GW sightings

Michael Buice · 14 Aug 2003, 15:29 · from urth-v0308.mbox · original

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From: Michael Buice <mabuice at uchicago.edu>
Subject: Re: (urth) GW sightings
Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2003 10:29:41 -0500
Message-ID: <urth-v0308-3897 at digest.urth.net>
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On Wednesday, August 13, 2003, at 09:57  PM, Lisa Schaffer-Doggett=3D20
wrote:

>
> On Wednesday, August 13, 2003, at 08:43 AM, MBS 808 wrote:
>
>>
>> GW mention: In today=3D92s climate, an acknowledged master
>> like Gene Wolfe would never have gotten a second or
>> third novel published. In fact=3D85 I would hazard to say
>> that without David Hartwell, most of Gene Wolfe=3D92s work
>> would not be in print today. As a senior editor at Tor
>> Mr. Hartwell has done a great job of advocating for
>> quality material. And Patrick Nielsen Hayden -- who
>> oversee's the Orb line of classic reprints -- has
>> helped ensure the genre=3D92s history won't be lost. But,
>> at the end of the day, even senior editors at one of
>> the largest SF/Fantasy/horror publishing houses find
>> themselves at the mercies of big media accountants and
>> marketing types that insist a book is only as good as
>> its initial six months of sales.
>>
>
>
> Don muses:
>
> Technology will change this, I think.  Just like with the music=3D20
> industry, it is becoming less and less expensive to do things yourself=3D=
20=3D

> with a good degree of quality.  And as the world becomes smaller and=3D20=
=3D

> smaller (barring apocalyptic calamity) marketing becomes cheaper as=3D20
> well.  It's only a matter of time before the myth of literature=3D20
> existing  only through the graces of a publishing house loses it's=3D20
> meaning.  Almost everything prior to the twentieth century was self=3D20
> published and I think it will go that way again, with the added=3D20
> benefit (or curse depending on your view of the masses) that those of=3D2=
0=3D

> small means can find the funds to bring their cherished works to print=3D=
20=3D

> without interference from anyone on high.

But if all of 300 million people in the US alone had 12 self-published=3D20=
=3D

novels, how would one decide what was worth reading?  A hierarchy will=3D20=
=3D

still present itself with, perhaps more difficult, obstacles to=3D20
obtaining an audience.  One could easily imagine that publishing houses=3D2=
0=3D

would simply become marketing houses for literature, with the same kind=3D2=
0=3D

of standards.  Given that anyone near a Barnes and Noble can publish=3D20
something for a small fee, I guess this is already beginning.

Michael


--=20

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