and keep even popular authors on starvation wages. So... yeah. Let's not get too misty-eyed for the good old days of book publishing.Bob Loblawhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11081916786770290968noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-39203178396777680122014-02-16T23:29:34.982-06:002014-02-16T23:29:34.982-06:00Publishers =/= books. And record labels =/= music....Publishers =/= books. And record labels =/= music. Books and music can thrive without the publishers and record labels we were accustomed to in the 20th century.Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14990872166228986024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-66456981831078837112014-02-16T22:13:02.946-06:002014-02-16T22:13:02.946-06:00One measure of whether Amazon is good or not for b...One measure of whether Amazon is good or not for books -- how many titles are in print now vs. five/ten/twenty years ago?furious_ahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11239113391394176670noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-13565012707148507432014-02-16T21:56:04.846-06:002014-02-16T21:56:04.846-06:00Yes, in those good old days, unpublished authors w...Yes, in those good old days, unpublished authors would send their manuscripts to publishers, and the publishers would send it back unread telling us that we needed an agent. So, we would send the query letters and sometimes manuscripts to agents and the agents would send them back to us unread with a message that they only represented perviously published writers. Franz Kafka's <i>The Castle</i> described the situation perfectly. Nothing is forever, thank goodness.richardssonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17427872009804067649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-70874106347594404732014-02-16T21:46:45.201-06:002014-02-16T21:46:45.201-06:00Yes, in those good old days, unpublished authors w...Yes, in those good old days, unpublished authors would send their manuscripts to publishers, and the publishers would send it back unread telling us that we needed an agent. So, we would send the query letters and sometimes manuscripts to agents and the agents would send them back to us unread with a message that they only represented perviously published writers. Franz Kafka's <i>The Castle</i> described the situation perfectly. Nothing is forever, thank goodness.richardssonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17427872009804067649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-76967603223406351712014-02-16T21:33:01.137-06:002014-02-16T21:33:01.137-06:00I actually clicked through to the linked article j...I actually clicked through to the linked article just to see if it used the word "curate." Sadly, it does not.Sean Gleesonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10453423442746126630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-27977231607886574082014-02-16T21:14:37.185-06:002014-02-16T21:14:37.185-06:00so there is less money for crappy books, and less ...so there is less money for crappy books, and less money for vanity publishing, and this guy thinks that's a bad thing. The End.RecChiefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08332736695988953550noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-3447247517594471042014-02-16T21:03:39.348-06:002014-02-16T21:03:39.348-06:00From her Wikipedia entry:
"For the final two...From her Wikipedia entry:<br /><br />"For the final two decades of her life, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis had a career as a book editor."<br /><br />Ever seen video/film (with sound) of Jackie O? Watching her try to form sentences was excruciating. But her gig as an editor was the result of a quest to find "work that would be fulfilling to her" after Ari died. What a joke.<br /><br />"Since she had always enjoyed writing and literature, in 1975 she accepted a job offer as an editor at Viking Press." Then it was on to Doubleday. She wasn't an "editor" in any way, shape or form. She was a professional luncher. She was used as a conduit for the elite. Her hiring was a way to exploit her connections to the rich and famous. And the folks in the publishing biz wonder why, 20 years after Jackie's demise, their business is following her to the grave.<br />Brian McKim and/or Traci Skenehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08551129938810580569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-33929898669335932392014-02-16T20:48:15.863-06:002014-02-16T20:48:15.863-06:00"Their pathetic lament over the mid list'..."Their pathetic lament over the mid list's decline is years late, given how little they do to nurture titles whose advances are less than $200K. "<br /><br />Especially given the practice of destroying the inventory of mid-list slow selling books.Michael Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18127450762129879267noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-20736711919517089142014-02-16T19:55:14.058-06:002014-02-16T19:55:14.058-06:00Most authors get 6 or 7% royalties from traditiona...Most authors get 6 or 7% royalties from traditional publishers. Amazon e-book authors get 68 to 70%. check out recent posts on voxday.blogspot.com, several posts on benefits of indie publishing vs. traditional. John Cunninghamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07512292512993140028noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-86063948198139343912014-02-16T19:32:04.766-06:002014-02-16T19:32:04.766-06:00(the other kev)
Mpar Grisham/Clancy/Steele! Moar...(the other kev)<br /><br />Mpar Grisham/Clancy/Steele! Moar badly reasarched political books! Most interchangeable YA shit written for movie adaptation.:<br /><br /> Publishers, hurry up and die.<br /><br /><br /><br />Kevhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12713742157612017197noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-3314798805621187932014-02-16T18:39:44.782-06:002014-02-16T18:39:44.782-06:00Good book reviews helping you find a hidden Jewel ...Good book reviews helping you find a hidden Jewel - you've got to be joking.<br /><br />Except when they're attacking a conservative book, the book reviewers at NYT/WaPo only praise books - they're all GREAT! to varying degrees. Which means their reviews were worthless in trying to find a "hidden jewel". <br /><br />Remember how Gene Shalit reviewed film? Most Magazine/Newspaper book reviewers are like him.rcoceanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17102201338319611538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-10819056215977831152014-02-16T18:14:01.899-06:002014-02-16T18:14:01.899-06:00So does the gradual disappearance of book reviewer...<i>So does the gradual disappearance of book reviewers and knowledgeable booksellers, whose enthusiasm might have rescued a book from drowning in obscurity.