Last month, Publishers Weekly published an “end of the publishing industry as we know it” article that was very different than most of the other “end of the publishing industry as we know it” articles, mainly because it was really good.
As it happens it was written by former Random House CEO Peter Olson, and he addresses a somewhat familiar litany of problems: the weak standing of bookstore chains, discount stores treating books as loss leaders and slashing prices (which further erodes bookstores), the rise of Amazon, and the sinkhole of confusion that is e-book pricing.
His solution? Demand-based pricing on e-books, partnership with Amazon, and enough with the layoffs.
The article is must-read of all must-reads if you want to know the challenges facing the book industry. Olson should know. He was there, and you won’t find a better summary of what the industry is facing, and particularly new authors. Olson writes:
“Despite the drive to cut costs, the market for advances for celebrity books shows few signs of abating in 2009. Publishers will likely continue to overbid for potential bestsellers, justifying their offers on marginal contribution from outdated sales projection models. This means bad news for other writers, as the willingness of publishers to invest time and money in developing new projects and of retailers to risk stockpiling unknown authors may drop precipitously.”
Can publishing change? One Harvard Business Prof isn’t so sure.
Writing for the Wall Street Journal, Anita Elberse defends the blockbuster model, citing the blockbuster effect of publishers doing everything in their power to make a book a bestseller when they’ve paid so much, paying a lot means agents will send their best projects, bookstores take notice when a publisher is investing in a title they believe in, and the vast array of books available creates an even stronger craving in the reading public for a shared experience. People want to read what other people are reading.
So what, dare I ask, should we make of all this?
Well, in my opinion there are two meta forces at work in book publishing at the moment. With the closing of bookstores, fewer titles being ordered by the bookstores that are left, and more people buying their books in stores where there are fewer titles available (i.e. box stores like WalMart), there is tremendous pressure on publishers to invest in the few books that can reliably sell.
At the same time, the Internet and e-books are opening up new sales avenues for authors who either catch on through word of mouth or are able to build their own buzz. As a result, you’re seeing progressively more self-published and small-press books rise up through the cacophony of titles and find their readers.
In essence, it’s the best of times and the worst of times. If you’re an enterprising author there is a world of opportunity out there. Never before have we had a book publishing world where truly anyone could publish and potentially find their readers. Before there was a fundamental obstacle: distribution. That’s going away. Anyone can publish. It’s a massive, groundbreaking shift! I suspect soon there will be even more opportunities for collectives and online communities to boost sales, build brands, and become real players in publishing. Out of chaos comes order.
At the same time, when faced with such a multitude of choices, people tend to go with the familiar, and publishers are following that trend and filling that niche. The blockbuster model carries a great deal of risk, and there are drawbacks to putting so many eggs in a few baskets, but it may not be an irrational choice. And of course, this means that precious few new authors will get the backing of the publishers, making it that much harder for them to break out. But once an author is able to break out and convince a publisher to invest in them, no one can match a major publisher’s combined efforts in publicity, production, and distribution.
It certainly is a brave new world. After changing so little for 75 years, the book industry is in for a wild ride.
Bane of Anubis says
Or… be irresponsible and impregnate yourself with 8 children… surefire way to get a book deal:
https://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28984255/?GT1=43001
Rick Daley says
Nathan,
You do us all a tremendous service, thank you for your research and insight.
Ugly Deaf Muslim Punk Gurl hit the nail square on the head. Adaptability is a key to survival.
Blockbuster faced a major challenge with NetFlix, and they stepped up to the plate and adjusted their business model. Now both of those companies are competing against cable on-demand movies, and downloaded movies are gaining steam as well.
Many years ago, the CEO of Iomega (remember them?) said “The future is zip [drives]” He was wrong, and their products went the way of the floppy disk as consumers snatched up high density storage (memory sticks, CD-RW, etc.), not compression technology.
The publishing industry is now at the edge of a similar precipice, with the need to maintain the status quo and continue to leverage the established infrastructure that it built, but it also needs to find creative ways to exploit the new technologies that have the attention of the consumer masses.
Authors now have more influence than ever regarding the promotion of their works, and can be an asset to the publishers that choose to invest to them, or have reasonable success on their own. As Peter Gabriel says in one of my favorite songs, “Don’t Give Up.”
Sue says
“how can an author take advantage of the changes that are inevitably to come?”
