Ok, this is the kind of thing that makes me crazy.
A few days ago I got a bit heated in a thread about having to pay to enter a contest - I did come to my senses and realize that I was being a bit of a douche - because it reminded me of something this :
The idea behind a ‘contest’ like this is that the ‘publisher’ putting the book together is getting the entrants to pay for the production and distribution of their work through ‘entry fees’, and gets them to sign over first run print rights as well. So, they get their ‘entry fees’, they pick the stories they want to print, put the book together, print a minimum run (so they can say they did), and then see if it sells. They have virtually no financial investment in it - and when enough people enter, they pocket the difference, and who cares if the book sells or not?
This kind of thing really leaves a sour taste in my mouth, because it’s basically a ‘cattle call’ for people who are hoping to ‘break in’ to the industry and become ‘published authors’, and taking their money. Does this seem both unfair and exploitive to anyone else, or am I being oversensitive?
I’d appreciate any opinions people care to share, because this REALLY bugs me. (And no, I’m neither an author, nor a ‘victim’ of what I think is a scam. I’ve worked independently in small press publishing and the print industry in general for more than a decade.)
Writing, like any other creative endeavour, is almost impossible to make a living in. That is, the vast majority of people who try their hands at it will never succeed. I’m sure you know this. Desperate times call for desperate measures though - I can certainly see why someone would try this. Yes, it’s only one step above a scam. Yes, it’s unfair. But when you’re a creator looking to be successful, to get your work out there, it’s like playing poker with no cards at all. You’re utterly powerless, because writers (or actors, or musicians, or whatever) are a dime a dozen, and publishers (or directors, or record companies, or whatever) have the power to make or break you on a whim.
So all there is is pride and a sense that there might just be justice in the world to stop you trying anything you can. I’m not saying I’d do it myself…but I could see why people might…
As for why the ‘publisher’ would do this - well, why not? Someone in my local area got scammed into buying a bag of potatoes instead of a laptop this week (seriously…) so there’s no shortage of assholes trying to make a quick buck off the vulnerable and gullible. Why not? Everyone’s a willing participant, after all…
I agree with everything you’ve said. It not ‘illegal’ - I just think it’s sleazy.
This is one of the reasons I hope ‘ePublishing’ will play the role of a great equalizer, as it will eliminate nearly all of the ‘middlemen’ who make a profit from someone else’s work. I’ve seen aspiring authors who decide to self-publish their work pay $600 to ‘get their novel formatted’… when all that is done is an ‘export to pdf’ from MSWord. And then they get charged extra for the cover to be designed. However, I think that going the digital route will enable a self-published author to factor out most of the costs between consumer and content creator (primarily the costs associated with physical production and distribution) and could, I hope, make it more possible for an aspiring author to profit from their talent.
EDIT: I think the example in my original post defines everything that is wrong with small press publishing.
As for why the 'publisher' would do this - well, why not? Someone in my local area got scammed into buying a bag of potatoes instead of a laptop this week (seriously...) so there's no shortage of assholes trying to make a quick buck off the vulnerable and gullible. Why not? Everyone's a willing participant, after all...
Thommy H
Wow, someone has been watching Discovery channel and learned about cons! I always suspected that show was dangerous. ;P
Or maybe more people should watch Discovery so they were aware of the angles.
However, I think that going the digital route will enable a self-published author to factor out most of the costs between consumer and content creator (primarily the costs associated with physical production and distribution) and could, I hope, make it more possible for an aspiring author to profit from their talent.
zobo1942
But, therein lies the problem. Because, for good or ill, getting physically published is seen as a mark of quality. In this world of Twilight and Left Behind I think we all know that isn't really true, but nonetheless you don't get published unless someone who knows a thing or two about selling books thinks you can sell more. How does a self published author separate himself from the millions of other potential authors who could do exactly the same thing? And then the reader has to wade through billions of words of dross to find the needle in a haystack that could provide decent distraction for a few hours...
You need the authority of the printed press, for the same reason that youtube will never supplant Hollywood. I know that, for me, self publishing would be a totally pointless exercise. Anyone can throw a pdf online (indeed, I've done exactly that several times...) but that doesn't make you an author. It makes you a writer, but anyone can be that - the only prerequisite is to write.
So, again personally, I'll take my novel (70,000-odd words and counting!) to an actual publisher rather than put it online. You put it online and you're not competing with literature: you're competing with Buffy the Vampire Slayer slash fic.
I think having to pay for entry isn’t a great thing, but generally speaking you’re not going to get much $ for a short story, even if it does get published. The signing over of first print rights is common for this kind of thing - if they don’t get that, they can’t use the stories. GW’s Black Library does that with their competitions and in a recent personal case for me, Weta did the same with the Grordbort’s supplementary fiction thing (personal testimonials of Ray Guns)
Its not impossible to be a writer, but it is exceedingly difficult to be freelance. I’ve been a staff writer for a company for a very long time and its paid me well, but I didn’t get the gig because of a competition.
