This week! Publishing!
This week in celebrity publishing, Sarah Palin has hired lawyer Bob Barnett for a possible book project, and there are rumors afoot that Britney also wants to get into the family business with a book or three of her own.
In completely 100% related news, the Telegraph in the UK has listed 100 novels everyone should read. What’s #1? MIDDLEMARCH. Yikes, that’s a little long, let’s see, already read #2 MOBY DICK, what’s next… Oh, ANNA KARENINA. Um. Scientists, aren’t we a little behind on the technology of beaming novels directly into heads? Please stop your procrastinating. Thanks. (thanks to reader M Clement Hall for the link)
Speaking of, this week’s “Future of Publishing” article is brought to you by Lev Grossman in Time Magazine, with usual suspects advances and returns being cited as plagues/relics of the 20th century, and self-publishing and e-books the wave of the 21st Century. Hmmm… why are the new “Future of Publishing” articles looking a lot like the old “Future of Publishing” articles?
And in case you need proof that the era of e-books has already arrived, 2.1 million people downloaded free electronic versions of Suze Orman’s 2009 ACTION PLAN (via Pub Lunch, subscription). 2.1 million!!!!
Meanwhile…. Ugh. More layoffs.
Jessica Faust over at Bookends has been doing a series of query letters that worked, so stop by and check those out.
And finally, when I was a kid I was absolutely positive we’d have flying cars by the year 2000, but look! New flying cars!
Have a great weekend!
Rick Daley says
I think we should compare the US and UK based on cooking and orthodontics. We can do our research on fark.com.
I meant to post this earlier regarding self-publishing, but I was distracted by my children…
Many musicians have found success foregoing the distribution arms of the major record labels. Artists like Prince, Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails, AC/DC, and more have either released through select retailers, or released online.
While they may not have sold as many copies as their peers who opted for traditional distribution, they netted a much higher personal income.
Even Radiohead, who put their album up for free – pay if you want to – had a major success. I believe they averaged $6 per download.
The advantage they have, and the Suze Orman has, is name recognition. If James Patterson, John Grisham, Stephen King, or any other author with similar clout put their book up on the web, they would get millions of hits too. So would I if Oprah mentioned it.
For those of us who are struggling to break free from the ranks of the unknown, I see value in working through agents and publishers. So far Oprah hasn’t responded to my letter.
Word verification: enache. An online nache.
sharon owen says
Nathan,
I haven’t commented much before but several things made me want to write and thank you for offering such a great newsletter and forum.
1) because of your recommendation, i joined Authonomy. What a great critique group and forum and a showplace for unpublished writers to show their stuff. This past week three authonomies were offered contracts by Harper Collins (the first offered since site set up) and one was a three book contract. Also one of those selected had been approached by an agent who browsed the site. Is this the new direction for writers–much like musicians? Get noticed on the internet first? Perhaps. But even without the publication potential, it is a great support/critique group. I belong to a live group like that. Now I belong to a virtual one as well. So thanks.
2) I appreciate the fact that you and other agents and editors are taking the time to do newsletters and blogs for writers. It gives me hope that y’all are really trying to find good writers and good books.
3) I wanted to weigh in on idea of who’s a good writer and who’s writing trash. I teach university composition classes and creative writing classes and I would never judge someone’s writing as good or bad. First, I ask who their audience is and what they want to accomplish with the writing itself. From there, I can make suggestions–not on the quality of the writing but on wheher it is write for the audience and is appropriate for their goals. Writing to me is very subjective. One person’s trash is another person’s treasure and I would never make that judgment. I write the kind of books I enjoy reading. So, my first suggestion to any would-be writer is to read read read. Besides the pure enjoyment of it consider it research.
Sorry for the long response, but I had a few things to say.
Mostly thank you for being here for all us unpublished writers in waiting.
Sharon
sharon owen says
Nathan,
I haven’t commented much before but several things made me want to write and thank you for offering such a great newsletter and forum.
1) because of your recommendation, i joined Authonomy. What a great critique group and forum and a showplace for unpublished writers to show their stuff. This past week three authonomies were offered contracts by Harper Collins (the first offered since site set up) and one was a three book contract. Also one of those selected had been approached by an agent who browsed the site. Is this the new direction for writers–much like musicians? Get noticed on the internet first? Perhaps. But even without the publication potential, it is a great support/critique group. I belong to a live group like that. Now I belong to a virtual one as well. So thanks.
2) I appreciate the fact that you and other agents and editors are taking the time to do newsletters and blogs for writers. It gives me hope that y’all are really trying to find good writers and good books.
3) I wanted to weigh in on idea of who’s a good writer and who’s writing trash. I teach university composition classes and creative writing classes and I would never judge someone’s writing as good or bad. First, I ask who their audience is and what they want to accomplish with the writing itself. From there, I can make suggestions–not on the quality of the writing but on wheher it is write for the audience and is appropriate for their goals. Writing to me is very subjective. One person’s trash is another person’s treasure and I would never make that judgment. I write the kind of books I enjoy reading. So, my first suggestion to any would-be writer is to read read read. Besides the pure enjoyment of it consider it research.
Sorry for the long response, but I had a few things to say.
Mostly thank you for being here for all us unpublished writers in waiting.
Sharon
Ugly Deaf Muslim Punk Gurl! says
ugh, Sarah Palin needs to disappear. I can’t believe that she actually thinks people would want to read her garbage.