You start building a following now. You invest a few minutes every day in developing a blog readership who enjoys your voice and who will pay to read more. Whether you end up self-publishing, or getting published through a more traditional route, it can only benefit you.
Jack Roberts, Annabelle's scribe says
Sure gives us new authors a lot to think on.
Now that I’m back at the hunting, I’ll have to consider epublishing.
Kwana says
Great post, Nathan. Reminds me of a saying I love, “desperation breeds creativity.”
lotusgirl says
We HAVE to learn to embrace the changes if we’re going to make it. It’s been a long time coming. Publishing has avoided it longer than most. I’m feeling fine. How about you?
Jaime Theler says
Nathan, I add my thanks for the post. What about back door ways to get an agent’s/publisher’s attention, like the Amazon Breakout Novel Award? It feels a little American Idol, but we love our AI, right?
Mira says
I would like to argue with the comments that people don’t like to read, and that is responsible for declining book sales.
Bolderdash, I say. People love to read.
Look at the internet. People spend hours and hours on-line. And what are they doing? Reading.
I think there is a tremendous market for readership, but I think much of it is untapped. This is due, I believe, to the lack of market and consumer testing on the part of publishers.
I think the success of self-publishing on the internet isn’t so much the ability of the writer to market, although that helps. What I believe is more important, is that it makes products more accessible to the right market.
The publishing industry may be changing, but I actually think that will increase readership, not lower it.
I could be wrong, of course, but that’s my two cents.
As always, interesting discussion.
j h woodyatt says
As an aspiring author with no fiction publishing credits, I’m actually beginning to be more optimistic about my chances by going through the all-electronic self-publishing path than I am about landing a print publishing deal right out of the gate.
Marjorie says
I believe that after many rejections from agents, writers turn to self-publshing as a proactive and empowering alternative. I have seen beautiful books written by authors that they self-published.
I put my book in a blog because it was written not for the purpose of making money, but for the joy of making others laugh…
I am happy when people read my book and send me an E-mail or comment and tell me they think it is hilarious. I don’t have to see it in bookstores for my own self-aggrandizement or earn one dollar from the sale of one book.
I may self-publish it at some point… but for now, I am happy it is on the internet.
It’s in 74 entries at:
marjorie-pentimentos.blogspot.com
Nathan, everything changes. After 30 years in teaching, I was no longer permitted to seat my students in rows and a quiet classroom was considered an environment where no learning was evident. It was mandated that students sit in groups, and “productive noise” was the new buzzword. I retired.
Richard Lewis says
Interesting to note that the Great Depression brought about the Old Model, and the New, Improved Depression is going to usher in the new, improved model.
Marilyn Peake says
Great title for today’s blog. My answer: Yes, I feel fine…at least for today. This week, another one of my short stories won an award, and that will get me through the next round of writing. In order to hang in there for the long haul, through all the ups and downs and crazy turns in the publishing field, I decided about a year ago that it’s best to expect the unexpected, to balance writing with book promotion, to never overextend myself in regard to time or money for book promotion, and to just keep on trying to produce better and better work.
In the scant few years since dipping my toes into the waters of the publishing world (my first book published in 2003), it’s seemed like a never-ending series of tsunamis taking place there. I’ve seen book publishers and print magazines go out of business, authors walk away from their writing careers, publishers go bankrupt, publishers and writers overextending themselves and suffering from both exhaustion and health problems, and book promotion businesses springing up everywhere, charging authors time and money in exchange for hope.
But then there’s the other side of the modern topsy-turvy publishing world: the deep satisfaction of writing and having so many places to publish, and the wonderful success stories of authors who make it. One of my favorite stories is that of Sonny Whitelaw, a Stargate novelist who got her start at the same small publishing house where I’m published before getting several novels accepted by the publishing house for the Stargate novels. She now appears at Sci Fi conventions with actors from the Stargate TV series. She also has a background as a research scientist and photographer and has had photographs published in National Geographic Magazine. The books and photographs on her website are awesome!
Amie Stuart says
Interestingly enough there was an article in the Star Telegram on Sunday about how car manufacturers are going to have to find new ways to appeal to Gen Y because traditional advertising methods don’t work. It definitely made me think about publishing.
Anonymous says
It’s very interesting to see the support for self-publishing on this blog. When it was mentioned on another blog, it was stabbed, mutilated, and thrown in the fire for mutiny.
