Mornin’ my writing friends.

I actually did expect at some point the bigger names would head the Indie route.  I expected it because at some point they would realize that while you might still need an agent, you probably can cut out the Publisher and all the middlemen that are between you and the store shelves.  Especially when you have an established name, can charge the same or even just under and make more from your work.  Not being established is tougher because you have to get the folks that do the purchasing for chains to take a chance on your books.

Giselle Minoli The revolution will not be televised… it will be tabletized. Through history artists of every genre have been subjugated, robbed, and denied what is rightfully theirs artistically and financially.

 While it’s not perfect, the road to self-ownership of works has begun in ernest. I say bravo. It won’t be easy for the 99.9 percent that are not that brilliant man Mamet, but the fruit of the artist labor should be rewarded the most to the creators. 

I agree with you James Barraford. There are traditional imprints for which I have huge respect and I will continue to buy hard cover and soft cover books because I have a thing for them, always have, and suspect I always will. But throughout my life I have watched a variety of different type of artist – whether it is writer, poet, musician, painter, sculptor or designer, be told, or try to convince themselves, that they creative effort must bow at the feet of the person or entity who has the means, power, wherewithal to bring that creative issue to the public. There are well known artistic and creative “pairings” of great respect – in the theatre, in film, in art – to be sure. But every creative person should feel that their publisher is a partner not a prison.  It’s all very transformative Jamie…

Of course we will! Offering all types of services for the author, not only printing short runs, but also editing, illustrating, translating and generally helping the author get the show on the road. 🙂

Giselle Minoli Life fascinates me. I love innovation and dislike stagnation. I don’t feel the need to adhere to old conventions so I’m one of those nerds that loves things like this.

 I can’t say that I’ll never buy a physical book again, but it’s highly doubtful that I will ever again buy more than a handful. In the past three years I can only think of three books I purchased, all anthologies that were not in ebook format at the time.

 I look at the over one thousand books I still have on my homemade bookshelves and will this summer donate all but a handful to my local libraries. I donated almost one thousand two years ago. I thought I would miss them… I haven’t. Many of them were old classics that are now free ebooks or at a very small cost if I want to read them again. The collected works of Poe, Dickens, Dostoevsky…a Stephen King 1,400 page novel and more…. all on my Nexus 7.

I’m an avowed fan of streaming music, between Spotify, Sirious, free podcasts, digital downloads and the marvelous Tunein Radio, I haven’t bought a CD in almost five years. I sold a collection of several thousand cd’s after giving friends almost a thousand CD’s. 

As I get older I find that having less “things” in my home is a wonderful simplification. It keeps things neat and tidy. I can do this while embracing ebooks and digital music. Artists still make money from me. I still go to concerts and the odd book reading. 

I welcome this age.

I love your philosophy James Barraford and the fact that it is different from my own. While there are certainly hardcover books I could donate (and probably will some day), I’m very much a tactile person. There are books that have been given to me and are inscribed. There are books with notations in the margins that are psychological and emotional journeys, talismans of a sort. This is less true of CDs and videos because they are just packaged plastic to me. But books, like hand-written letters and framed photographs are decidedly different for me. Each to his/her/their own and finding a relationship with art that works for them.

Curiosity Quills Press is awesome Matthew Graybosch and it is the perfect match of Publisher and Author. And that is why I am a believer in preserving, conserving and maintaining the traditional. But I am also a believer in the Indy route because it is right for some (many) people. Somehow, though, I feel you would have carved out your own route no matter what Matthew Graybosch. For…isn’t that what Starreaker is all about in a sense???

I feel the same way about the Death of the LP James Barraford. What a loss. It’s like wiping away the existence of hieroglyphics. There was so much artistry that went into old LP covers – the liner notes, the photography, the graphic design, the teamwork at the labels that produced it all. I still have a huge collection of them. And I feel the way about my “books” that I feel about my LPs. Plastic doesn’t cut it and never will. However, I do love my plastic optical glasses with which I read my books. For what it’s worth, I have every pair of glasses I’ve ever worn in my entire life. How nutty is that?

Me. But you can as well. 🙂

Fire away James Barraford and tag me please when you’ve written it. I have 20 pairs of glasses.  Just sayin…. And then there are the aviators. Only 2 of those because they are so frightfully expensive.

You know who stands the most to gain in this switch over if they are smart?  Publicity companies and agents.  Writer’s will still always need publicity, and will need either an agent or a publishing savvy lawyer to help make deals for movies, overseas etc.  Brick and mortar stores may or may not gain depending on if the artists demand the same price or because publishing costs are fewer, charge less.  It will be interesting to see the outcome of that.  (sorry for the pause, had to drop the kiddos off at school).

