More on Publishing Industry's Growing Pains

Unless you've been shipwrecked on some far distant island without access to radio, books, or internet, you're well aware of the revolution occurring in the publishing industry. 

As authors, we are hard at it daily not only trying to write and edit our books (along with the other many aspects of preparing a book for publication) but we also have to stay abreast of industry news.  And there is a LOT of industry news to stay on top of.

For that reason, I'm pasting some links below.

Scott Turow, President of The Authors Guild, posted an article decrying the fact that the Department of Justice may be taking a look at whether Apple and the Big 6 (well 5 of the 6) Publishers violated anti-trust laws to fix prices of books (known as the Agency Model).

His post is here:

http://blog.authorsguild.org/2012/03/09/letter-from-scott-turow-grim-news/

Next, I am posting a link to a response article by Joe Konrath and Barry Eisler, which you can find here:

http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/2012/03/barry-joe-scott-turow.html

Be warned, Konrath and Eisler at times use some colorful language, but when it comes to laying it all on the line, they are usually excellent sources of information on publishing, particularly when it come to championing innovation in an industry that has usually not favored innovation or authors.

Last but not least, I'd like to provide you with a third and final post by James Scott Bell which ends up the whole discussion on an encouraging note.  You can find that here:

http://killzoneauthors.blogspot.com/2012/03/jockeying-for-position-in-muddy.html

I'm not going to rehash the substance of these articles here.  That is for each reader to delve into for themselves.  I will simply make a few observations:

-  While I am not familiar with The Authors Guild, by its very name I would expect that it has the best interests of authors at heart, yet the post in question at The Authors Guild reads as more pro-publisher establishment, not pro-author.

-  I am completely mystified that anyone would stand by this statement in the present age:  "bookstores are critical to modern bookselling."  Huh?  I'm not against bookstores--I don't know anyone who doesn't like to go browse a bookstore.  But facts speak louder--I haven't purchased a book in a bookstore in a long time.  Why?  $$$$.  Lousy economy.  No raises.  Very little discretionary income to use on books.  So I go to Amazon, where they actually offer books at affordable prices.  Likewise, Amazon offers a vastly greater selection than even the largest brick and mortar bookstore.

-  Aside from any of the issues and arguments addressed in these articles, my biggest gripe about the old publishing establishment was that it prevented books that are different from being published.  Make no mistake--I absolutely DO understand why.  Any business is going to market those products it knows it can sell the most of.  In their shoes, I would do the same thing.  But with the digital book and indie publishing revolution, people who write books that are not part of the same beaten path have more opportunities to get their work out there.  Do these indie authors run the risk of modest or even very poor sales?  Of course they do.  But at least they are given the opportunity to try.  That alone is worth the digital revolution.

I'm very sorry that innovation causes suffering.  Advances in technology have a long history of displacing employees.  And the digital revolution has forced the down-sizing of some publishing companies and bookstores (some going under) and they probably have more painful changes yet to come, but they won't disappear.  But though loss of jobs is painful, those displaced typically find alternate ways to make a living and perhaps even become innovators themselves in other fields.

But despite what The Authors Guild suggests is a black day for authors with a challenge to the agency model, I say it's nice to have the odds a little more in favor of authors and consumers.

Interesting how different authors react differently to the changes.  Just because I feel a certain way about the direction of publishing doesn't mean someone else should feel the same way.  We each have to make our own decisions about our writing careers.  In fact, traditional publishing and indie publishing are not mutually exclusive terms.  Authors can and do both.

I'm just thankful for the industry players who keep the issues out in front of us so we can reach our own conclusions and respond accordingly.

Highest Recommendation: Threat Warning by John Gilstrap

I just finished reading John Gilstrap's thriller, Threat Warning, and my rating is

5++ out of 5 stars

John Gilstrap, author and one of the team members over at my favorite blog, The Kill Zone (http://killzoneauthors.blogspo,t.com/) released a new novel in July, Threat Warning. 

It is a thriller that features hero Jonathan Graves and a nerve-wracking plot to wreak havoc in the states that goes much deeper than he at first thinks. 

I love it when the tension in a book is so strong it wears me out.  You will be captivated from beginning to end. 

Mr. Gilstrap handles difficult-to-write scenes (intense sustained action, for example) with seeming ease.  His characters are well defined and true to human nature (read as, all over the place logically and emotionally when under stress) and he educates you a lot besides.  Since I got my Kindle in January, I have never highlighted within a book as much as I did while reading this novel.

Honestly, I don't think I have liked a book this much since reading Nancy Turner's These Is My Words probably five or six years ago.  I would actually like to buy a print copy of this novel to mark up and study for craft.

It was an extremely intense read.  I say that because it is an in your face reminder of how unstable the world often feels, but it is made better by a solid hero you can root for (and would be glad to have on your side).  Nevertheless, it is so intense it's probably not the type of book I'd want to pick up and read once a week.

