Garrison Keillor Says The Publishing Industry is Cooked - CrimeSpace2024-03-28T15:54:03Zhttps://crimespace.ning.com/forum/topics/garrison-keillor-says-the?feed=yes&xn_auth=noYes, nice. :)tag:crimespace.ning.com,2010-06-06:537324:Comment:2371182010-06-06T22:38:11.697ZI. J. Parkerhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Ingpark
Yes, nice. :)
Yes, nice. :) excellent post.tag:crimespace.ning.com,2010-06-06:537324:Comment:2370732010-06-06T17:04:39.935ZDave Zeltsermanhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/DaveZeltserman
excellent post.
excellent post. I'm a little late to the game…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2010-06-06:537324:Comment:2370632010-06-06T16:38:00.912ZPeter Steinerhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/PeterSteiner
I'm a little late to the game--both in responding to Keillor's piece and in becoming a writer--but here goes anyway.<br />
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First off, Keillor seems more than a little disingenuous, acting as though he were just folks at a swank party. He got invited because of a well-connected pal. Really? He's written "a couple or books" himself? Please.<br />
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Self publishing may be part of the problem with our modern world--it is, as Keillor suggests, the way around the gate keepers. But the publishers and editors--the…
I'm a little late to the game--both in responding to Keillor's piece and in becoming a writer--but here goes anyway.<br />
<br />
First off, Keillor seems more than a little disingenuous, acting as though he were just folks at a swank party. He got invited because of a well-connected pal. Really? He's written "a couple or books" himself? Please.<br />
<br />
Self publishing may be part of the problem with our modern world--it is, as Keillor suggests, the way around the gate keepers. But the publishers and editors--the gate keepers have given up being gate keepers, by which I mean finding and nurturing interesting writing. They gave up being people who first of all love books, to become people who first of all love profits. Who knows whether, if they had continued actually promoting writers who did something of their own, if they encouraged and helped writers, if they actually trusted writers, yes, who knows whether self-publishing would be making such incursions?<br />
<br />
And Keillor and the star writers? Well, it's complicated, and they're only human. Being invited to a penthouse party with the stars is probably too enticing to resist. I'd almost certainly succumb if it were offered. After all you can be your plain, genuine self among your fellow celebrities. And the price of admission is so small, one hardly notices. In fact most of the celebs subscribed to the success formula from the very beginning: write what sells.<br />
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Write what sells has always been a part of things. But there was also write what's good, what's interesting, what's you. That was, of course, back when publishers actually loved books, and Keillor was dancing through the corn waving his big check. There's just as much merit in…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2010-06-03:537324:Comment:2365942010-06-03T13:58:34.064ZBenjamin Sobieckhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/BenjaminSobieck
There's just as much merit in being a pessimist as an optimist. It took a lot of dead dinosaurs to launch a man to the moon.
There's just as much merit in being a pessimist as an optimist. It took a lot of dead dinosaurs to launch a man to the moon. Aren't we lucky to live in "i…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2010-06-03:537324:Comment:2365172010-06-03T01:37:06.107ZKaryn J. Powershttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/karyning
Aren't we lucky to live in "interesting times?"
Aren't we lucky to live in "interesting times?" From the dinosaur's perspecti…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2010-06-02:537324:Comment:2364072010-06-02T15:42:28.764ZJon Loomishttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/JonLoomis
From the dinosaur's perspective, though, the dinosaur would be right. Life as we know it is coming to an end. Now, it could be something better and smarter will take its place (mammals, say, in the form of a bright new world filled with high-royalty ebook sales), or it could be that the void will be filled by more and more hastily produced cookie-cutter "blockbusters" from the top down publishing world, and more and more unedited, amateur, self-published, free ebooks from the bottom up, DIY end…
From the dinosaur's perspective, though, the dinosaur would be right. Life as we know it is coming to an end. Now, it could be something better and smarter will take its place (mammals, say, in the form of a bright new world filled with high-royalty ebook sales), or it could be that the void will be filled by more and more hastily produced cookie-cutter "blockbusters" from the top down publishing world, and more and more unedited, amateur, self-published, free ebooks from the bottom up, DIY end of the spectrum. So, gigantic stinging jellyfish, maybe, and/or millions of carnivorous rabbits. But I suppose there's hope--maybe the whole ebooks thing will really take off, and the 50% author royalty will become the standard, and even those of us who suck the midlist tit will be able to make a living. Garrison Keillor reminds me o…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2010-06-01:537324:Comment:2363492010-06-01T21:42:09.022ZBenjamin Sobieckhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/BenjaminSobieck
Garrison Keillor reminds me of a dinosaur looking up at the sky and, upon seeing a meteor end the Cretaceous Period, says, "There will never, ever be life on this planet again."