</i><br /><br />I do miss good book reviews, but I blame the newspaper industry for their demise. I used to look forward to reading the <i>Sunday NewYork Times Book Review,</i> but in the early 2000's they became so overtly political in their choices that I stopped reading it. Sydneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17038514318463662024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-56404718793019014822014-02-16T17:42:31.426-06:002014-02-16T17:42:31.426-06:00"Without sufficient advances, many writers wi..."Without sufficient advances, many writers will not be able to undertake long, difficult, risky projects...."<br /><br />Aren't there a plethora of crowd funding sites that can fund such projects up-front bypassing the big editorial gatekeepers? <br /><br />Won't that lead to more opportunity and diversity?<br /><br />Packer's rant is an insight into the ossified bureaucracy that would rather drag everyone to Hell in order to protect their sinecures rather than adapt.Wincehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15002449963597087316noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-63618306010379263892014-02-16T17:37:28.307-06:002014-02-16T17:37:28.307-06:00Opening anything up to the masses tends to piss of...Opening anything up to the masses tends to piss off the elites that controlled it previously.<br /><br />I do not agree with the notion that if Bezos had not done it, someone else would have. Certainly in some form the electronic book would have developed. But to make it cheap and accessible, both to the publishing authors and the readers, was not automatic. It took quite a bit of risk, genius, perseverance and hard work to create Amazon.<br /><br />There is no equivalent to Amazon in Europe or anywhere else in the world. That is true for a number of other very disruptive inventions. These are largely American creations, and most are the product of one or a handful of visionaries who made it happen.<br /><br />They did build this. And yes they are exceptional.<br /><br />Davidhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17424384180201600935noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-4149673656755504632014-02-16T17:27:43.698-06:002014-02-16T17:27:43.698-06:00Kathryn Kristine Rusch also seems to be doing well...Kathryn Kristine Rusch also seems to be doing well on Amazon-- she was a midlist author, and got screwed by publishers.<br /><br /><br />I put my YA novel up-- it had gotten good feedback, but everyone said I needed to go to conferences and get an agent to have a hope of selling. I don't have the time or money for that.<br /><br />So I put it up... now about 3 or 4 people a month read it.<br /><br />Sure, it's not 'Harry Potter' levels of success, but 3 or 4 readers a month is MUCH better than no readers ever... especially since my fiction is for fun.... I have other stuff that I write for the money.<br />Deirdre Mundyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14357363160387734552noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-29748940094100716592014-02-16T17:22:22.974-06:002014-02-16T17:22:22.974-06:00The world changes. Delta's not the best airli...The world changes. Delta's not the best airline anymore. Who reads histories and biographies by John S.C. Abbott these days? How was your last trip on the Super Chief? I loved the IBM Selectric, didn't you?The Godfatherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10575359417766667457noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-10414357600754109072014-02-16T17:08:41.042-06:002014-02-16T17:08:41.042-06:00I can say with certainty, from decades of personal...I can say with certainty, from decades of personal experience, that the publishers have only themselves to blame for the deterioration of the once venerable industry. <br /><br />Their pathetic lament over the mid list's decline is years late, given how little they do to nurture titles whose advances are less than $200K. <br /><br />If a title doesn't catch quicksilver on its own, or through the efforts of the author and/or his own publicist, editors and in-house publicists stand on the sidelines and wring their hands for about five seconds before moving on to the next failure. <br /><br />Most of all what the editors fear now is their own obsolescence. Amazon has made publishing democratic, leaving less room for blue bloods. RIP.cassandra litehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05661663886927944366noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-1064986934982989222014-02-16T17:04:34.533-06:002014-02-16T17:04:34.533-06:00I suspect Sears' business strategy during the ...I suspect Sears' business strategy during the 1990s will be included in many business schools' curricula in the future. Probably the biggest missed opportunity since Xerox decided graphical user interfaces weren't worth following up on.Revenanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11374515200055384226noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-87405629657452030272014-02-16T16:44:28.303-06:002014-02-16T16:44:28.303-06:00These whiners are hypocrites. They were always the...These whiners are hypocrites. They were always the gatekeepers, deciding which writers would get the chance to be seen by readers. If Amazon is disrupting this regime, then (as Glenn would say) <i>faster, please</i>.<br /><br />From my own experience, I just published my first book on Amazon about two weeks ago. It was a pleasant and painless way to do business. I never even considered any old-model publishers, because I knew it would be a waste of my time. (Not that the book is bad, of course; it's just a very unconventional literary anthology, and so won't fit anyone's business model.)Sean Gleesonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10453423442746126630noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-3277523676764560012014-02-16T16:39:35.412-06:002014-02-16T16:39:35.412-06:00Actually Michael, I know a guy who just worked at ...Actually Michael, I know a guy who just worked at Sears and said he was top salesman at his store with about $25,000 monthly avg over each prev 3 months.<br /><br />They were pushing all the sales associates to use IPads, and even though once adopted everyone significantly slowed down, and he pulled about $10k, they told him to stick with the IPad.<br /><br />Full speed ahead with the technology thing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6329595.post-3386342122256133552014-02-16T16:37:18.739-06:002014-02-16T16:37:18.739-06:00Sarah Hoyt would agree with Michael K.
http://acc...Sarah Hoyt would agree with Michael K.<br /><br />http://accordingtohoyt.com/Sam L.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00996809377798862214noreply@blogger.com