The other warning is just a bit of language (not much) and if you like a genteel read, this book is definitely not for you.  But if you like it high on the action and low on the smarmy, this is a most excellent choice.

It's funny.  I never set out to read in the thriller genre.  My main love has and always will be historical fiction.  But since it's difficult to find historical fiction that isn't too girlie (at least in CBA fic), the thriller genre has become a natural substitute for what's lacking in the historical arena.

If you need a weekend of intense diversion; if you want to read a book that re-invigorates you to get back to your computer and get working on your own novel; if you just want to be flat-out entertained; if you want to reaffirm that the good guys still win, then Threat Warning is for you.

Here's a link to it at Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Threat-Warning-John-Gilstrap/dp/0786024925

Finding The Publishing Industry Blog For You

Publishing industry related blogs have been on my mind a lot lately because I’m becoming painfully aware of how much of my time they take up, surfing and reading.


But I am also utterly fascinated with them because there are blogs for all kinds of blog readers within the industry. I have always had a fairly substantial list of blogs that I’d visit to soak up information or be entertained, but I’m realizing more and more that I need to gain some control over my voracious blog reading appetite because it is robbing valuable time from me.

But I can’t give up my blog reading. It is too valuable. So I decided perhaps I need to compartmentalize my blog reading habit and decide which blogs I will check daily and which weekly. And the way I decide how often I view a blog is contingent on whether I view for entertainment, education, or straight industry business. Here is a brief list of blogs I have visited and what you can expect content wise:

Writing Business Blogs:

The Shatzkin Files
http://www.idealog.com/blog/
What It Is At A Glance: Strictly business.
How Often I Visit: Weekly
Benefits: This is a blog I only need to check weekly because that’s roughly how often it’s updated. Be warned, the content in this blog is NOT going to appeal to the creative within you. This blog is “strictly business” ie. the business side of the publishing world. But Mr. Shatzkin, President & CEO of The Idea Logical Company, always has extremely insightful posts about the business of publishing and this digital age. Well worth a weekly check if you truly desire to understand how publishing works.
CBA Ramblings
http://cba-ramblings.blogspot.com/
What It Is At A Glance: business (relaxed)
How Often I Visit: Weekdays
Benefits: Rachelle Gardner is an agent with WordServe Literary. Ms. Gardner updates her blog Mon-Fri and will appeal to both your angsty creative side and to your business side, not to mention, it’s a place to go to keep your name in front of an agent by posting your comments (and if you don’t believe people do this, go look at the volume of comments!).

This blog is beneficial for people desiring information on how to enter the competitive publishing arena. Content can get repetitive (after all, how many fresh ways can an agent find to repost the same information about contracts, agents, etc?).

The key to this blog’s success, in my opinion, is that in addition to giving clear guidance and suggestions on the process of publishing, this agent openly invites discussion and opinions, and who of us does not have an opinion on just about everything?
Books & Such Literary Agency
http://www.booksandsuch.biz/blog/
What It Is At A Glance: Business (relaxed)
How Often I Visit: 1-2 times per week
Benefits: The business of publishing from an agent’s perspective. I’m not a frequent reader of these posts but do find good content here sometimes. I probably only frequent this blog less because I tend to get my “Agency perspective” fix over at CBA Ramblings more often than not.


The Philosophical Blogs:

Into The Fire
http://hopeofglory.typepad.com/
What It Is At A Glance: Philosophy, creativity, controversy
How Often I Visit: Daily
Benefits: Nicole is a deep thinking, deep feeling writer who gives the impression that she does not fit the commonly accepted mold of the CBA writer (please note--MY words, not hers). Her blog will appeal to you if you’ve ever hungered for a certain type of book in the CBA market and not found it. I confess, it is a common occurrence for me to spend a good 30 minutes a day (sometimes more) pondering or replying to one of her posts. I like that she makes me think. I like that she challenges assumptions. I do not get the impression she does this for the sake of argument, but because she truly feels the need to raise some subjects up for discussion. You may not agree with what she posts, but I like her boldness, her forthrightness, and the fact that she will travel in uncharted territory, including giving political or other updates on Saturday, outside the normal writing blog posts of Monday through Friday. Nicole blogs outside the status quo and gives me a fresh perspective to think about, and for me at least, that makes her blog stand out.

Mike Duran
http://mikeduran.com/
What It Is At A Glance: Philosophy, creativity, controversy
How Often I Visit: Twice a week
Benefits: I enjoy Mike’s blog for much the same reason as I do Nicole’s. He addresses topics outside the status quo or gives a fresh look at standard topics in the publishing industry. It is worth a visit simply to look at the captivating artwork that serves as the banner of his homepage. Again, I enjoy his posts because he makes me think, even if I don’t always agree.