Matthew Graybosch I can’t even play Monopoly with 5 cats and 2 dogs. The dice become fetch toys. Albums would be like dangling Ben & Jerrys in front of me. 

I do hope she is not sitting on a shelf or in a vitrine and that you keep her free of dust and well-humidified James Barraford!

Let me ask it here publicly for you to dismiss if you wish Matthew Graybosch but I would love to have the definitive, exclusive Google+ “written” interview with you when Starbreaker comes out. I wish G+ had a way for us to play with the whole idea of HangOuts – I prefer radio interviews because I think people pay more attention and I love the sound of people’s voices and it’s more mysterious.

But failing that…I’d love to do a written interview. Hint Hint.

I have every Playbill from every play I have seen.

I collect teacups.

The reality of this for a writer is taking a 70% cut for your book, or a 25% cut when going through a publisher with digital, is it any wonder people go with self publishing. Considering there is now a history of writers who self publish digitally and find success (ie: Wool), it should not be shocking that they are skipping the gatekeepers. 

With that being said, people should note “obsolete technology” of record and tape releases are actually seeing increased sales largely based on indies and collectors. The physical media in both cases presents benefits. 

Yes Christine Paluch the word “Gatekeeper” packs a wallop of meaning, doesn’t it?

Giselle Minoli It does. In the past it did serve a purpose in the past because of the economics, and publishers can serve a purpose of projecting quality, but they also had a handle on the market based on economies of scale and what would potentially sell. But they have become more greedy with digital publishing and are taking a larger cut than before. I think it is part of the writers revolt. Because you have the gatekeeper role, without the economics behind it. The economies of scale with digital are different, and the publisher’s role serves as more editorial and marketing purpose. 

Even with print this has changed somewhat with better technologies. 

The funny thing is if the imprints were more generous with the royalties, the gatekeeping could serve a purpose.

In some ways this brings up the question of what purpose does this serve when access to markets is basically flat and open. I think publishers can serve a purpose, but they are doing themselves a disservice. But I think this opens to doors to indie publishers like Matthew Graybosch is on who are willing to redefine the role and purpose.  

Now I’m sunk Matthew Graybosch. It means I have to read more than 50 pages!!!!! 😉

That makes Dee Solberg the best friend ever in my book. To willingly edit someone else’s writing? That is serious affection Matthew Graybosch. Every writer should be so lucky.

Me, too, James Barraford, me, too. Did you ever ask Grace???? You know it occurs to me that we pieced that together in a series of emails, didn’t we? We could reconstruct it, you know. Failing that, I would love to do another one. For what, The Cultural Purveyor? Why not????

Is she alright, Jamie????

Giselle, I admit I was confused, but it sort of fit on the other post.

Hmmmm Jodi Kaplan that just makes me think that everything is homogenous and easily substitutable one thing for another in my life. This is either a blessing or a disaster…

I will relay that message to my comments Jodi Kaplan and I am certain they will feel ever so much better. Disaster averted!

So looking forward to reading it Dee Solberg and have been for a while now.

Mark J Horowitz I have a vague memory of Natalie Merchant being one of the first to leave a major. Years ago there were so many more “label” opportunities for musicians than there are now.

I don’t know whether this has been discussed generally, but I think one of the big factors in this independent movement is the fact that writers can communicate online with their audiences now. This never used to be the case. Of course there will always be the Writer Hermit who doesn’t want to, but when I read about much older writers (in their 70s) communicating online, there is something great about it. It feels like site specific theatre to me. There are many, many playwrights and comediennes who will “test out” their work on audiences “in the regions,” even coming out on stage to talk with people afterward. It’s not just that the technology is changing the business, the access to writers’ core audiences is changing the spirit of the communication.

The conversation shift that I hope happens, that, in fact, I think needs to happen Mark J Horowitz is away from the “brilliance” of the technology itself to the “communication” itself. The technology is fabulous, of course, but technology is to communication, as a violin is to the music, as oil paints and brushes are to a painting, as spices are to cooking. True, the technology, paints, instruments and spices matter, they matter a great deal, but if there is no resultant dinner, over which there is laughter, conversation and friendship then it hardly matters what the spices are. In a jar they matter not. Nor does a gorgeous Strad, locked away in a closet. Nor do beautiful and expensive oils unused by an artist. The technology is there to support the conversation, not the other way around.

I read this and thought of this discussion. http://davidgaughran.wordpress.com/2013/04/22/lazy-literary-agents-in-self-publishing-money-grab-via-argo-navis/

Just came across this very revealing email correspondence between Steve Jobs and James Murdoch, thought I’d add it here as it goes to the heart of how commercial deals around copyright, licensing and royalties are done. http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2013/05/the-steve-jobs-emails-that-show-how-to-win-a-hard-nosed-negotiation/276136/