Christine says
First of all, I am not a writer and I am barely a reader. I write non-fictions such as computer software. I have been here for a few weeks simply to be amused by Nathan’s profound philosophies in an intimidating business.
So to speak from an “outsider’s perspective, the fundamental problem is that we humans simply have too many choices to stimulate our souls, hearts and 5 (or more) sensors. The current trend of “Interactive Media” is a huge threat to many traditional forms such as books (Please don’t stone me.) Interactive entertainment and media contents such as blogs, XBOX 360/PS3/Wii along with their enormous amount of live media contents, YouTube, Facebook, BitTorrent are taking over a lot of younger generation’s limited human time. Do you know Aerosmith’s Guitar Hero game brought them more money than any albums sold?
Will books die? Certainly not. But it is inevitable that the “market share” of books will shrink tremendously when newer forms of media contents start to penetrate the mainstream, fast and furious. My guts feeling about the changes are, A) Agents such as Nathan will be more cruel on queries. B) New form of technologies will aid the new talents to become pop culture icons without going through Publishers or even printers. Meaning, the delivery method of books will change dramatically and I am not talking about eBooks.
Lupina says
I have a friend whose publisher acquired her book and tested it as an e-book, then printed it and asked for a sequel.
My friends doing well in self-publishing are not doing POD’s but making real print runs of nicely designed books. One has enough titles to get distribution, the other hand-sells at events.They make so much more per sale than they would get from standard royalties that they really ARE doing well.
I’m personally considering both options for certain future titles. The revolution is already here, sneaking in through a thousand little back doors.
Steve Fuller says
Someone mentioned earlier that they are a writer, not an entrepreneur.
I think this is the first part of our thinking that has to change. Whether you do it yourself, or hire someone to lead your marketing campaign, authors MUST market themselves in order to survive.
In the new world of publishing, it will take more than a great book. You need a great book that you can market to the world. And regular people can do that these days because of technology.
Make room on your head, because it’s time to put on that second hat.
Brion says
Scary since the perceived notion of what can sell does not always equate to quality. With the pressure on, will the publishing industry restrict it’s focus to a tired model of audience expectations? Take the effect of a feared SAG strike circa 2002, which resulted in a plethora of scripts being rushed to production. Surprisingly, the tripe Hollywood put out sold well beyond producers’ expectations and the state of U.S. “cinema” hasn’t been the same since. Certainly, any book must be able to sell, and the onus falls upon the author to ensure that it does, a task not so onerous to someone dedicated and capable of telling a compelling story, but one should hope that the publishers, due to the harrying times, don’t latch on to a restrictive “proven” model that shows less deference to quality and innovation.
Abby Gaines says
If you want to see your name on the cover of a book, it is indeed the best of times.
If you want to make a living – a decent living – as a writer, it is arguably the worst of times for writers (and their agents?!)
Abby
BarbS. says
A fine summary, Mr. B!
I wonder: What were people saying about the future of books when the printing press was invented?
Had to ask…
L to the Aura says
Great! Just when I finally get the gusto to start putting my writing out there….
Chris Bates says
To quote Steve Fuller’s post with regards to ‘writer as entrepreneur’:
“Make room on your head, because it's time to put on that second hat.”
This is far more relevant if you wish to succeed as a self-published author.
Anonymous @ 2.59 said: “It's very interesting to see the support for self-publishing on this blog. When it was mentioned on another blog, it was stabbed, mutilated, and thrown in the fire for mutiny.”
Self publishing is hard graft. Especially when you actually print ‘properly’ ie, offset presses, large print runs.
I used to publish a 180 page magazine, distributed nationally here in Australia. My wife and I approached this venture as a self-publishing exercise/torture.
In a previous life I had been an unhappily produced TV writer of mediocre skill (with a well-known agent to boot!) as well as a talentless small-town newspaper hack! These ‘successes’ meant that I was a shoe-in for successfully publishing my own projects. Such a dick…
Paying a company to print 10,000 copies of a title is just the beginning to bleeding cash as a publisher. Once you build a relationship with a distributor and become acquainted to the infamous world of ‘returns’, you soon feel like slitting your wrists to add to the cash being bled. This is why publishers want a sure fire hit – because losing money sucks. Most publishers probably aren’t requesting agents to sluice their slushpile for ‘…the moving account of one man/woman’s journey of self-discovery through the often hillarious, yet ocassionally heart-breaking story of rearing four score and ten field mice from Minnesota’. Although I could be wrong – Marley and Me rodent style perhaps?!