Garrison Keillor reminds me of a dinosaur looking up at the sky and, upon seeing a meteor end the Cretaceous Period, says, "There will never, ever be life on this planet again." I love it, too, Thomas--if I…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2010-06-01:537324:Comment:2363302010-06-01T18:34:21.616ZJon Loomishttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/JonLoomis
I love it, too, Thomas--if I didn't I'd most surely be doing something less stressful and more financially rewarding. In fact, if I had it all to do over again I think I'd be an electrical contractor. When we re-did our house, our electrician made $85 an hour and completely disappeared for deer season--bow <i>and</i> gun.<br />
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Thanks for that news about MATING SEASON. I used to say that for me, "making it" would mean seeing my books in an airport bookstore. That hasn't happened, but a grocery store…
I love it, too, Thomas--if I didn't I'd most surely be doing something less stressful and more financially rewarding. In fact, if I had it all to do over again I think I'd be an electrical contractor. When we re-did our house, our electrician made $85 an hour and completely disappeared for deer season--bow <i>and</i> gun.<br />
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Thanks for that news about MATING SEASON. I used to say that for me, "making it" would mean seeing my books in an airport bookstore. That hasn't happened, but a grocery store wouldn't be far behind. Are you in New England? MA? RI? I agree. It'ts also better fo…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2010-06-01:537324:Comment:2363202010-06-01T17:24:04.171ZI. J. Parkerhttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/Ingpark
I agree. It'ts also better for the self-esteem. And Michael Connelly's debut was quite a while ago, and possibly heavily funded by the publisher. I couldn't even get my first publisher to request a signing date from B&N. The store turned me down!
I agree. It'ts also better for the self-esteem. And Michael Connelly's debut was quite a while ago, and possibly heavily funded by the publisher. I couldn't even get my first publisher to request a signing date from B&N. The store turned me down! Jack--that's $3-5k I'd probab…tag:crimespace.ning.com,2010-06-01:537324:Comment:2363192010-06-01T17:11:11.518ZJon Loomishttps://crimespace.ning.com/profile/JonLoomis
Jack--that's $3-5k I'd probably never earn back in royalties, though. I talked to my editor about this early on and she advised me against exactly that strategy, even if I had time and the cash to lay out, which I truly don't ($5k is a <i>lot</i> of groceries, as my wife would say). My complaint isn't with placement--the books are in stores, or were when they first came out. It's with the management-level decision-making about stuff like book design, and what to do if the book catches a wave…
Jack--that's $3-5k I'd probably never earn back in royalties, though. I talked to my editor about this early on and she advised me against exactly that strategy, even if I had time and the cash to lay out, which I truly don't ($5k is a <i>lot</i> of groceries, as my wife would say). My complaint isn't with placement--the books are in stores, or were when they first came out. It's with the management-level decision-making about stuff like book design, and what to do if the book catches a wave from reviewers, say, or national radio exposure. The book designs have been okay, but not really thoughtful in terms of helping to sell books (the MMPB of HIGH SEASON came closest to getting it right, IMO). The plan-in-case-of-free-national-media-exposure has been pretty much to allow the print run to sell out and the momentum to fizzle. Oh well!<br />
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Actually, that's unfair. The plan has been to come out shortly thereafter with another book! But of course I can't do that, because I have a full-time job. So I'm basically screwed.