New E-stributer News

[Gruud]

The above obnoxious word has been widely used of  late by Joe Konrath and others, but since I see the "new publishing paradigm" coming up here now and again, I thought the link might be newsworthy in this space.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/03/business/media/perseus-creates-new-service-for-authors-seeking-to-self-publish.html?_r=1&src=recg

This one’s a hybrid lying between traditional brick and mortar publishing and the current e-book environment, where anyone can basically publish anything, even if its "lousy".

This seems a better way than the others I’ve been seeing, where agents are becoming e-publishers themselves, and thereby bringing in questions of just whose interests are coming first, the author’s or the agent as publisher’s.

The method shown still places the agencies as the gatekeeper to being published though, which makes things tougher on new authors.

But since there’s very little monetary risk for the publisher, maybe it will allow agents to open things up a bit more.

Amazon reportedly has a similar deal, but without the need for an agent. I’ve no idea how they acquire authors though. I’ve not looked into their submission requirements, etc.

TBH, I’m kinda glad I’m not really ready for this step yet. It will give me more time to see how things are gonna shake out. ;-)

[Aminar]

Y'know, my roommates and I had a long discussion about being surprised this didn't exist yet.  There goes impossible business scheme 3.  Oh well.

[Starbeam]

The method shown still places the agencies as the gatekeeper to being published though, which makes things tougher on new authors.

Just pointing out that agents are not completely the gatekeepers. They may be the ones who take on the writers and try to sell the books, but the editors are the ones who buy the books and get them put out.  Plus, sometimes the author has interest from an editor before they've started looking for an agent. So both agents and editors are the gatekeepers.

[Gruud]

It wasn’t my intent to use gatekeeper in a pejorative sense, or to cast any particular aspersions on agents.

My personal preference is to go the traditional “get an agent, find a publisher” route.

Nor do I wish to heap all of the “blame” on the editors, who to an extent are bound by the same limitations as the agents.

In the current, traditional model, publishers make a fairly substantial upfront investment when they agree to publish a (real) paper book, and thus have a tendency to stay within certain conservative parameters, playing it safe by only publishing what sells really well, what fits the currently common mold, etc.

Agents are just like anyone else, they have bills to pay and families to feed, and they do so by representing us and our stories, and submitting them to the (more or less) above described publishers.

So, by extension, the agents have to know what the publishers do and don’t want, and so have a natural tendency to only pick up authors who are delivering those things. And who can really blame them.

My hope is that if the traditional publishing houses embrace the e-book model, they will be willing to take a few more risks, and go a little more outside the established norms, since the e-books will not have those big, upfront costs.

That might in turn allow agents to also “open things up” a bit more, and still be able to put food on their tables.