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The Publishing Sweat Shop
June 23, 2008
Two interesting newspaper pieces from opposite coasts. First up is an article from the Seattle Times titled “The Book Factory: Authors pressured to crank them out,” about the heat that some surprisingly big shot authors (Grisham, Cornwell) face to produce a novel a year. The threat apparently is diminished book sales for those who fail to adhere to that schedule as the public’s memory is short. It’s a sad and disturbing story.
Frankly I gave up reading the big best sellers because most of them seemed like second-rate, formulaic swill. The most recent release by [Name A Bestselling Author] seemed so similar to the last that one book eventually just blurred into the next. I felt these authors were cranking out books like they were Big Macs—and apparently they are!
I feel sorry for these guys, because many of them no doubt are much better writers than they’re allowed to be, and are releasing inferior work because they’re not given time to hone their manuscripts as much as they’d like—and need—because of the draconian schedule. Titles being released aren’t the best the books can be, but the best possible in the given time. Consumers ultimately pay the price by being fed a diet of inferior work. No wonder reading is down.
Yet, these are top-selling writers, who seem like they should have enough clout and faithful followers to take the time they need. These guys gotta eat and pay bills, but Grisham and Cornwell, etc.,are filthy rich already, so why not take an extra six months and produce a better book? Dennis Lehane is mentioned as regretting his try at the book-a-year plan because he knows Prayers for Rain isn’t what it could have been and it eats at his guts. He now takes a few years to produce each book (good for him).
Schilling in San Diego
The second piece is the New York Times’s take on Hollywood heavyweights wooing fanboys at the San Diego Comic Con, which is coming up in July. With attendance now in a mind-blowing 120,000+ range, this show already is bloated and will only get worse with tinsel town celebs thrown into the mix. New York Comic-Con already has doubled in size in just three years, and with Hollywood now flocking to Gotham it’s only going to get bigger. I’ve never been to SDCC, but know a bunch of ex-regulars who quit because of the crowds and 3-hour lines. It does take the fun out of it and that’s supposed to be what it’s about. Now, alas, it seems likes its becoming more about business.
Posted by Michael Rogers on June 23, 2008 | Comments (2)
