Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2003 10:29:41 -0500
Subject: Re: (urth) GW sightings
From: Michael Buice 


On Wednesday, August 13, 2003, at 09:57  PM, Lisa Schaffer-Doggett=20
wrote:

>
> 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=20
> benefit (or curse depending on your view of the masses) that those of=20=

> small means can find the funds to bring their cherished works to print=20=

> without interference from anyone on high.

But if all of 300 million people in the US alone had 12 self-published=20=

novels, how would one decide what was worth reading?  A hierarchy will=20=

still present itself with, perhaps more difficult, obstacles to=20
obtaining an audience.  One could easily imagine that publishing houses=20=

would simply become marketing houses for literature, with the same kind=20=

of standards.  Given that anyone near a Barnes and Noble can publish=20
something for a small fee, I guess this is already beginning.

Michael


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