This morning, NPR reported that the Wylie Agency, a top literary agency, has teamed with Amazon on a joint venture to electronically publish what’s known as ‘back-list titles,’ best-sellers written long before the age of e-books. The publishing industry wasn’t happy, particularly Random House. In a quintessential display of the kind of pig-headed mentality that has alienated authors (like myself) from traditional publishing, RH essentially blacklisted the Wylie Agency, refusing to enter into any future (English language) agreements with any of its clients. This act on their behalf has left some bloggers, that is Café Lopez, extremely confused as to the message they’re trying to send. (more…)
Posts Tagged ‘E-Publishing’
The Paperback Book Massacre
Posted in E-Publishing, tagged books, cake, classic, creativity, dumpstering, e-book, E-Publishing, eco-friendly, enterprise publisher, love, magazines, paperbound, publishers, pulping, respect, revolution, traditional publishing, trees on July 2, 2010| 8 Comments »
Of all the arguments in defense of e-publishing, there’s one that’s been tossed about rather flippantly, namely that E-books are eco-friendly. It’s almost always mentioned as an aside, and so I’m not altogether surprised that I’ve only now caught wind of what is a shockingly offensive aspect to ‘traditional publishing.’ What does surprise me, however, is just how well this secret has been kept. (more…)
Enterprise Authors: Rethinking the E-Book Revolution
Posted in E-Publishing, tagged advance, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, bookstores, brick and mortar, business model, businessman, collaborate, demand, Disney, E-Publishing, editor, enterprise, enterprise-publishing, entrepreneurs, expensive, facebook, failed author, filter system, hostility, independent, indie, internet, iPhone, JK Rowling, Kindle, litmus test, logical fallacy, manuscript, market, market saturation, marketing, net worth, Nook, profit, publication, sales, self-published, self-publishing, selflessness, Seth Grodin, SmashWords, solitary profession, Stephanie Meyer, Stephen King, The Dead Don't Cry, Twitter, vanity author, WordPress on June 10, 2010| 18 Comments »
There is something happening in the publishing industry right now. Something seismic. Regular men and women – children even! – are beginning to self-publish. The internet has given them the keys to a once gated empire – and the gatekeepers are not happy. There is a system in place for writers, a proven process that filters “the talentless hacks” from the Stephen Kings, JK Rowlings, and Stephanie Meyers of the world. And by sidestepping it, so-called ‘vanity’ authors are essentially flooding the market with a deluge of sub par fiction and nonfiction alike. This attitude has created an enormous tide of hostility towards would be authors, but like all anger, it is rooted in fear, a fear which has absolutely no basis in merit whatsoever. (more…)
Café Lopez 