The Writing & Creativity Blogs:

The Kill Zone
http://killzoneauthors.blogspot.com/
What It Is At A Glance: Business, creativity, fun
How Often I Visit: Daily
Shout Out: My favorite blog of all
Benefits: I confess, this is my favorite blog of all for several reasons:

• It’s a smart blog. By that I mean, 11 mystery/suspense authors pooled their resources to design a blog with a catchy name and great content. The 11 authors who take turns with posts are: Clare Langley-Hawthorne, Kathryn Lilley, Kathleen Pickering, Joe Moore, Nancy Cohen, Michelle Gagnon, Jordan Dane, John Gilstrap, Joe Hartlaub, John Ramsey Miller, James Scott Bell. It just makes good sense to divvy out the blog posting duties and it’s a blog I hold up as a fine example of that skill.

• Even if you don’t read mystery/suspense (I read some but am primarily a historical reader) this blog is very relevant.

• My favorite blog post ever was at The Kill Zone, including probably the best line I ever saw in a blog: “Do you want to be an insurgent?” To understand this, you can read the full post here: http://killzoneauthors.blogspot.com/2011/02/no-target-escaped-alive.html

• This blog is a great mix of writing industry business, creativity, and fun.

• These authors make it a point to interact with their blog readers and this genuine give and take is one of its strongest selling points. They truly have achieved community, which is very hard to do.
Novel Matters
http://novelmatters.blogspot.com/
What It Is At A Glance: A place to discuss literary writing
How Often I Visit: 3 times a week (which is how often it is updated)
Benefits: A fantastic site to feed and nurture the creative within you.

Novel Journey
http://noveljourney.blogspot.com/
What It Is At A Glance: A co-op of authors who share blog posting duty. Covers marketing, creativity, and other writer specific topics.
How Often I Visit: Weekdays
Benefits: Greatest perk? I always look forward to when it’s Athol Dickson’s turn to post. I always find his stuff very insightful. This blog also often has many useful articles and tips, though I tend to skip author interviews (on this and other blogs).

Writer Unboxed
http://writerunboxed.com/
What It Is At A Glance: Author co-op, Creativity and Business
How Often I Visit: Weekdays
Benefits: This site is a recent discovery for me but has quickly become a favorite for the outstanding variety of helpful articles on creativity and business, with the added bonus of some fantastic cartoons periodically shared.

Seekerville
http://seekerville.blogspot.com/
What It Is At A Glance: Author co-op, Creativity and Business
How Often I Visit: 4-5 times a week (updated daily)
Benefits: I don’t read the full blog posts often because the frequent updates make it difficult, but I do skim most days of the week. Good community established on this blog and contributors are very good at interacting with commenters on this community. Geared specifically toward romance.

Summary:
I find it interesting that my favorite blogs are co-op blogs. I wish I had known about co-op blogs before I started my own, because I would much rather participate as a member of a group blog then do my own show. When the time is right, I will probably make the switch.

At any rate, there are many great informative and fun blogs out there. A writer who is looking to improve their writing or learn the business has oodles of information at the click of a mouse. I hope you’ll find this list helpful.

The Editorial Letter

I like to pass along articles and posts when I come across good ones regarding the realm of publishing. If you've ever wondered what it's like to receive an editorial letter from your editor at the publishing house, take a look at John Gilstrap's post over at The Kill Zone. You can find it here:

http://www.killzoneauthors.blogspot.com/2010/11/art-of-editorial-letter.html

The most significant thing that struck me when reading this blog post is that in its very essence, this editorial letter is comprised of exactly the kind of feedback you receive from a good crit partner. I don't know what others would say, but I think that this applies especially when you are blessed with a crit partner who reads your WHOLE manuscript and makes comments.

While much great feedback can and is obtained by reading a manuscript piece-meal, there is no substitute for the critical eye of someone going over your manuscript in its entirety. I have been blessed to have had critters who graciously did that for me and I found it invaluable. Ladies, you know who you are and I thank you for it.

I know it is often a struggle for people to find critiquing partnerships, but this is why finding a good critter is so essential.

I appreciate Mr. Gilstrap's willingness to share bits of the publication journey with readers. It is very helpful.

Recommended Article on Pace & Structure In A Thriller

There are a bazillion blogs out there, so I like to pass along good blog posts on writing. Today's post by Jordan Dane at The Kill Zone, "Ten Tips of Pace and Structure on a Thriller" is a very worthy read. The tips are succinct and very helpful.

Here's the link:

http://www.killzoneauthors.blogspot.com/2010/09/ten-tips-on-pace-structure-of-thriller.html

If you don't write thrillers, don't let that dissuade you. These tips may be geared toward thrillers, but are applicable to many genres.

Enjoy!