@Thommy H - I agree with you, I do think that there is MUCH more credibility to a printed book, as anyone could produce a pdf and dump it online for someone to download. The editorial process usually makes sure that ‘crap’ doesn’t get printed, because it’s also in the publisher’s best interest financially to ensure that the book is actually good. Which is why the type of scenario outlined in my original post bothers me so much, as there is no shared financial responsiblity for quality. All the costs (and none of the risks) are passed off to the people who are ‘entering the contest’.
What makes a publisher a publisher is the editorial process and their access to markets - anyone can print a book, which the ‘self-publishing’ industry has shown. ‘Self-Publishing’ has been responsible for some of the lousiest books EVER getting loosed upon the world. I know - I’ve been partially responsible for getting them printed (I’m very sorry, world)! However, I do think that we’re undergoing a change right now where digital editions of books are become more accessible to mainstream audiences, and it seems that we’ve hit a ‘sweet spot’ with the technology and accessibility to that technology. I think that the ebook segment of the publishing industry will continue to grow. It will never replace the printed book, but I can certainly see a world (many years from now) where most people walk around with ‘tablets’ and reserve the printed books for special limited editions. That said, a book published electronically by an established big-name publisher would, in my opinion, still be every bit the book of its physical counterpart - not because of the medium it uses, but because of the editorial process it has gone through. ‘Bob’s Amazing Bargain ePublishing Service’ will still be essentially worthless - the same way ‘Bob’s Amazing Bargain Publishing Service’ would be - unless you’re producing something for such a small niche market in such low numbers that no publisher would ever touch it. My hope is that, through ePublishing, someone ‘trying to get their work out there’ could succeed by doing it electronically, and actually generate enough sales to make sharing their gift a lucrative enough proposition to encourage it. Time will tell, I suppose.
And YouTube won’t replace Hollywood, but I’m pretty sure it will eventually replace cable television (http://www.google.com/tv/).
(Good work with the book you’re working on, by the way! If the quality is anywhere near as good as the last book of yours I’ve seen, you’ve already sold one copy!)
Tarrack’s competition is more like a poker tournament, where there is skill involved and the entry fee covers the costs of holding the tournament, such as the prizes. For a free tournament, you either have to get donated prizes or consider the cost as advertising fees.
Yeah, this reminds me of when I was asked to do some work for a fashion rag, a very ‘in’, trendy one. Anyway, they saw my folio, rang me, went through all the work and what they wanted and then said to me, and I quote, “Well, there isn’t a budget for this as such, but its a great opportunity to get your work seen”. My response was along the lines of, "I see. Would you approach a plumber without a budget? Or a lawyer? Would you try and order a meal without any cash? No? Do you work for free? Well, why do you expect me to?"
Obviously I wasn’t actually fussed about being in the magazine, and god knows why they chose my work, its hardly fashion design (yuk) but its just one of many truly infuriating illustration experiences.
The most common bullsh*t scam these kind of arseholes pull is when they advertise for a competition, the prize for which is to get your work in print in their magazine, for free(!). Which basically translates as, “We’ll get a whole load of free art commissioned for no cost, pick and choose what we want and then act like we’re doing them a favour by using it. And taking the rights, of course. And we’ll do the same thing next year, when another load of gullible students graduate”.
Sometimes I want to take a chainsaw and do bad things to media people.
I think writing for a living is likely even harder than illustration; with illustrators, its immediately obvious if you’re crap and much easier to stand out.
I suppose that people will enter if they can spare the cash, and if they’re OK with it, then I guess there is really nothing that I can say about it. I still think the idea is horrible, and takes advantage of people - some of whom are probably yearning for some positive feedback.
I published a series of short story compilations several years ago, and the contributors were ‘paid’ in copies of the book. The idea behind it was never to make money - it was created purely as a way to showcase the work of new authors. That said, it was available for purchase online and in seven or eight bookstores. Over the course of the thirteen volumes, it probably ended up costing me about $1000 to do it. This doesn’t include time at all - just hard costs like the printing, web hosting, postage, etc… I typeset the books, designed the covers, printed the books after-hours at my workplace and perfect bound (by hand) 150+ books a month for more than a year. All the time was put in without any charge because my then-partner and I felt like the work was important. It was incredibly difficult, but existed because after years of enjoying the horror genre, I wanted to give something back. I know that those compilations made people happy every month, and encouraged people who may have felt dejected that thier work had merit. I also know that some bigger name publishers actually subscribed to recieve copies every month, purely as a way to review the new work which was ‘getting out there’ - and I know it helped some people’s writing careers. It was also the most rewarding work-related thing I’ve ever done.
Which I guess makes me a bit of a hypocrite. Maybe because I did something similar, but with more altruistic goals - and without the financial aid of the contributors - I feel like I can look down my nose at these people. I don’t know.
The fact that a company is doing this - in a way that seems like a cash-grab - irritates the hell out of me.
Which I guess makes me a bit of a hypocrite. Maybe because I did something similar, but with more altruistic goals - and without the financial aid of the contributors - I feel like I can look down my nose at these people. I don't know.
I don't see how you're a hypocrite - you spent your own time and your own money to promote other people's work, and made no profit yourself. These guys are just looking to get something for nothing to further their own ends. They'll be spending nothing of their own and don't care about the work. Totally different.
