Prove the Publishing Houses Wrong. Please?
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
In today's New York Times, Motoko Rich continues the less-than-pretty news stream regarding the future of publishing. Less-than-pretty? No. Let's just call it what it is: Wholly distressing. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt has announced that, "with rare exceptions," editors won't be acquiring anything new. Indefinitely, that is. Indefinitely. All those stories authors have been working and reworking for years, all that hope, all that passion, all that possibility will have to find another home, a door that will open when it is knocked upon. And good luck, too, if that book is quiet, or literary, a work of art as opposed to a commercial venture, for, as Rich reports:
Once upon a time, some publishers suggested, they could cultivate under-the-radar authors and slowly build an audience for them over several books. Now, with few exceptions, books tend to come out of the gate at the top of the best-seller list or be deemed failures.
“It is seriously going to be a time for known commodities,” said Esther Newberg, a literary agent who represents blockbuster authors like the thriller writers Patricia Cornwell and Linda Fairstein and Thomas L. Friedman, a columnist for The Times. “I would hate to be starting out in the business.”
There is, of course, only one fix to this, and that's us consumers proving the publishing houses wrong. Proving that we are a civilization that needs more than vampire stories and thrillers and beach books to survive. That expects more from books than made-for-movie plots. We have just elected a tremendously literary president—a man who both reads and writes. He's calling for programs designed not just to fix a broken economy but to redress a spoiled, mucked-over planet. We have before us a new generation of young people who care so much about their country that they campaigned for change in force.
There's got to be more for them to read than books a publishing house declares a blockbuster.
There has to be more for all of us.
Keep books alive by buying them. Keep culture breathing in, breathing out.
9 comments:
Word is that this is only rue for the adult division, and that editors for children and YA books is unaffected. So that's a good sign, right?
David,
Really appreciate your comment here, as I've just noted on your (fantastic) blog. I do feel lucky that YA is not yet affected, but as a reader of all books—all genres, all age levels (one of my new favorite books is that glorious picture book, River of Words) and as a writer who writes for adults as well as teens, I feel sad. Not to mention this: Houghton Mifflin published my second book. I remember what an honor it seemed to me, how lucky I felt. I'd hoped for that honor for others just starting out.
While I agree that any loss in publishing is still a loss, I am hoping the industry uses this time of forced austerity to re-evaluate what they have done as a business to regain their footing.
I'm no business major, but I have a strong suspicion that had publishers not adopted big business models (or not been acquired and forced to take on these models) that they might not be suffering.
Books -- good, quality books -- will always find their way into print. If the economy forces the editors and publishers to focus their attentions back into what and not why (bottom line) then all will be well.
I have faith. I have to, I hope to feel that honor you speak of one day myself.
Oh David, believe me. I have hope! I have so much hope. (I have an earlier blog called The End of Publishing in which I express that hope).
But I have hope because I believe in you and in me and in readers showing publishers the way. I believe that they have to hear us — finally, FINALLY! You are absolutely right. The model for many large publishing houses doesn't work. Changes must be made.
We stand at so many crossroads these days. Let those of us who love and cherish books lead the way on this one by buying books, by voting for them in that way.
Yes! Total agreement! Buy books! And prove them wrong!
Now when I bring home yet another shopping bag of books to stack on my already overflowing bookshelves, I can justify it as helping the industry stay alive. :)
Miss Em and PJ: Yes!
(Yes We Can)
I hope that small, independent publishing houses will flourish and develop relationships with new authors as an alternative to all of the big merger publishing houses. I heard Brent Hardinger speak a few years ago about his struggles with finding an agent, and he ended up doing well with an agent who'd broken off from a big company. Hardinger said that it was better to be with a fairly new agent who believed in you and wanted to do the work for your book than to get into an agency where no one cared about you at all.
I'm remembering that. I am looking to small publishers, too, for non-mainstream children's and teen books.
I have hope, too!
And Lord knows I'm doing my part to prop up those sales numbers every way I can...it looks like the Barnes & Noble stockroom in here right now - ha!
We will have to see what happens next. I'm peeking through my fingers - I'm scared.
:^) Anna
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