The key to successful publishing probably is:
a) firstly have a good product (content is king),
b) publicity, publicity, publicity.
Yes, the publishing industry is changing. No, it is not the end of the game. Take heart that huge numbers of people still read. Just take a look at the bestseller lists over the last 12 months – print runs in the millions. This is not the sign of a dying industry. Borders, B&N etc lose cash yet Amazon gains sales. The industry is merely evolving.
Solution for authors: Sure, take interest in the business of publishing … but focus of the business of writing.
Sorry for the long rant.
BTW, good post, Nathan … it’s a hot topic.
Dara says
Steve,
Marketing often takes time and resources. What about those of us who don’t have much of either?
Anonymous says
“Agents are going to have to adapt. I think the tendency is to follow the publishers toward a blockbuster model of our own, but I think you’ll start seeing some innovation when it comes to the way we make our living as well.”
For quite a number of years quite a number of years ago I pursued a career in music. We had agents, yes, but we also had managers, people who took up with a band or a musician early in his or her career and did more than on-sell finished product into the great corporate miasma. I wonder if the role of the literary agent might morph, or perhaps re-morph, into a more personal one, more involved at the creative end of the equation. What agents/managers, and publishers too, do still have going for them is the idea of exclusivity, of discovering talent and becoming the spigot through which the world accesses the talent. I realize that many agents today still see themselves as nurturers, but I wonder how this conceit matches up with reality. In the old days in the music business, the larger the agency you were dealing with, the more you needed to have a manager to act as go-between between the agency and you. It could be that the new days in book publishing (in the US, at least) might look a lot like the old days in the music industry, when bands built their brands one beer-soaked bar at a time with their faithful manager there, counting the take at the door, mixing with the crowd during the gig to gauge which tunes are working and which need to be reworked or dumped, and of course running interference with angry bar owners when the PA overloads the power supply.
Regards,
Theo
Richard Mabry says
Nathan,
Either the sky is falling or we’re on the threshold of a brave new world. What a great time to be a writer…or an agent…or a publisher.
Bottom line for writers, as I see it: write the absolute best work you can, then hope all the pieces fall into place. Changes are taking place, but there are some things we can’t control.
Anonymous says
Steve,
If it is up to the author to lead their marketing campaign then I am afraid the world is going to lose out on a lot works of art. Perhaps this is the reason for the claims of inadequate writing; the focus of the author has been placed on too many other distractions. Maybe the changes in the publishing industry should go as follows: the author writes, the agent reads and finds publisher, the publisher prints. All of the hoops authors have to jump through take away from what should be the primary concern A GOOD STORY.
And to Stephen King: it doesn't really matter what you think of Stephanie Meyer's writing, her fans get her – just like your's get you.
And THAT is what is important- what the readers want (not the agents & not the publishers)in whatever form it comes in!
J. M. Strother says
This is the part that keeps niggling at the back of my mind:
“If you’re an enterprising author there is a world of opportunity out there. Never before have we had a book publishing world where truly anyone could publish and potentially find their readers. Before there was a fundamental obstacle: distribution. That’s going away. Anyone can publish. It’s a massive, groundbreaking shift! I suspect soon there will be even more opportunities for collectives and online communities to boost sales, build brands, and become real players in publishing.”
I think if an author or group of authors did it right, they really could change the game. Until now publishers were absolutely indispensable for production and distribution.
That is not necessarily the case anymore. The Internet really does change everything. Just look at the newspaper business. Can someone break the book publishing mold? It would be hard, but never say never.
~jon
Steve Fuller says
Dara and Anonymous @ 7:35,
Trust me, I am with you guys. I wish authors were responsible for writing great books, agents snatched up those books, and publishers marketed them like crazy.
But I just don’t think we live in that world anymore. Yes, it still happens. But not often. Nathan seems like a good guy, but why would he take a chance on an unproven writer when publishers won’t take chances?
What I am saying is great writers have to think differently about how to market themselves. We need have an online following. We need to post free stuff. We need to network. We need to post interesting comments on blogs like this. We need to use Amazon.com to our advantage. You can do that without lots of money.
How can we use Youtube? How can we get publicity? How can we build our brand?
I think Chris Bates said it well earlier. The new gatekeepers are readers. Get your message to the world, and if people like it, you’ll have a career. If we are smart, we don’t need publishers.
But this requires more than just the ability to write a great book. We can hate it all we want, but that doesn’t make it any less true.
