Date: Thu, 14 Aug 2003 20:16:17 -0700
Subject: Re: (urth) GW sightings
From: Lisa Schaffer-Doggett 


On Thursday, August 14, 2003, at 10:50 AM, Chris wrote:

[lots of snipping]

> But the internet *is* making it easier to do this, and quickly - it 
> *has* to just to make itself navigable, because it has an even greater 
> explosion of information than exists in the printed world. Thus you 
> have portals, filters, networks of people who share trusted sources of 
> information and who in turn link with other networks of people... So I 
> think it's very possible that a self-published writer could establish 
> a buzz in this day and age. But it doesn't sound like a great solution 
> for someone who depends on writing for their living,

(Don isolates this part)

>  because god knows how long it would take to get profitable.
>
> Civet
>

But you see, writing isn't profitable as it is.  Harlan Ellison had to 
work in TV.  GW was an engineer.  Most writers have to work other jobs, 
as teachers, editors, critics,  painters, plumbers, salesmen or 
whatever.  And I mean published writers.  It's almost a guaranteed vow 
of poverty.  There's often no rhyme or reason to who gets published, it 
takes a god's day for an accepted work to go from manuscript to printed 
book, and I have found a lot of nice books for my library for $9.98 on 
the remainder shelf at the local bookstore.  On top of that there is 
the pressure to make a book marketable because "You just might make it 
someday and be a real writer."  I say good riddance to the whole 
parasitic structure.  One of my great pleasures is picking up an 
unknown book and being surprised by how good it is.  The Book of the 
New Sun  blew my mind out of both ears when I read it the first time.  
It was like being a kid again and reading Lord of the Rings - simply a 
transcendent moment.  One I fully never expected to have again.  But I 
digress (I love writing that. It makes me feel like a supervillian. 
:)). If everyone self publishes, the writers will get much more of the 
profit, the lousy books will languish unread (but still exist to stroke 
the writer's ego) and word of mouth will spread for good books just as 
it did in the past.  In my decidedly biased opinion, of course.

Don


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