Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2003 19:57:09 -0700
Subject: Re: (urth) GW sightings
From: Lisa Schaffer-Doggett 


On Wednesday, August 13, 2003, at 08:43 AM, MBS 808 wrote:

>
> GW mention: In today=92s climate, an acknowledged master
> like Gene Wolfe would never have gotten a second or
> third novel published. In fact=85 I would hazard to say
> that without David Hartwell, most of Gene Wolfe=92s work
> would not be in print today. As a senior editor at Tor
> Mr. Hartwell has done a great job of advocating for
> quality material. And Patrick Nielsen Hayden -- who
> oversee's the Orb line of classic reprints -- has
> helped ensure the genre=92s history won't be lost. But,
> at the end of the day, even senior editors at one of
> the largest SF/Fantasy/horror publishing houses find
> themselves at the mercies of big media accountants and
> marketing types that insist a book is only as good as
> its initial six months of sales.
>


Don muses:

Technology will change this, I think.  Just like with the music=20
industry, it is becoming less and less expensive to do things yourself=20=

with a good degree of quality.  And as the world becomes smaller and=20
smaller (barring apocalyptic calamity) marketing becomes cheaper as=20
well.  It's only a matter of time before the myth of literature=20
existing  only through the graces of a publishing house loses it's=20
meaning.  Almost everything prior to the twentieth century was self=20
published and I think it will go that way again, with the added benefit=20=

(or curse depending on your view of the masses) that those of small=20
means can find the funds to bring their cherished works to print=20
without interference from anyone on high.  Still, I would dearly love=20
to see a leather bound, single volume edition of BotNS as well as UotNS=20=

and the rest.  Of course, that's not likely to happen unless GW prints=20=

them himself.  (I for one would pay the exorbitant price to add those=20
to my library.)


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