I’m not saying the old model is dead. I’m saying the new model is alive.
Anonymous says
Nathan-
No. I do not feel fine. Thanks for asking. I am terrified. I knew it would be a horrendously small chance that I would ever see my name in print, but now I feel as if I have no chance at all. I don’t have the money to self publish or the urge. So where does this leave me? Without an agent and unpublished. I hope someday I am able to get an agents attention, but for now I am just another writer with a dream that may never come true. For now all I can do is write and wait.
Newbee says
How can an author embrace these changes?
Well look at the market. What sells? Write something that will sell to the masses. Great themes, universal ideas, all in a creative way. Something that can be popular with any age and in a niche that hasn’t been tapped. Hopefully that’s what will work. That’s my focus…
Mira says
Eeek.
Newbie, don’t look at the Market to sell. Sheesh. Don’t prostitute your talent. Write from your soul, your heart, your mind, your muse. Otherwise, what’s the point? If you just want to make money, I think plumbers make a good living.
I imagine there will soon pop up a service for writers. People who will market you on the internet. For those writers who write well, but don’t want to or can’t market well.
Blog-starters. Youtube consultants. Etc.
Mira says
No offense to any plumbers.
An honorable profession
Mira says
oh, I bet I’m right. I wonder if I can patent that idea really fast.
Internet marketing consultants.
Maybe agents will play a role in that as well.
Chris Bates says
The problem with being a writer is that we’re all far too introspective for our own good. We just love to be in touch with our emotions … thus Nathan’s post seems to be the harbinger of doom for many of us.
“How the hell am I supposed to foreshadow Joe’s death in Chapter 21 when the entire world of publishing has imploded midway through Chapter 13?”
The world of publishing is not imploding. And, get this … your book will find an audience, agent or publisher … with the prerequisite disclaimer: if it is good enough. People are still looking for the next ‘big thing’.
Anonymous @ 9.47 is terrified.
Don’t be. Without your little writer-ly dream there are no new books. Also, you suggest that you have ‘…a horrendously small chance that I would ever see my name in print’. Not if you write an un-put-downable story. First things first:
Number one: write the first draft of your book.
Number two: re-write it a few more times so the bloody thing reads better!
Number three: now go and worry yourself about the book biz.
Nathan, you owe me about ten double-spaced pages of undisciplined first draft – your comments board pretty much murdered my work routine today!
Anonymous says
Sometime the need to speak up is more than the need to speak, Sometime the urge to write is more than the urge to publish,sometime the change is better than the stagnancy….Things are changing and being ever enthusiastic optimist I hope they are changing for the better…..be it publishing or writing …Customers/Readers have become mightier than the Pen…
-Prateek
http://www.tomarprateek.blogspot.com
girlssentaway.com says
Nathan,
What might this mean for the role of agents?
(Love your blog!)
Delia
K J Gillenwater says
If the blockbuster model includes the $100K paid to Sanjaya for a book, then I’m all for chucking the blockbuster model.
I think the big publishers need to do two things: focus on ebooks and make those ebooks more affordable than print. That would boost their sales immediately.
Penny says
The successes in this uncertain market seem to be on the self-pub side of things. I talk to folks in this market and they are doing well, great in fact. Business has never been better. I think the beauty in indy publishing is the flexibility it offers. This is where corporate publishing could learn a thing or tow. It’s much harder to change direction if you’re steering a thousand pound ship. This kind of publishing climate requires creativity and flexibility, both things NY publishing lacks unfortunately. I do agree that people go back to the familiar, but only to a degree. Remember 45’s? I know when the world was transitioning to tapes, then cd’s, now iPods there were folks who didn’t want to let go of their vintage stuff. Great, now it’s worth a ton on eBay but has it hurt the emergence of these new technologies. No way. Eventually it’ll find a home, just like eBooks have and will and just like other new publishing technologies will find their way to the consumer market. All it takes is time. You’re right Nathan, publishing is in for the ride of its life.
Madison McGraw says
This is a boon for independent authors everywhere. For the last 6 months, I’ve been building my “Madison McGraw-Girl Arsonist” brand.
The best part is, I’m finally writing for myself and being true to who I am. I launched The Arsonist Affair – Fiction Innovation Through Community Partcipation.
Sorry Nathan, but I LOVE that publishing is scrambling. It’s the perfect opportunity to burn down old school publishing and blaze new trails. And who better to do that than authors who are passionate about writing, and equally as passionate about building a fan base?
