Comments on: Why The Publishing Industry Can Suck My Dick

By: Jess C Scott

Jess C Scott — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 04:17:13 +0000

Why The Publishing Industry Can Suck My Dick, by @julie_bush | http://t.co/3NDOqU6u

By: Julie Bush

Julie Bush — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 02:22:00 +0000

Mark,
Yes, I think you’re right. And it’s just proceeding more and more in that direction. You have to be a name of some kind (though there are various ways to be a name) to get a publishing contract, and once you have the contract, you have to do your own marketing (unless you’re already very big). Which is all why I think book publishing is inevitably moving toward indie publishing/self-publishing. Congratulations on your success! I’d love to read one of your books.
Julie

By: Mark

Mark — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 02:15:00 +0000

I would disagree on one point. I’m a “white” (Greek) male author and sold books over 1,000 books via self-publishing and I still can’t get into mainstream publishing.

If you’re not a major name, you aren’t getting in.

By: Julie Bush

Julie Bush — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 02:45:00 +0000

Thanks Sandy. It’s sort of on the back-burner right now because I’m so busy
with TV/film stuff.

By: sandy

sandy — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 02:30:00 +0000

{I will publish them myself. Because I’m better at marketing myself than they are.}

Yes, every *Mom* knows her *baby* best

I wish you all the best on your self-publishing journey~

By: Julie Bush

Julie Bush — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 01:50:00 +0000

Kevin, you make a very good point about who is really disenfranchised nowadays.
I think the real point we’re both making is that publishing has become so highly corporate, there’s no point in serving their interests any more. I do think there’s a future in self-publishing however, where we will control our business. We’re not quite there yet, but the future isn’t hopeless for authors. You’re a great writer. Thanks for the entertaining comment.
X Julie

By: J. Kevin Tumlinson

J. Kevin Tumlinson — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 01:30:00 +0000

I’m with ya. After years of bending over backwards for the publishing industry, presumably for no other reason than it would simply be easier to lick my own bung hole, I have decided the bastards can chew on a wad of pig scrotum. The succession of gatekeepers, from agents to publishing assistants to the janitor of the porno theater next door, makes it impossible to get into “the business” unless you are A) already blowing someone rich and powerful, or B) the guy who had to saw off his own arm after getting trapped in his boiler room.

By the way, I fall under the “white male” category. Sorry. I tried being born as a black woman but the gene pool was too strong. However, I will say this: as far as disenfranchised groups go, you don’t get much more disenfranchised than the white-male-Christian-conservative-gun-owning-self-employed-writer-over-the-age-of-25. Seriously … there just aren’t any college funds for that.

By: Julie Bush

Julie Bush — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 02:29:00 +0000

Thank you for this Clifford! I had not heard/read it, but it does indeed speak to it. Especially the last point — that women are the primary readers of fiction.
I hope you’re well.
Julie

By: cjg

cjg — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 02:20:00 +0000

Hey, Julie –

Did you happen to catch this story about “Franzenfreude” on NPR? http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129529565.

It covers many of the same issues as your blog post. Think of it as added ammunition in your bandoleer.

Best,

Clifford J. Green

By: Julie Bush

Julie Bush — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 16:29:00 +0000

Aw, thank YOU so much Savannah. There are so many forces at work in publishing that determine whether or not you get published — that have absolutely nothing to do with the quality of your book. (And I have a fair amount of experience with it — I know first-hand.) And that’s the tragedy of it — thousands of great writers think it’s them, or their book, when they don’t get published, when often it’s everything but.
But now we’ve got so many opportunities to take charge of our own careers. The best thing you can do is 1. Write. 2. get your writing in front of people. It’s really that simple. And I want you to do it. The death of the publishing industry doesn’t mean the death of books — it just means that we’ll have more options, more immediate access, and more people will be able to publish.
Thanks so much for your lovely comment.
X Julie