Why don't we all team up and start a revolution?

Bart has a greedy look in his eye.

Yes... Yes, why don't you get about 50,000 or so writers and do this? I will watch in mild amusement as money-desperate agents snap up my work.

The problem is, Publishing isn't broken. If anything too many bad books are getting through.

If you want to know what books aren't getting in. Go and read Slushkiller.

Okay working with your model - you said "Then we use cafepress.com to print and send out these novels for us 'as and when they are needed'. " Where exactly is cafepress sending our books, and why are they doing us this favour? And who is doing the publicity? And how do the books get on shelves? And . . . um . . . who is paying for all this?

These may sound like leading questions, but they are genuine. I just can't see the big picture you are talking about yet.

Why not just create a writers union to represent us? Oh wait, they already have one of those... ...bunch of commies.

Searching the forum with show that a thread like this is posted every few months.

New knights turn up with banners and bugles and invite us to join the crusade against the evil windmills. The peasants shrug and go back to farming their wheat.

We should get together and have cakes.

Dyljos, writers have been doing that for ages. Ultimately, they all eventually found out: They just wanted to write, not run a publishing business.

Let the publishers do their job. Let the agents do their job. Let the lawyers do their job. As for us, just frigging write brilliantly.

A small number wake up one day and discover they've become publishers... and their former peers now hate them.

Count me in for the cake, though!

Anyone going to Epicon, or will be in the Virginia Beach area around March 8-9. Coffee and cake, I'll buy.

Threads like this turn up plenty, and mostly they make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up and I back away slowly.

It's like listening to the guy on the chain gang who's had plenty of hammering railroad spikes, and he's done, and he's going to go eat bacon, and who's with him? and everyone else is backing as far as the chain lets them, so the blood spray won't it 'em.

Do you realize that trying to organize writers into a revolution would be like trying to wrangle a puppy? I'm pretty pleased with myself when I get a short story or some such in under deadline. Nevermind being part of committees and voting on things.

Anyway, why do we need to revolutionize publishing? What's wrong with it?

PeeDee said:

Anyway, why do we need to revolutionize publishing? What's wrong with it?

Click to expand...

Not a darn thing. The good books are getting published and the crap(including my own) is not. I'll be happy to join the ranks of the publushed when my work is good enough. I love the publishing industry!

dyljos said:

I just thought it would be cool if we didn't have to deal with people who don't give a rats ass about the first-time writer but instead deal with friends and people who genuinely want to help us publish our work.

Click to expand...

I think you're giving authors more charity than they deserve. They're not any more or less human than publishers, agents, and so on. Why do all writers give a rat's ass about first-time writers?

(why a "rat's ass" anyway? I have two rats, I cannot think of why I'd give their backsides to any new writer).

And how do we decide who gets a vote? How do we decide who's a "writer" and who's not? If anyone who puts words on a piece of paper a writer? How do you stop the majority of, say, PublishAmerica authors stepping up and voting a really crummy book through?

Here's the thing about the publishing industry. Here's what always makes newer writers go "They hate writers, they hate me."

They don't hate you. But if it seems like the book publishing industry isn't geared toward you....you're absolutely write.

It's geared toward readers.

Is the lumber industry geared toward lumberjacks? No, it's geared toward the people at Home Depot who buy lumber. Lumberjacks provide the wood. (hehehe)

Similarly, you provide the story. If it's something that readers will want, that's good, then it will go through.

Publishing is not designed to fufill writerly dreams, nor to make your work available to the public. Your work is not a custom printed t-shirt. Publishing is about supplying the demand of the readers.

It's important to remember that. Publishing is not about writers, not nearly so much as newer writers wish it were.

I don't want to be published by my friends, they such at editing and distribution. Professional editors may be sharks but they are sharks who write checks. And no, I didn't just call my editors sharks--they are lovely--yes, wonderful. *cough*

Actually most of them are.

dyljos said:

I just thought it would be cool if we didn't have to deal with people who don't give a rats ass about the first-time writer but instead deal with friends and people who genuinely want to help us publish our work.

Click to expand...

HAHA.

Hey, take a look at my sig. Both books are by "first-time" authors. And oh yeah, these publishers do care a rat's ass. It's not about "helping us" though.

And I can assure that EVERY published authors here on this very board was a first-time writer at some point.

It's really quite simple. You have a product that is good enough to be consumed, and someone will buy. It REALLY is that simple. So stop sitting on your hands and think why nobody would help you get published and that all the publishers out there are there to stop you; think about what you can do to write something that people you DON'T know will actually want to read.

dyljos said:

..failing the whole revolution thing, I was hoping for a thread that people would respond to...

Click to expand...

Oh you big poop-stirrer, you

dyljos said:

..failing the whole revolution thing, I was hoping for a thread that people would respond to...

Click to expand...

On these forums, the rarity is a thread that people don't respond to.

Go listen to Rage Against The Machine until you've got this revolution urge outta your system (or until they make you nauseous and annoyed) and then start a thread about boobies or something eternally popular.

(or, you know, something.)

Publishing is the only thing really keeping the writing industry in check. If we used your system, we would have many more writers, and too many books in circulation. If you want to have your book printed, without going through publishers, www.lulu.com; Enjoy, hope that helps. As for me, I just write. Let the publisher do the publishing, the agent do the arguing, and perhaps then someone will actually see my work.

Without publishers, advertisement would be impossible, reviews would be too difficult to obtain, and chaos would erupt in the literary world. But nice try.

~JBI

maestrowork said:

We should get together and have cakes.

Click to expand...

And tea!

Slushkiller...is this a site or a book? I guess I'll go and google.

PeeDee said:

On these forums, the rarity is a thread that people don't respond to.

Go listen to Rage Against The Machine until you've got this revolution urge outta your system (or until they make you nauseous and annoyed) and then start a thread about boobies or something eternally popular.

(or, you know, something.)

Click to expand...

Or spend an evening listening to Peter Frampton in his golden years. Now that's how the revolution ended...

Azura Skye said:

Slushkiller...is this a site or a book? I guess I'll go and google.

Click to expand...

Here ya go

http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/004641.html

aadams73 said:

Here ya go

http://nielsenhayden.com/makinglight/archives/004641.html

Click to expand...

Thankies!