For me, there’s no more worrying and waiting, trying to fit into an agent or editors mold. If people like me, they will jump aboard my ship, and if not…great, I wouldn’t want any smug downers weighing us down.
This is a fantastic opportunity for those who really want to succeed – and what better way than on your own terms?
Madison McGraw
Karen says
As trite as this might sound, there’s nothing to fear, but fear itself.
Everything changes. Climate changes. Governments change. Bodies change. Publising will change. It seems to me, the only problems arise when people struggle against change, attempting to keep things constant.
Rather than fighting the fear, I think it’s far more exciting to consider the possibilities of catching a ride in on this wave of change.
Anonymous says
It seems that for a new author e-publishing is the way to go, unless you are one of the lucky few the publishers want to promote. You keep all creative control, no hoops, and according to everything I have read everyone has to self promote anyways. Too bad, I love old fashion, but apparently that is out the window. I’ll give trying to get an agent a go, but if it messes with my writing too much, so long. It seems the old ways are doing themselves in by making it more difficult on an author. If you have to do all of the work, what is the point?
Anonymous says
Nathan —
Stephen King talks about other writers… some who can’t write worth a damn (Stephenie Meyer) and others who are terrible but successful (James Patterson). I have to say I agree on both accounts, but as they are published and I am not, who am I to diss them? I know, we, as struggling writers need to be careful about not putting out negative things about other writers, but what about established authors doing so in a public forum? What do you think of this article?
https://blogs.usaweekend.com/whos_news/2009/02/exclusive-steph.html
Anonymous says
Anonymous 7:16,
I’m not Nathan, but I think you have a good point. No matter how much we earn as writers, no matter how little we’ve published, no matter how much we haven’t published, we’re all in this together. We all write for a reason, and we all aspire to the same good things that come from writing. And, if you want to get metaphysical about it, we’re all the same writer, only functioning from different POVs.
Here’s a miraculous coincidence: my word verification is gurus!
Anonymous says
Anon 7:16am
I’m not Nathan, but every author that has fans and sells books is a good writer. Anyone who bad mouthes them in the public eye is only opening themselves for criticsm and they sound like they are being catty. There are so many types of personalities in this world, it is impossible to please all of them. I don’t care for Stephen Kings writing, but I would never say he was bad at it. He said something to the effect about SM only appealing to teen girl hormones, but she also grabbed a lot of women fans and some teen boys; so she is obviously doing something right. It is not smart for anyine in the public eye to criticize something publicly, unless you are ready for the backlash; just ask the Dixie Chicks.
Anonymous says
Hey Anon 7:35, this Anon 7:38 apparently we both know we are not Nathan. I saw your comment as soon as I was done typing mine.
Anonymous says
Anon 7:38,
LOL, My word verification said it all: gurus. Great minds think alike!
Anonymous says
How do I feel? I feel like crap. Let’s go into what caused this “depression”. Heavy is the head that wears the crown. The freak and his moss-backed buddies that’s who. He will retire to his mansion in Dallas and let his ranch in Crawford go to hell. How in the blazes do you expect a homeless person with a hungry stomach want to read a book. It’s the economy(I should say stupid here) but I won’t for I know the people who are reading this are not. I borrow a phrase from Frank on Everbody Loves…Suck it up Nancy…we are in for a wild ride. The pendulam will swing the other way. Perhaps the religious right will realize you don’t hire a president becasue he’s a good old boy who does not believe in stem cell research and believes the all powerful almighty ordained him prince of the universe. The whole earth is in chaos and it all began with Iraq. I am a firm believer that things will right themselves.
Anonymous says
I’m Anon 7:16
Thanks for all the “Non” Nathans that replied. Interesting thoughts!
Anonymous says
(Anon 7:16 again)
Also, I love this quote Anon 7:35–
“…And, if you want to get metaphysical about it, we’re all the same writer, only functioning from different POVs…”
I might have to write that down, keep it when I look at books that I can’t stand, and reprimand myself a little. Good stuff.
Anonymous says
E-publishing will definitely be hard on the poor person who wants to pick up books at a second hand store to read for entertainment, the casual reader, the large families of readers who share books, and on the techilogical stupid/stubborn people. This group includes me. Oh I might add people who just love paper books.
Maybe we should all buy paper books, because they are going to be collector’s items and then antiques!