Hmmmm…I need to stop putting these off until the last minute… Just like publishers need to stop middleman-ing authors…or that was at least the perception I got having talked to one author and entrepreneur on Thursday. What was so surprising thought was that the specific publisher and author I talked to had such opposing views about the same issue.
The publisher said that the book industry had avoided the fate of the music industry while the author actually said the exact opposite, that history was repeating itself. This kind of blew me away. Granted, my sample size was low and this publisher didn’t have a close professional relationship with this author. But, there was clearly a different hope for the future being expressed in each of these statements……
What is an author but someone who wants to express his or her ideas in written form? If, in this modern digital age of ebooks, ereaders, smart phones, and widespread internet, publishers do not add value to the process of authors expressing their ideas, then they will likely be cut out. If there’s some value added still, then the publishing industry may survive (maybe in some derivative form). But if publishers can find a new way to add value to a person who wants to express his or her ideas (maybe only sometimes in written form), then I think this big challenge can be a big opportunity.
I’m so excited to be working with Austin, Ashling, and Vinita on this project. This is going to be a lot of fun and a great experience! We better get working… only 9 days left…