Publishing

A discussion following the London Book Fair about how to get to writers before they take the self publishing route:

The final comment is that traditional publishing is dying and has been since the early 1990s.
The only way for writers is Print on Demand and then use a good marketing, publishing, new media company to get the book on phones and reading devices. Not the traditional book format. You will need to pay for this service.

All traditional advertising is to point people to your website.

And will you make a living? Another discussion.

A writer who went the self publishing route with a children's picture book took advice from schools and libraries and other resources. Kodak displayed the book at the London Book Fair. A follow up comment from a children's publisher invited this author to send him the book. As did another.

There are suggestions that many agents and publishers are rude and difficult to reach. There are some that are not. A few. One well known publisher usually rejects and tells you to buy her book on publishing. Briefly.

Contacts? Who you know? Become a 'celebrity' and publishers will ask you to write a work of fiction. A review of Dawn French's novel said it was good but went on to say that if it had been written by an unknown, it would not have been published.

That's the world - it's not merely moved onto electronic publishing.

It's not only that traditional publishing is dead because of its format, it's dead because for many it's a story that's written by someone whose picture they recognise.
And what drives this? Success. Success breeds success. And then the question, what is your definition of success?

One makes me want to throw up.The other fills me with joy.