Thursday, April 17, 2008

some men really are islands

Lots of self-published authors do the work and believe in their talent enough to do an end run around the publishing industry. Sometimes (rarely it must be said) it pays off.
Sometimes well..it doesn't.

Cliff Burns is a dark fantasy author whose blog is entertaining and smart. Perhaps he could be a published author if he kept trying to do it by the numbers.
Although entries like the bit below won't help.

"So when you hear me say what dumb motherfuckers editors are, know this isn't merely a bitter, frustrated writer lashing out; my views are based on nearly a quarter century of dealing with airheads, folks in position of power and influence who possess the I.Q.'s of lower order marsupials.
That's why I embrace the new technologies, the freedom they give creative artists. It means I never have to deal with such dumb cunts ever again."


Obviously, a career bookseller is going to defend the publishing industry to a point. I believe that industry veterans and newbies alike are sharp enough to spot quality most of the time. Writers don't write principally for money, and most in the industry are there for the right reasons as well.
Maybe a genre novel that the author describes as "the leanest, tightest 470-page novel you’re likely to come across" gave some editors pause.
Bunch of ingrates.

GalleyCat has the link in full.

Posted by Dave

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Thank you for this, Dave.

I think in order to understand the level of my invective, you should take a sec and read about some of the experiences I've had with publishers--episodes I've highlighted in blog postings but, also, my essay "Solace of Fortitude"--here's a link. It encapsulates over 20 years of futility and despair:
http://cliffjburns.wordpress.com/non-fiction

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