I read this at just the right time...NOT!

Deeply depressing stuff.



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Sorry, link didn't work:

http://pulppusher.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/guest-blog-matt-hilton.html

Yes, that is grim.

Thanks for posting. It's enlightening.

Yes, as ex-waterstone's this rings true. You need booksellers who care - because he's right, if you promote the right books they will sell, but you have to care enough to handsell (when you're not on a bonus system, just slightly more than minimum wage). I worked in the children's section at W/stone's B'hm High Street and remember asking the children's buyer which her favourite children's books were.'Oh, I love all the pink and sparkly ones,' she said after some thought.

It is grim but then the writing's been on the wall for some years now. The mid-list started to get squeezed back around the mid-80s and it's just become steadily worse. Now it's got to the stage where there's little point signing most publishing deals unless a) you have room to bargain (e.g. the publisher's come to you because you've got a self-published hit on your hands) or b) you're doing it because you want your name on the cover of a traditionally published book, and perhaps have hopes of some of the secondary positions that still tend to go to authors going the trad route.

At FantasyCon last year a panel of editors from large publishers all agreed that they were moving towards only publishing the big-hitters. They felt that smaller presses will pick up interesting, different and quality books (my slight interpretation with choice of words there, but that was the impression they gave). All said they have someone permanently monitoring self-published books, looking for the break-outs. All of which had me wondering if there's going to be much place for agents before too long.

Gosh, that's a cheery read, but then it seems everything about getting published has a similar tone these days. I'm starting to think there are far easier ways of getting depressed than slogging my guts out writing. Still, as long as I produce books that are pink and sparkly I'll be laughing!

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It might have been less traumatising if it wasn't white text on black. When I looked away from the screen I thought I'd gone blind!

God, that is depressing. I've been hearing the same elsewhere, too. I saw an agent panel at a writing conf and they said that in 5-10 years we will probably know how the writing industry has panned out, but atm it's in flux, very little money around, fewer books being bought cos people are always on their mob phones instead of nose in book.

I'm just gonna keep trying to improve and hope the writing industry sorts itself out so we know the rules again. <sigh>

I'm just gonna keep trying to improve and hope the writing industry sorts itself out so we know the rules again.

Yes to the first part, but the fact you say 'so we know the rules again' is perhaps telling. Authors have always tended to be a bit passive in this respect, I think (me included). If there are rules, how come authors aren't making them? Well, traditionally, the reason was mostly because publishers controlled print and distribution. Which is why they're so alarmed at the rise in self-publishing. And here's the thing: as I've been moving into self-publishing, I'm more and more realising that I have to make my own rules. For example, do I want to write stuff that does the job 80%, which is probably all that's needed if sales is my main mover; or do I go for 100% when that extra 20% represents much more effort than the previous 80%, and means working in the unknown to a large extent? It's up to me. Gulp.

For example, do I want to write stuff that does the job 80%, which is probably all that's needed if sales is my main mover

Wow! 80 per cent! What it is to be published writer. Mind you, I bet the 'pile em high' brigade operate at 50 per cent, if that.

And here's little unknown me, slogging away for 120 per cent. And that's probably not enough.

Life's unfair.

Alan, it's something I've wondered about for quite some time. Why it is that some commercial writers have brilliant grasp on technique but don't often seem to use it. I believe it's because they've worked out that working at 80% quality is not only more efficient, it's what most readers want. I'm sure Hollywood operates on a similar principle. If you're interested, I wrote a blog post about this yesterday (it popped in my head first thing so I thought I'd get it out there straight away): http://www.td-edge.com/blog/

Good read, Terry.
Subbuteo champion! You must have had a mean flick - the meanest. But 0-4! Oh, dear. Germany, too.

Alan, it's a long, long story - well, book length at least. I haven't played for years but am going to California soon where a friend is fixing up a Subbuteo evening, and one of the people there will be the California champion. So, 0-4 would be a good result I think. I'm also playing in the Cornwall Open this year but only because the organiser, a mate, died recently, so it's a kind of memorial. That German kid, by the way, is a bit of a genius - went on to become the German senior champ as soon as he reached senior age.