| What if? What if? The perennial call of the | | | | dreamers who might have read the life stories of |
| dreamer, the visionary, and the Internet Author. | | | | other writers during their young and formative |
| Such creative writers have seen the future, and | | | | years. That means they know — yes, |
| it's not as we know it. It includes the end of the | | | | know, with certainty — that the fairy story |
| domination of Traditional Publishers and the rise in | | | | of publishing success is very rarely true. |
| importance of The Reader, the ultimate customer | | | | Established writers come into the business through |
| of all writers. People may now make their livings | | | | all sorts of different paths, using contacts, friends |
| on the net. What next? Mike Scantlebury has a | | | | and neighbours to find a way through the |
| prediction. | | | | obstacles and over the hurdles. Knowing that, new |
| There's the old fairy tale about the young man | | | | authors are primed to be looking for 'another |
| who unwisely opened the bottle and, | | | | way', since the reality of writers' lives is actually |
| inadvertently, set free the genie. The problem | | | | so very different from the primrose path outlined |
| then — for him and everyone else | | | | by the self-serving publicists of the established |
| — is to get the thing back in the bottle | | | | publishing world. |
| before it does any damage. It's not usually easy. | | | | And then there is harsh reality. That's when |
| In fact, in most versions of this ancient story, | | | | hopeful creative writers send off their first |
| there's often a lot of time, effort and energy put | | | | manuscripts to Traditional Publishers and have to |
| into finding a way to trick the genie into getting | | | | face the daunting slap in the face of their first |
| back into the bottle of its own accord. Because, | | | | rejection letter. And their second. And their third. |
| quite frankly, once the genie is out of the bottle, | | | | Even if they were a bit unsure at first, this is the |
| then often, that's the end. That's it. It's out, for | | | | time when putting a book up on the web starts |
| ever, and there's no going back. | | | | to seem like not a half-bad idea. You discover a |
| In the case of internet publishing 'the genie' is an | | | | site like Lulu, read how easy it is to upload your |
| idea. It's this. 'Maybe', the internet author says | | | | story and get it into print, and for nothing like the |
| haltingly to themselves, 'I can make a future for | | | | investment that you'd been misled into believing |
| myself as an author right here, on the internet. | | | | by well-meaning but misguided 'advisors'. You try |
| Maybe I don't need Traditional Publishers at all'. | | | | it, the outcome is pleasing, so you go there again. |
| That's a shattering idea. It's world-changing. Of | | | | Now you have a book in your hands — |
| course, for most people, the concept doesn't | | | | written by your good self — and still you're |
| even occur to them. For many, the idea of | | | | getting rejection letters from that other outlet. |
| getting your book published by some kind of | | | | That's when the genie puts his head out the |
| internet-based publishers is very much a 'stop | | | | bottle and whispers, 'Maybe this is all you need'. |
| gap', something to put up with temporarily, while | | | | Here's a prediction. In the future, ie very shortly |
| you're waiting for the deal to come through from | | | | indeed, the number of people going down the |
| a 'real' publisher. You know, one of those firms | | | | road of Internet Publishing will rise and rise. |
| with an existing reputation and big offices in the | | | | Concurrently, the number of authors bothering |
| city, and lots of staff, and advertising | | | | their pretty heads about the punishing route of |
| departments and unlimited budgets. After all, | | | | Traditional Publishing will start to slide. After a few |
| Traditional Publishers are what we in the | | | | years the decline will become a landslide. At some |
| web-world call 'bricks and mortar' businesses, ie | | | | point, maybe later, someone will stick their head |
| they have a physical presence out there in the | | | | out of the bunker and realise that the world has |
| real world, not just in the virtual life of computers. | | | | changed, for ever. That's when the world of |
| Certainly that's the way that Traditional Publishers | | | | Traditional Publishing, as we know it, will start to |
| see themselves. For years and years — | | | | disappear, slowly at first, but gathering pace. |
| and as far back as anybody now ensconced at a | | | | For writers and publishers it will be a whole New |
| desk can remember - they've been the only | | | | World. The reason it will work, of course, is that, |
| game in town. If someone writes a book, then, | | | | at the end of the day, neither of that group |
| sooner or later, the aspiring author will come | | | | matters much. The people who really matter are |
| knocking at the door of the publishing firm, looking | | | | Readers, people who buy books and enjoy them. |
| for an offer. That's the way it's been and, as far | | | | For that lucky group there won't be much |
| as people with a limited vision and no imagination | | | | difference. They will be able to go to on-line |
| are concerned, that's possibly the way it will | | | | bookstores and browse for the sort of story |
| always be. | | | | they like — just as they do now. They will |
| Unfortunately, for those already in the business, | | | | be able to buy what they want and have the |
| authors are exactly the sort of human beings | | | | books delivered to their door, just as they do |
| who are blessed with vision and imagination. They | | | | now. They won't care that a revolution has |
| are the people who look into the future and see a | | | | happened in publishing. No, the only people who will |
| different place. They can see themselves in | | | | worry are the highly trained and bureaucratic |
| twenty years time looking back at a successful | | | | people who are left to search for new jobs, now |
| publishing career and imagining how they got | | | | that Traditional Publishing isn't the gravy train it |
| there. It could be 'straight down the line' of | | | | once was. And authors, the hundreds and |
| Traditional Publishing or, well, it might not. It might | | | | hundreds of new writers who previously were |
| have come about through a completely different | | | | ignored and sidelined, who will then be benefiting |
| route. And, just to make matters worse for | | | | from having their work in print for the first time, |
| traditionalists, writers are precisely the sort of | | | | via the magic of the internet. |