#FollowReader had a fabulous discussion last Thursday about “What’s Good About Traditional Publishing” – I’m pleased to report the conversation overall was (pragmatically) optimistic. You can check it out all the tweets by searching the hashtag #followreader on Thur June 24th between 3-4pm EST.
Aside from the obvious things contributors cited (the people, the books and the not nearly as flippant as it reads, me ) the Twitter chat mostly focused on truly tangible variables like a dedicated staff to shape a manuscript into a book, sales reps, the relationship between editors and authors, the relationship between sales reps and bookstore buyers, bookstores and libraries.
The consensus was that there are good things about traditional publishing even if those things are currently in flux as publishing evolves into the next stage. There is a lot of yammering about the death of publishing but I think the proliferation of these laments proves quite the opposite.
The industry has changed dramatically since I’ve entered it. I remember when the hand wringing and teeth gnashing was about the opinion of the Indies, the next group whose outlook inspired angst was the big Chains, and now the bullhorns belong to Digital. The current challenges with digital are more profound because they affect the whole process. But the idea of looking at the fundamental “rules” and adapting what no longer make sense is growth not death.
The best thing about all of these conversations is that they are taking place in public as well as in conference rooms. Last week Colleen Lindsay began to seriously question the traditional models of agenting on Twitter. It is wonderful that there are platforms where concerned publishing professionals, of all levels, can chine in. In fact, anyone including readers can chime in. The wizard’s curtain has been pulled back and I beleive we will find something substantial behind it. We need to talk openly about how to curate a list, edit a book, ensure the metadata is being created, how the reader will discover it and how to sell the book.
Change is not death. The question is how do we adapt to these changes, where do we invest, and how soon can we see a return on these investments? I wish I had a crystal ball (or even a Magic 8 Ball ) but I don’t. Everyday we are making small choices about adapting to new paradigms or sticking our heads in the sand. At some point we’ll see that we’ve found the answers and the undoubtedly the landscape will shift again.