Comments on: Self-Publishing, E-books, and Legitimacy: Part 3 http://mispeled.net/2009/09/16/self-publishing-e-books-and-legitimacy-part-3/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=self-publishing-e-books-and-legitimacy-part-3 Writing, Games, and Technology Wed, 11 Jan 2012 14:43:40 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: mispeled http://mispeled.net/2009/09/16/self-publishing-e-books-and-legitimacy-part-3/comment-page-1/#comment-63 mispeled Thu, 17 Sep 2009 14:03:36 +0000 http://mispeled.net/?p=239#comment-63 @Aloria - That's what I'm afraid of most: those finite slots. (Well, aside from high buildings and spiders - but those things are scary.) @Aloria – That’s what I’m afraid of most: those finite slots. (Well, aside from high buildings and spiders – but those things are scary.)

]]> By: Todd Rutherford http://mispeled.net/2009/09/16/self-publishing-e-books-and-legitimacy-part-3/comment-page-1/#comment-61 Todd Rutherford Thu, 17 Sep 2009 05:04:02 +0000 http://mispeled.net/?p=239#comment-61 I believe self-publishing is the Britain’s Got Talent of the publishing world. No longer is the power to publish in the hands of an oligarchy of elite few. With a reasonably small budget, it is now possible for authors to seize power, control, speed to market, and profitability for themselves. Britain’s Got Talent helped Susan Boyle achieve her dream, and there are people in the publishing industry willing to help develop the Susan Boyle’s of the publishing world—like me. I believe self-publishing is the Britain’s Got Talent of the publishing world. No longer is the power to publish in the hands of an oligarchy of elite few. With a reasonably small budget, it is now possible for authors to seize power, control, speed to market, and profitability for themselves. Britain’s Got Talent helped Susan Boyle achieve her dream, and there are people in the publishing industry willing to help develop the Susan Boyle’s of the publishing world—like me.

]]> By: Aloria http://mispeled.net/2009/09/16/self-publishing-e-books-and-legitimacy-part-3/comment-page-1/#comment-60 Aloria Thu, 17 Sep 2009 04:03:25 +0000 http://mispeled.net/?p=239#comment-60 Really the only thing that publishing houses have to offer is their marketing department. But even then, as a new author, you still have to market yourself. They make bookstores like B&N buy their books and put them on the shelves and make them more widely available, but it's still not unreasonable to be able to get wildly popular just off internet fame. A lot of times, books are rejected not because they're bad - I see author blogs and agent blogs all the time that say things like "It was REALLY GOOD and if we hadn't filled the 6 slots we have for new books this year, we'd have bought it." So in all, the publishing houses aren't keeping out just the bad books. As for bad information in non-fiction books? look at dieting books. Really the only thing that publishing houses have to offer is their marketing department. But even then, as a new author, you still have to market yourself. They make bookstores like B&N buy their books and put them on the shelves and make them more widely available, but it’s still not unreasonable to be able to get wildly popular just off internet fame.

A lot of times, books are rejected not because they’re bad – I see author blogs and agent blogs all the time that say things like “It was REALLY GOOD and if we hadn’t filled the 6 slots we have for new books this year, we’d have bought it.” So in all, the publishing houses aren’t keeping out just the bad books.

As for bad information in non-fiction books? look at dieting books.

]]> By: Chuck McCallum http://mispeled.net/2009/09/16/self-publishing-e-books-and-legitimacy-part-3/comment-page-1/#comment-59 Chuck McCallum Wed, 16 Sep 2009 17:03:10 +0000 http://mispeled.net/?p=239#comment-59 While I am ignorant regarding how publishers are currently justifying their services I find this article stimulating on the subject of the implications of technological change to authors facing the frustrating task of getting published through traditional channels. While it is undoubtedly true that many bad books are not published I think we all know that many good books also are not published for no sane reason at all except that some individual 'gatekeeper' using some decision criteria disconnected from the values of the reading public, decides that the risk of financial loss to the publisher is greater than the risk of gain. Even if the publisher made their risk/reward calculations perfectly using all available information ,the lower cost and lower risk involved in self publishing allows authors to test the waters of public opinion without the gatekeeper telling him no. Economic theory tells us that the entire population that makes up the actors in the free market is always better at determining what should be produced at what cost and in what amount than any individual or small group can guess. This is the fact that tells us that centrally planned economies (socialism) must fail and the free market must succeed (space does not allow for discussing how ‘capitalists’ can corrupt the free market). It should also spell the doom of traditional publishing houses as soon as technology makes the owners of printing presses irrelevant to getting an authors work to the public audience in a cost effective way. The image of the toll gate with the walls having fallen down is great - very appropriate. If true then I expect that the shift away from traditional publishing houses is imminent and under way. While I am ignorant regarding how publishers are currently justifying their services I find this article stimulating on the subject of the implications of technological change to authors facing the frustrating task of getting published through traditional channels. While it is undoubtedly true that many bad books are not published I think we all know that many good books also are not published for no sane reason at all except that some individual ‘gatekeeper’ using some decision criteria disconnected from the values of the reading public, decides that the risk of financial loss to the publisher is greater than the risk of gain. Even if the publisher made their risk/reward calculations perfectly using all available information ,the lower cost and lower risk involved in self publishing allows authors to test the waters of public opinion without the gatekeeper telling him no. Economic theory tells us that the entire population that makes up the actors in the free market is always better at determining what should be produced at what cost and in what amount than any individual or small group can guess. This is the fact that tells us that centrally planned economies (socialism) must fail and the free market must succeed (space does not allow for discussing how ‘capitalists’ can corrupt the free market). It should also spell the doom of traditional publishing houses as soon as technology makes the owners of printing presses irrelevant to getting an authors work to the public audience in a cost effective way. The image of the toll gate with the walls having fallen down is great – very appropriate. If true then I expect that the shift away from traditional publishing houses is imminent and under way.

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