Bollocks to the Publishers

16 posts / 0 new

Fri, 2013-01-18 22:38

HMV went bust this week after 92 years, with the loss of 239 stores and 4350 jobs. The reason; digital downloads.

There is really now no place for the high street retailer - records or books. Why would anyone bother to get dressed, drive downtown, find a parking space, walk to the book shop, search through all the books and choose one to read when the much simpler option is to fire up your Kindle (still in your jimmy-jams), buy the book and be reading it by the time you've finished your second cup of coffee?

These publishers and literary agents have had things their own way far too long, and the only thing that keeps them from realising they're a dying breed is nothing but their own bloody arrogance!

Their comeuppance is well overdue.

Look at the plethora of talent on ABCtales alone. We have here a group of people who have outstanding, far-fetched, comical, sometimes brutal, often ludicrous and downright fab imaginations. So many writers (unfortunately I’m not one of them) allow their imaginations to fly, build a plot, build a sub-plot and continue to write superb story lines in that fashion.

We’re not all good, some of us are crap, but a serious big RESPECT to all those writers who have a richer imagination than mine. I honestly wouldn’t know where to start, but there are a tremendous amount of people on this site whose minds must be bubbling over with adventures, fantasies, potboilers and cliff-hangers.

How dare these egotistical, autocratic agents and publishers,with their moth-eaten sense of their own self-importance, refuse a book nowadays? They’re an endangered species and they must surely be able to feel it in their bones.

If the dinosaurs like HMV had moved with the times they could have been as big as Amazon by now. But they didn’t and they’re not.

If HMV can go bust so can any of the big book stores, and bollocks to the publishers.

Fri, 2013-01-18 22:46

Parson Thru

I read a great account of arrogant stupidity at a record company in the 1960s, where a panel of public school educated old men held back the talent of artists like Bowie. Time they went and stopped building steel and glass palaces on the back of our creativity. Throw them a heavy weight to take them to the bottom.

Parson Thru

Fri, 2013-01-18 22:59

Chinobus

World changes but people don't, for everything set into motion an equal force occurs as par verbatum. Unfortunately a majority of great stories and ideas are being userped into the digital age via movie, video games, and the internet. On the contrary this could very well be the salvation/evolution of books rather than a death sentence. Books are primitive, fragile, and consume a vast amount of enviormental resources to produce and distribute. Since the digital age first became common place it is statistically proven 15-20 percent of resources (trees, oil, etc.) have been preserved as of 2013. Food for thought. - Chinobus -

- Chinobus -

Mon, 2013-01-21 20:35

(Reply to #3) #4

prettypolly

I am in favour of digital technology and Kindle (even though I do not own a Kindle) but I do like to have an old-fashioned book sometimes. I do not mind losing a second -hand book which I bought from a charity shop for 50p but I nwould be very upset to lose a two -hundred pound Kindle Forgive me for not having a pound sterling sign on this machine. It is manufactured by a foreign firm.

Fri, 2013-01-18 22:59

Chinobus

- Chinobus -

Fri, 2013-01-18 23:13

karl_wiggins

Hmmm, hadn't thought of that. Good point, Chino.

Fri, 2013-01-18 23:37

ton.car

People get all misty eyed when so called traditional High Street stores close down, but forget that they themselves long since abandoned them for the online equivalents. HMV, Jessops, Comet etc paid rent, rates and, more importantly, taxes, while the likes of Amazon generate huge revenues by avoiding this inconvenience. There's often a high price to be paid for cheap goods, but we don"t really care just so long as we get a bargain. We just put it down to 'market forces'.

Fri, 2013-01-18 23:37

Parson Thru

I wouldn't mind betting that a large proportion of paper from forests goes into corporate training manuals. Perhaps companies should be incentivised to provide e-books for their trainees. Courses could then be downloaded.

