Many would-be writers and aspiring authors have a very negative view of Traditional Publishers. This is often because they experience their work being rejected regularly ' often on the flimsiest of grounds ' but also it may be because, almost without fail, the 'advice' offered by the publisher to the person submitting the work is pure nonsense.
As he escorted me out of his office, I could see the red face of his secretary, Claudette, as I walked by her desk. She diverted her eyes when I thanked her for inviting me. The look on her face told me that she got a royal reaming from her boss for setting up this meeting. She was in deep shit. I felt like Jerry Maguire in the movie, the morning after the delivery of his infamous Mission Statement. Embarrassed for misdirected passions and humiliated for my naivete. I was treading water in another world and realizing that I had no idea how it operated. �You know, you�d be a great A & R guy� he said as I waited for the elevator. �It�s just that we�re not hiring anyone at the moment.� �Gee,� I thought, �thanks for offering me the hypothetical job.� I walked in wanting to reinstate Rock �N� Roll to its rightful throne. I walked out in search of my dignity.Luckily the Internet Author doesn't ever have this problem. Ever. They simply make their books available on the internet, maybe through a print-on-demand publisher like Lulu, and if people get to hear about the book and like it, they'll buy it. If they don't, they won't. It doesn't really matter what your views are, you, the author. It's all in the hands of the customers, the readers. They decide. It's just a pity that Traditional Publishing doesn't work like that. It's still based on blind faith and obtuse prejudice. That's why the opinions, and predictions, of Traditional Publishers are usually worse than useless. They're nonsense.(The only band that I can think of that even came close to achieving what I describe was The Black Crows. It was brilliant when they collaborated with Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin. I believe it appealed to the disenfranchised listeners that I discussed earlier, converting them into Black Crows fans forever. All they did was tap into the Classic Rock pipeline.)
Luckily the Internet Author doesn't ever have this problem. Ever. They simply make their books available on the internet, maybe through a print-on-demand publisher like Lulu, and if people get to hear about the book and like it, they'll buy it. If they don't, they won't. It doesn't really matter what your views are, you, the author. It's all in the hands of the customers, the readers. They decide. It's just a pity that Traditional Publishing doesn't work like that. It's still based on blind faith and obtuse prejudice. That's why the opinions, and predictions, of Traditional Publishers are usually worse than useless. They're nonsense.
Author: Mike Scantlebury
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