With the increasingly tough times book publishers are facing, there's been much speculation about the future of the book industry. Will it survive? Will we go completely electronic? Do authors who aren't celebrities stand any chance of getting great writing published?
It's hard to say exactly what will happen with book publishing in 2009, but Anne Jackson had an intriguing post about it the other day. Check it out! http://www.flowerdust.net/2009/01/05/the-death-of-publishing-as-we-know-it-who-holds-the-smoking-gun/
As a literary agent, one of my biggest frustrations comes from those authors who are absolutely convinced that their not-so-unique, not-so-well-written, limited-audience idea simply MUST be published because it will change the lives of the five people who actually buy the book. I understand that your life story is incredibly meaningful to you and I admire your passion--but that doesn't mean it's worth an entire book.
Take Anne Jackson's advice. Think about your readers. Before you decide that your book needs to be added to the 821 books published daily, be open to honest feedback about your idea. Often, an article or blog post really is sufficient.
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3 comments:
Can I get an amen? :)
amen
Ha ha! There is a pastor I know who has lots of "great ideas" for books. Each time he asks if I want to be involved and each time I just don't know what to say!
I do have a few books in pdf form, but I really prefer the paper version. My eyes start to hurt after staring at the screen. I don't have a laptop, so it's not very portable. I sure hope that printed books don't go by the wayside. I love the feel and smell of them!
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