Parson Thru

Sat, 2013-01-19 10:17

scratch

Good points Karl. Stan wrote a very informative forum post regarding a similar circumstance concerning the recent merger of Penguine and Random House to form the largest publishing corps in the world. If I could find the link I would post it for everyone's information. I am sceptical about the demise of the stranglehold of capitalist behemoths being broken. I have a link to the merger but not as illuminating as Stan's. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/booknews/9635610/Random-Penguin...

Sat, 2013-01-19 13:33

#10

lavadis

I am on the high street and fighting every day to get by. The vacuum will be filled and the new model army which is taking in the evil empire (my name for Tesco, Starbucks etc) are Poundland. Small specialist firms of solicitors like myself have seen Tesco's start up a huge law firm but that is the modern way. HMV was a dinosaur even though I loved it. The High Street is evolving and like other business we either evolve with and become stronger or we become extinct.

Mon, 2013-01-21 19:24

#11

Ed Crane

Just wanna put in my two cents. While I agree publishers are a well up themselves and deserve to be an endangered species due to people like Amazon making it easier for writers to self publish and get a pound or two from a book sale. It seems to me they are (or someone is) missing a trick. A lot of the stuff published on Kindle at a quid a throw is total crap, but as Karl pointed out there is some good amatuer talent about, not just on ABC, but many people who want to write. The problem is, good writers who get a quid a go on Kindle sale are undersold. Amazon ain't doing much to promote them. They need someone to publicize them so they can get value for money from the stuff they write. I'm not suggesting we go back to the 10% for the writer (if they're lucky). However, it might be helpful if someone with publishing or writer's agent experience set up an organisation/company to promote the works of talented self-published writers. Seems to me this could be a win-win. Talented writers get a bit more dosh, Amazon makes a bit more on sales, someone makes a bit of dough, and the reading public get books a reasonable price. On the other hand .... I might be talking a load of bollocks.

Mon, 2013-01-21 21:42

#12

blackjack-davey

Publishers pay for marketing, that space in the Waterstones window etc with self-publishing there is no guarantee of quality. Publishers like everyone else are protecting their jobs, they buy one title that doesn't sell and they are out of work. What do you do? Publishers will not take risks. I notice great houses like Picador are publishing more chick-lit stuff with serious literary covers. Self-publish and be damned... unless you have a kick ass marketing stategy you will disappear in the daily suet.

Mon, 2013-01-21 21:53

#13

andrea

Hey, don't forget the Indie's - we don't deserve Wiggins' rant :) As someone who runs a small press, we try to publish talent, regardless of whether they're a 'name' or not and, as a result, many of us are going down the tubes. I tend to agree with BD - that table at Waterstones will cost you approx £150,000 for 2 weeks, even assuming they granted you a contract in the first place - what small press can afford that? And don't get me started on sending out review copies...(which get binned on receipt) http://www.ukapress.com http://www.ukauthors.com

http://www.ukauthors.com

http://www.ukapress.com

Mon, 2013-01-21 22:07

#14

karl_wiggins

Andrea, you know I love you. No offence meant. (By the way, I was talking to Chris Barraclough about you this week. All very favourable)

Tue, 2013-01-22 09:51

#15

Ed Crane

Hi Blackjack and Andrea. Perhaps I was a little hard on publishers (perhaps :)). I am not a great lover of Kindle or e-books, I like the feel of a book, but for someone who wants to self-publish, for whatever reason, Kindle seems to offer a way. I was simply suggesting there is a business opportunity for someone with industry knowledge to invest time and a little money in checking out the talent of unkown writers on Kindle and promote them, thus resulting in (hopefully vastly) increased sales, perhaps may even lead to more books in print. How about your excellent organisation Andrea? ;) As I said before, I might be spouting rubbish but I don't think so.

Tue, 2013-01-22 10:56

#16

andrea

No offence taken, Karl, I was jesting :) Well, about you, anyway (and Chris B is a lovely bloke). Deadly serious about the other stuff, though. Yet another small press, run by a good mate of mine, has just folded. Very sad. It's not a bad idea, Bex, but we don't do eBooks - hard copy only (although I'm informed that's an obsolete term :)) http://www.ukauthors.com

http://www.ukauthors.com

http://www.ukapress.com