02-20-2014, 05:56 PM | #106 |
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02-20-2014, 06:17 PM | #107 | |
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On youtube? On cable? On Netflix? How do people find their way here? There's no bigger volcano of content than the internet but people still manage to find stuff to their liking. It won't be the same stuff for everybody but everybody will find something to their taste. The only people who insist gatekeepers are essential are the gatekeepers. |
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02-20-2014, 06:21 PM | #108 | |
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That's hard to imagine given how the number of books released goes up every year, both in toto, and, especially, taking self-published only.
Consider: Quote:
The lesson here for Hugh-Howey-and-friend type research is that even if it was valid, it might be of historical interest only. Unless the self-pub authors here actually want more competitors, the last thing you should desire is for Howey to be believed. Don't you have enough competition already? Now, I'm not saying you should denounce good science just because it goes against your interests. But junk science? Why not? |
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02-20-2014, 06:21 PM | #109 |
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02-20-2014, 07:24 PM | #110 | |
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What is *still* happening is that the market is growing; the pie is still getting bigger. Even the BPHs are growing revenue. At this point in time, the more good indie books out there--the more indie authors active--the more people will accept indie books. That benefits readers and authors. Once people get over the whole volcano of crap smokescreen we can all get down to the serious business of reading. Even when/if the pie stops growing, the shift of revenue from publishers to authors will continue; that is what Howey is reporting and that is what brands him a heretic. Readers get more books for their money, authors get more money for their books. What's not to like? Last edited by fjtorres; 02-20-2014 at 07:32 PM. |
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02-20-2014, 11:53 PM | #111 |
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While we don't have numbers, and I think it would be almost impossible to quantify anyway, I personally think the average level of writing skill has remained relatively constant over the years.
If that's indeed the case, then the chances are very good that the ratio of good self-published books to bad ones has also remained relatively constant. As more books are published, we get more good ones, more average ones, and more bad ones in roughly the same proportions. Therefore, we can reasonably expect that the number of good self-published books is growing at the same rate as the market. If that's the case, then what we need to do is see how the rate at which good self-published books get onto the best-seller charts compares to the rate at which the market is growing. If the rate of penetration is increasing faster than the rate at which the field is growing, then the odds would appear to be getting better. If the rate of penetration is increasing more slowly than the field is growing, then the odds are getting worse, even if self-published books are taking an ever-larger piece of the best-seller pie. Odds are relative numbers, totals are absolute. Without some way to link them you can't derive one from the other, and I've seen no evidence from any of these studies that they've successfully linked the two. |
02-21-2014, 07:59 AM | #112 |
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I think this is one of the most positive things to come from the reports. They make it clear that readers are at least as good at gate-keeping as the big publishing houses. Sure, some things will still be missed, and sure, there will still be many things that sell in big numbers that some of us just don't understand, but it's not like it was any different when big publishing held the keys to the only door in town.
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02-21-2014, 12:17 PM | #113 | ||
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If we assume that the overall level of writer skill remains constant, then we can postulate that the average quality of manuscripts submitted to publishers and agents is the same as that of those which are self-published, so they get the same proportion of good/average/bad manuscripts in the door. Then we just see what proportion of total BPH submissions makes the top 7,000 list and compare that to the proportion all self-published books that make the same list. If the BPH's get a higher proportion of their submissions into the top 7,000 list, then they're doing a better job. If the proportion of all self-published books that gets into the top 7,000 is higher, then they're doing a better job. It's a rough figure, and I can see tons of problems with it, but it at least addresses the question of which is a better method of gatekeeping. |
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02-22-2014, 01:19 AM | #114 | |
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People will always differ in their opinions on what deserves to be in that top percentage - that has always been true. But sales of popular fiction has always been about exactly that - what is popular. It doesn't say anything about the quality of the text or story beyond what it takes to be popular. This was no different even when traditional publishing was the only game in town. The distribution shows that independently published works are finding their respective places at the top of this popularity contest in similar proportions to works from big publishers. The gatekeeping is working ... but that doesn't mean we will feel any better about being on the wrong side of the gate. |
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02-22-2014, 08:14 AM | #115 | |
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Regarding the "volcano of crap" metaphor, some people should be careful what they wish for. The day when self-publishers get a website that acts as a trustworthy gatekeeper, a good deal of people in the trad publishing industry will be laughing no more. It could be a crowd-sourced site, like Metal Archives for the metal scene. (The site publishes reviews of albums picked by fans, from the praises of an unsung gem released exclusively on tape in 250 copies in the late 80's by a long-dead label, through the righteous nuking of Metallica's Lulu, to their heart-felt opinion of the latest album by their favorite bands) There's a bit of that in Goodreads. The big differences being it's not 100% reviews and devoted to indies, which seriously blunts its impact in this context. It could also be run by folks with legitimate clout in the industry. Kirkus ruined the opportunity by asking authors to pay $400+ for a review, with all the conflict of interest it entails. From what I've heard, Publisher weekly seems to be doing a better job. They only review submission on a discretionary basis, and are said to be pretty harsh, which is exactly what is needed. Last edited by Ken.Hagdal; 02-22-2014 at 08:17 AM. |
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02-22-2014, 07:53 PM | #116 | ||
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U.S. Book Sales Declined in 2011 Despite Rise in E-Books If someone writes a greatly loved book in a certain genre, this should help the sales of books by another author perceived to be similar. So individual authors aren't necessarily playing a zero-sum game. But, overall, when more books are released, the average sales per released book is going to go down. Quote:
There always have been lots of self-publication marketplace failures and, as shown here, some self-publication bestsellers: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-pu...d_best-sellers To authors whose manuscripts get rejection letters, or are ignored, I can see how publishers can feel like gatekeepers. But to me as a reader, the real gatekeepers are the editors who decide which books will be reviewed in places like the New York Review of Books and New York Times. Those editors tend to ignore genre fiction, regardless of publication type. One probable reason genre fiction does relatively well for self-publishers is that there never were any authoritative gatekeepers. |
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