Author Celine Chatillion posted a commentary on the current state of affairs in the publishing industry. Read her post here...
She hits the nail on the head. The
current state of affairs is woeful, with the vast amount of sheer dross
flooding the marketplace, especially on Amazon. I feel sorry for the
readers who part with their hard-earned cash, expecting a good read.
What they get is poorly-written crap, which hasn't been anywhere near
a copy-editor. With the artificial hyping of such 'works' how is any
unsuspecting reader to know the thing's no good?
True writers will
labor for years perfecting their craft. They will agonize over each
line. They will seek out and accept constructive criticism before the
book goes to their publisher. Publishers ensure the book is suitable
for release. They will work with the author to clear any errors from
the manuscript and shape it into a format readers can buy with
confidence. In the current climate plagiarism is rife. A publisher will protect the author from this, outright book piracy and any other legal issues that may arise. This is not something any self-published person can do with any assurance of success.
I blame much of the current climate on the need for
instant gratification, an unpleasant social phenomena that has come to the fore in recent years. Anyone can publish the electronic equivalent of a
manuscript written in crayon on wallpaper lining. Anyone can sell
that online, backed by a clique of 'friends' and acquaintances bribed
with freebies to insure the writer's instant success. I don't know if
matters will ever improve. I suspect it might moderate somewhat as
the latest craze dies down to be replaced by something else. I hope
so, for the sake of an art form I love. In the meantime we continue to write, and work to get quality
reading material out there.
