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How Opal Mehta Got Caught, Got Cut, and Got Sent Packing ~ i s'pose by now most of you have read this news (surprised no one on my flist has made any commentary, so i guess i will). i'm glad the publisher took harsh action, pulled the book, and cancelled the deal. while a small part of me sympathizes with the writer (who very clearly was manipulated), she's old enough to know better and deserves the scorn she's receiving. i've been reading reviews of the book from readers who by and large say: despite the hoopla, it's just a lame, amateur book to begin with ~ hardly the work of a teen prodigy.
it's embarrassing especially for the publishers, i think. and exposes much of what's wrong with the industry. if the writer had been a white chick from idaho, the book would have never gotten picked up to begin with. the fact that the text went to a "packager" who was paid to make it sellable/marketable is skeery beyond all comprehension.
a rant about the genre-ization of fiction ~ i've got nothing against "genre" fiction, but it's starting to run the show. i don't personally read genre fiction and i don't write it. i also think a market run by it is narrow and the writers who try to fit the requirements are shoving 6'4", 175 lb imaginations into a size 2 petit package. how many times to i hear writers asking with concern about what genre they fit in or how to make sure they fit into any genre at all? how many agents narrow their field of clients to genre-specific conventional fare?
if all you care about is selling and you don't care how you do it, that's just fine. i make no judgment on that ~ it's a legitimate way to go about the business. but for the rest of you, fight the good fight! write the story you want to tell ~ not the story the market dictates. stop kidding yourself that you have a better chance by conforming to a genre set of standards. stop letting other people tell you want to write.
who knows, if the author of Opal Mehta had written her own book instead of letting other people dictate the parameters for her, maybe she wouldn't have plagiarized. maybe she wouldn't have got a $500,000 contract either, but at the end of the day isn't your integrity more important than being a drone of popular culture? if you're an artist, it's because you have a vision to share that is unique. it can't rise above if it's forever wallowing in the common pool with all the other books just like it.
okay, rant over (mostly).
here's what i think: the small digital press (and self-serve like lulu.com) is going to continue to have a profound impact on the future of the publishing industry. some years ago i poo-pooed the whole vanity press, but it's clear we're entering a new era of self-publishing that doesn't need to be costly, low-quality, or narrow in its distribution. with publishing giants taking fewer risks on newcomers without multi-book deals and horse-blindered agency recommendations, i wonder if it isn't a good time to strike out independently the way that film production is going.
digital cameras and computer film editing software have revolutionized the film industry. so why shouldn't digital press do the same for the publishing? take the power out of the big industries, retain creative and copyright control, and run the marketing campaign of your choice. the big houses are more and more relying on authors to do their own marketing anyway (signings, write the sell copy, etc.)
eh ~ food for thought on a wednesday morn.
: o p
it's embarrassing especially for the publishers, i think. and exposes much of what's wrong with the industry. if the writer had been a white chick from idaho, the book would have never gotten picked up to begin with. the fact that the text went to a "packager" who was paid to make it sellable/marketable is skeery beyond all comprehension.
a rant about the genre-ization of fiction ~ i've got nothing against "genre" fiction, but it's starting to run the show. i don't personally read genre fiction and i don't write it. i also think a market run by it is narrow and the writers who try to fit the requirements are shoving 6'4", 175 lb imaginations into a size 2 petit package. how many times to i hear writers asking with concern about what genre they fit in or how to make sure they fit into any genre at all? how many agents narrow their field of clients to genre-specific conventional fare?
if all you care about is selling and you don't care how you do it, that's just fine. i make no judgment on that ~ it's a legitimate way to go about the business. but for the rest of you, fight the good fight! write the story you want to tell ~ not the story the market dictates. stop kidding yourself that you have a better chance by conforming to a genre set of standards. stop letting other people tell you want to write.
who knows, if the author of Opal Mehta had written her own book instead of letting other people dictate the parameters for her, maybe she wouldn't have plagiarized. maybe she wouldn't have got a $500,000 contract either, but at the end of the day isn't your integrity more important than being a drone of popular culture? if you're an artist, it's because you have a vision to share that is unique. it can't rise above if it's forever wallowing in the common pool with all the other books just like it.
okay, rant over (mostly).
here's what i think: the small digital press (and self-serve like lulu.com) is going to continue to have a profound impact on the future of the publishing industry. some years ago i poo-pooed the whole vanity press, but it's clear we're entering a new era of self-publishing that doesn't need to be costly, low-quality, or narrow in its distribution. with publishing giants taking fewer risks on newcomers without multi-book deals and horse-blindered agency recommendations, i wonder if it isn't a good time to strike out independently the way that film production is going.
digital cameras and computer film editing software have revolutionized the film industry. so why shouldn't digital press do the same for the publishing? take the power out of the big industries, retain creative and copyright control, and run the marketing campaign of your choice. the big houses are more and more relying on authors to do their own marketing anyway (signings, write the sell copy, etc.)
eh ~ food for thought on a wednesday morn.
: o p