Even If It Were Free . . .

After yesterday's post on how you would change publishing if you were in charge, I started thinking about e-pubbed books, self-pubbed books, traditionally pubbed books, changing media, and particularly Lurker Monkey's comment (the Monkey Man is nothing if not brilliant) . . . and then Richmond Writer's (great thoughts!). Here's his comment:

And I'd figure out a way to combine the written word with available media technology into a new medium that consumers would go crazy for, and suddenly demand for written stories (noticed I didn't say "books") would skyrocket.Then I would try to write the best of these things I could. So not much different in that respect.

Really like the idea there. Here's Richmond's:

The drawback is that fewer books would be published traditionally. This would in turn expand the e-market which eventually would be able to grow into something respectable. Once it gets respect it will be an effective gatekeeper for those of us who want to simply pick up a good book to read.

I still (as I often do if you are regular reader of this blog) come back to the time factor. On Facebook, I have 400+ friends, give or take. Probably a core 100 are my friends in real life and my friends in cyber life . . . People I know. People if they blew through town I would invite to meet me for coffee, whatever. The other 300 are either readers . . . or other writers. And so on my home page, I see announcement after announcement. This author's e-pubbed or self-pubbed release, this author's print release, etc.

And I have to say . . . sometimes when I go to the self-pub/e-pub link, I most seriously think, "NOT EVEN if it were free." Even reading the first three pages are three minutes of my life I can't get back (which is why I CURSE George Lucas, because the third star war movie--sequentially--is 2.5 hours of my life I can NEVER get back).

Think of things you get for free. Junk mail. I don't want it. Free samples of products I won't use. Mini-cups of oversalted and over-preservative-filled foods in the aisles of Costco. Free doesn't mean "Woo hoo! Let me take some of that." (Aside: Did anyone TASTE the backwash Starbucks gave away for free as instant coffee--FREE doesn't make it good, folks!)

I know there is a segment of people who would think, "FREE! I'd download it, listen to it, etc." But as for me, I am still looking for SOME sort of gatekeeper. If you have ever read slush . . . then you KNOW. A process exists for most art because it separates wheat from chaff.

I know people talk about iTunes and indie music. And yeah . . . there are some great undiscovered bands out there. BUT, would I want to listen to my tone-deaf neighbor doing covers of Frank Sinatra recorded in his bathroom? Um . . . no. Even free . . . there is definitely content I don't want. And there remains a core delusion.

Before I get some angry rant response . . . no, do I really care that some guy on Facebook is self-pubbing a book with two typos on page one, and sentences so poorly constructed I can't fathom why he thinks he it's the GATEKEEPERS and not HIS WRITING that kept him from a traditional deal. And if he wants to give that away . . . then I hope he's having fun. But in the end, I bring it back to time. Not even free. (Let alone, that I do think he's charging for his e-book.)

And I will also say . . . TIME is why I don't feel that "it's decent enough to pub" is enough for me. I want there to be something to strive for in quality. The "it's free, so really? What do you want for free, cheap entertainment?" doesn't work for me. Not today. Not with multi-tasking and so many demands on my TIME.

So I think I am all for Richmond's idea. And Monkey Guy's. A combo of the two of them. Richmond Lurker?

What about you? What do you think the role is of gatekeeper?

Special

I had lunch with an editor a couple of years ago. A really brash guy making a name for himself, funny, intelligent. He also has two kids and he told me, "I try to get it through their heads that my wife and I adore them, their grandparents love them dearly, but once they get out of high school or college, absolutely no one cares. It's a cold, cruel world. You have to own your inner specialness but realize everyone else thinks they themselves are special, too."

And he's probably right. I raise each of my kids to know, deep down, they are extraordinary. But every other parent on the planet thinks the same of THEIR kids. And so when the time comes to make their way in the world, my kids and everyone else's have to do it on their own. Their friends may cheer their small victories, their big victories, their parents may brag to the nieghbors, but after a while, the world doesn't hand out very many gold stars.

The same thought can be had for your manuscript. I wonder if the average writer realizes what thousands of unsolicited manuscripts LOOK LIKE. You know those HUGE canvas bins the Post Office pushes around? Think of dozens of them FILLED to the top with slush. Hundreds and thousands of manuscripts. Every one of those authors thinks they have a gold star manuscript.

We each think our character is clever and funny or brooding and interesting. But in reality . . . I remain a firm believer in the hook. You have to get an editor interested because of some concept so different that they really haven't encountered it before. Or there has to be something there that elevates you. Otherwise . . . it's like the hundreds of thousands of college grads each June who go out into the workplace and realize, that yes, every single other person they are competing with has that piece of paper too. So what lands them the job? That charisma. That charm, that something extra that when they walk in the room, people notice. That unusual internship. Whatever it is . . . it's something special.

A woman once told me about her book at a conference. It was a perfectly ordinary pitch. Acceptable. Nothing that rang any alarms as being outside of marketable. But nothing I could even remember once she stopped speaking. I always think, "Give your agent something to work with . . . Give an editor something they can go into committee with that will make everyone around the table sit up a little straighter and pay attention."

Here's the other thing. You can't say "It's the writing." Because no editor or agent can hand-sell to ten thousand readers or book buyers and say, "Yes, you've heard this before, but this is about the writing."

Thoughts?