Today I had planned to talk about self publication, independent publishers, and the e-publishing movement. But to be honest I haven’t made up my mind yet about my opinions on such things. I can see the trend of self publication and where it’s going, I can even understand why this trend is going the way it is. Sure the stigma of self publication is diminishing, but for me, there’s a sense of accomplishment to be published by the big names. I know that, when I get to that point, even if I eventually self publish, I’m going to hope and pray that a big name picks me up. Additionally, I truly want my books to be distributed worldwide, and maybe this ideal stems from a lack of knowledge, but a small publisher can’t give me that.
Now see, that’s where my mind goes, you’re an idiot. Because with electronic distribution becoming more and more popular, the customer base grows as well; and point in fact my book would probably be even more worldwide than a publishing house can make it, or at least equal. So that point of contention becomes moot.
Which begs the question, where do the publishing houses fit in this electronic era? Bookstores like Barnes and Nobles, Borders, and even Amazon.com have come out with e-readers and are in the development stages of their own e-publishing departments, and if they aren’t they should be. But so should the big dogs. An article I read today equated the changes in the publishing industry to the Wild West. I thought this was a pretty accurate description. Things are changing and growing rapidly and right now, no one’s in the lead, unless of course you count the authors. But I don’t necessarily trust just anyone when it comes to my reading materials. I’ve wasted enough of my time in too many creative writing classes with so called “writers”. Now that they have the power to be published anyway they’d like, I’m afraid sifting through the muck will be a lifetime job.
Granted that is a job I’d like to have, but at least my muck sifting will have a purpose other than for my own pleasure. I still feel like publishing houses give some validation to a writer, those authors lucky enough to be published by even an independent press have written books that I can trust to have some decent standard to them. I’m not saying that all self-publishers aren’t any good; getting published is a difficult business. Harry Potter was rejected by how many houses before it found its home at Scholastic? I mean really, you know anyone who passed on that is kicking themselves really hard. So it happens that sometimes publishers can’t see quality work and authors simply give up on the houses that reject them and go out to do it for themselves. But there are also those who were rejected for a valid reason.
Still, I guess it all comes back to what the customer is willing to pay for a product. Oh wait. The Kindle has free books available, so… never mind.
How does all this concern my journey to finding a job? Well, I need to know where the trends are going; that’s first and foremost. Additionally, based on some research I think it’ll be more difficult to find a job in an independent publisher versus a larger publishing house. Especially now that book publishers in general, need employees who will help define the publishing business as to where it’s going. I can be one of those people. My mind may not be made up yet, but I’m not the only one. Like thousands of consumers, I love to read. And this helps me because I can understand the reluctance to give up the feel of paper under your hand, and the black smudges obtained on your fingers from turning the pages. But convenience and the amount of space you can save by having your library as a bunch of bits on a memory card... I like these concepts to. I am the target market for all publishers. The more people like me in their business the better. The most important reason however, is to ensure that whatever department or publishing house I go into, it needs to have a future. There’s no guarantees of that though is there? Fine; I guess this information simply helps me to stay informed and to be aware. The current trends determine the market and in this Wild West industry, one needs to roll with the punches. And it’s smart to see them coming I suppose.
Now see, that’s where my mind goes, you’re an idiot. Because with electronic distribution becoming more and more popular, the customer base grows as well; and point in fact my book would probably be even more worldwide than a publishing house can make it, or at least equal. So that point of contention becomes moot.
Which begs the question, where do the publishing houses fit in this electronic era? Bookstores like Barnes and Nobles, Borders, and even Amazon.com have come out with e-readers and are in the development stages of their own e-publishing departments, and if they aren’t they should be. But so should the big dogs. An article I read today equated the changes in the publishing industry to the Wild West. I thought this was a pretty accurate description. Things are changing and growing rapidly and right now, no one’s in the lead, unless of course you count the authors. But I don’t necessarily trust just anyone when it comes to my reading materials. I’ve wasted enough of my time in too many creative writing classes with so called “writers”. Now that they have the power to be published anyway they’d like, I’m afraid sifting through the muck will be a lifetime job.
Granted that is a job I’d like to have, but at least my muck sifting will have a purpose other than for my own pleasure. I still feel like publishing houses give some validation to a writer, those authors lucky enough to be published by even an independent press have written books that I can trust to have some decent standard to them. I’m not saying that all self-publishers aren’t any good; getting published is a difficult business. Harry Potter was rejected by how many houses before it found its home at Scholastic? I mean really, you know anyone who passed on that is kicking themselves really hard. So it happens that sometimes publishers can’t see quality work and authors simply give up on the houses that reject them and go out to do it for themselves. But there are also those who were rejected for a valid reason.
Still, I guess it all comes back to what the customer is willing to pay for a product. Oh wait. The Kindle has free books available, so… never mind.
How does all this concern my journey to finding a job? Well, I need to know where the trends are going; that’s first and foremost. Additionally, based on some research I think it’ll be more difficult to find a job in an independent publisher versus a larger publishing house. Especially now that book publishers in general, need employees who will help define the publishing business as to where it’s going. I can be one of those people. My mind may not be made up yet, but I’m not the only one. Like thousands of consumers, I love to read. And this helps me because I can understand the reluctance to give up the feel of paper under your hand, and the black smudges obtained on your fingers from turning the pages. But convenience and the amount of space you can save by having your library as a bunch of bits on a memory card... I like these concepts to. I am the target market for all publishers. The more people like me in their business the better. The most important reason however, is to ensure that whatever department or publishing house I go into, it needs to have a future. There’s no guarantees of that though is there? Fine; I guess this information simply helps me to stay informed and to be aware. The current trends determine the market and in this Wild West industry, one needs to roll with the punches. And it’s smart to see them coming I suppose.
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