Publishing is a tough business, now more than ever. When I first got it into my head that I wanted to be an author, the E-book industry had just appeared on the scene. There is no way that an electronic book will ever substitute a physical book, it'll never happen. Yeah, that's exactly what I thought, but as with more things than I'd care to admit, I was wrong, completely wrong.
With the influx of EBooks, and the fact that self-publishing is easier now than ever before, the market is inundated with new literary works, some are good, some great and others, pretty dismal. The EBook industry is growing; fewer books are actually going into print and now anyone who wants to be an author can be...times have changed.
Although the internet and EBook have fundamentally changed the publishing industry, it has also afforded opportunity. Literary voices, previously unheard are now calling out, beckoning to be heeded by any who are willing to listen. The problem is that there are now so many voices, that few can be clearly heard over the cacophony.
Though I would never dissuade anyone from writing or becoming an author, it would be wrong of me to profess that it is an easy venture. The industry is rife with scams, book pirates, bad contracts and charlatans, all of them mixed with fabulous agents, great publishers, supportive authors and wonderful readers.
Now most of the bad aspects of publishing can be avoided, (pirates are another matter), but you have to develop some street smarts about the industry, and if you don't inherently have these street smarts, I'd advise cultivating some by learning from the mistakes of others.
That's what this blog will be about, learning from mistakes, giving and taking advice and helping the aspiring author to become published. Whether you choose to self-published or are published traditionally, (I'm both), we can all use helpful, and positive advice.
P. Stanley
www.thechildrenofsol.com
With the influx of EBooks, and the fact that self-publishing is easier now than ever before, the market is inundated with new literary works, some are good, some great and others, pretty dismal. The EBook industry is growing; fewer books are actually going into print and now anyone who wants to be an author can be...times have changed.
Although the internet and EBook have fundamentally changed the publishing industry, it has also afforded opportunity. Literary voices, previously unheard are now calling out, beckoning to be heeded by any who are willing to listen. The problem is that there are now so many voices, that few can be clearly heard over the cacophony.
Though I would never dissuade anyone from writing or becoming an author, it would be wrong of me to profess that it is an easy venture. The industry is rife with scams, book pirates, bad contracts and charlatans, all of them mixed with fabulous agents, great publishers, supportive authors and wonderful readers.
Now most of the bad aspects of publishing can be avoided, (pirates are another matter), but you have to develop some street smarts about the industry, and if you don't inherently have these street smarts, I'd advise cultivating some by learning from the mistakes of others.
That's what this blog will be about, learning from mistakes, giving and taking advice and helping the aspiring author to become published. Whether you choose to self-published or are published traditionally, (I'm both), we can all use helpful, and positive advice.
P. Stanley
www.thechildrenofsol.com
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