The traditional media have all gone full zombie. At least as far as “publishing” goes anyway. It's both stunning and disturbing.
The business term is Walking Dead. Traditional audio, video, text, all gone zombie. The eyes are still open and the aimless wandering has begun.
Attacked by digital pirates from the outside while simultaneously imploding on the inside from righteous self loathing, these are devastating (but disconnected) encirclement and infiltration maneuvers.
Are we now in a world where the material speaks for itself? The solo voice era? The artist king? Maybe. I'm not that optimistic. But if so, how does that even work? Either way, it's clear that this vehicle has no reverse gear.
You're on to something, alas. When it comes to traditional publishing, there is an element of helpless shuffling, a sense of entrapment spurring the afflicted to chew on their own arms. (I didn't mean to convey a sense of optimism - must do better.)
You ask how the solo voice era would even work. Not a clue. A realignment is clearly taking place, for better or worse. Until it's done, though, I have the same voice I always had - I'll use it where I can.
Glad I read that though the big picture is it makes me sad. Or, if I shift my thinking, it just makes me happy you’re on substack, glad I shoved off my adamant anti social-media to find substack and…. Too much to list. If nothing else, I’m going to look up your book.
Yeah, I kinda love this place except that it’s digital and on my phone. I was going to head for Visible World but now that we’re here, I’ll go for whatever you are most connected to, like best etc. My guess is I will read more than one though my stack is ridiculously tall. I hope I’m not out of my lane to ask, but if you have a chance I’d love you to peek at my carving, introduced here w a favorite author’s words:
Pleased that my books might add to your stack - mine just keeps growing, which is fine by me.
I guess I'm closest to Brewster, which is set in the late 60's in America - just finished the sequel. The Visible World is historical fiction, set in Prague during WW II. Lost Lake - stories - might also be a thought, or . . . But I feel like a salesman, so I'll shut up.
No, don’t shut up. Or think you’re too much a salesman. Or let you distract me. I’m going to head for
Brewster, not just because you said that, but because it sounds great, makes me think of a fabulous film I just saw (Apollo 101/2. Please see it!) as I type this, I’m
Welcome to Substack! I’ve found it an incredibly welcoming and wonderful place, in which I’ve found so many warm and often enough, revelatory encounters with really good and even great writers, as well as a dedicated, compassionate and highly engaged audience of readers, cross-promoters, and supporters of writers/fellow writers, foo.
Thanks so much - that's very kind of you. So far - I'm new here - I love the unfiltered simplicity of it, and being able to hear from people like you. Looking forward to seeing where it goes.
There are many more stories like yours that go undocumented. Literary journals almost always obscure the reason for a rejection, and throughout the industry few explicitly state what those editors said to your agent. All of this makes it impossible for people to call out the problem.
If I may ask: How many, or what percentage, of editors refused to read your manuscript based on race? Also, for my understanding, is it the editors who first read manuscripts at publishing houses?
I've heard the same thing, almost verbatim, from more than one agent.
I can't honestly tell you the percentage - I wasn't told and it didn't occur to me to ask - but my understanding is that it was significant. And it wasn't just my race. It was the whole package: white, middle-aged, male, straight. I also need to say, again, that my weak sales record no doubt had something to do with it (excellent reviews in The New York Times, etc. don't count), and would have been a legit reason for rejection. It was not being read at all that made an impression on me.
To answer your question, new writers submitting manuscripts often get read by in-house readers; when you're further down the road, like I am, you're read by editors.
Your experience of self-righteous political-correctness-run-amok, still ironically flogging itself as 'progressive', receives much empathy here. While, thanks to various quora of useful idiots, its disproportionate but not unpredictable reactionary consequences continue metastasising orange pustules all over the free world.
But doesn't even my uttering such an observation (rather than account) loft me as a target for speculations and worse: is he a this, or a that, what's his agenda, what are his real beliefs, ... etc?
So, on balance (and I am no luddite), I think the compression of time/ reduction to immediacy, coupled with the constriction of available information, which the internet has delivered, whilst initially garnering positive perceptions, has shifted to being generally—collectively—negative, specific use cases like yours excepted.
That's nothing new, just a feature of speeding stuff up:
fast food; fast fashion; fast sex; accelerated art of any kind.
Ubiquitous fast tech is comparably enshittifying and unhealthy.
What is new is the proximity of information distilled to mere lexica.
Was my life better before the bros began injecting Kool-Aid, ca. 2004?
Would Earth and its neighbours be better without the world's richest mollusc?
Isn't it time to unplug Silicon Valley and teach its kids to play properly on the beach?
Maybe I'm just getting old. And troublesome. Like Ted Danson in a care home.
Thanks for the read, Mark. I spent much of my adult life writing for others, first as a PR flack and then as a writer/editor in academia. I didn't begin regularly writing for me until I retired. After realizing that a novel by +70 year-old geezer couldn't interest even a small indie publisher, I self-published. At this stage, it isn't about money. I'm happy to be read. Substack has provided me with perhaps more readers than the literary littles and online equivalents. It's a brave new world.
When you strip everything else away, writing what you need to write and having somebody respond to it is what it's all about, no? I imagine Sophocles felt the same way.
How we get heard (and keep food on the table meanwhile), well, that's another story, something every writer figures out their own way. Passion, persistence and luck all play their part.
Thanks for this, truly. Unfortunately Out West (now For What It's Worth) is the novel I mentioned in the piece. But maybe I'll figure out another way to bring it to the light.
Curious what your thoughts are on writing actual books, then. A fool's errand? Moot, since the writer must write? I did enjoy independently producing a book this year, though I'll be happy to break even. Whether I'd be likely to continue that model as the only option left is another question. A friend said recently that we now write for our coteries. Perhaps you always have, including that mom and pop agent team...
My feeling is that anyone hoping to publish a book should try to do just that. After all, hundreds of thousands of physical books are still published in the US every year, many of them by people who look more or less like me, so clearly it can be done. My experience isn't necessarily representative.
That said, I've spoken to too many writers and agents not to notice the changes taking place. Leaving aside the flat-out foolishness of not reading someone because of their race or gender or whatever (this will pass, I'm guessing), the market is exerting more pressure than ever, forcing many editors to grasp for the new, shiny thing likely to make them a bundle and making it harder for those of us inclined to quieter, less showy work to break through. (I'm often reminded of a quote attributed to the late Heath Ledger who supposedly turned to the person sitting next to him at the Oscars and said, "I thought this award was for the best acting, not the most acting.")
Bottom line (and you know this), put everything into the work, trust the work, because without it, the rest doesn't matter.
They just lied to you. It was because the industry is declining and they don't bet on losers like they use to, especially when they've shown they aren't good at the marketing stuff. If you're a good writer, come prove it on my flash style page otherwise stop feeling sorry for yourself. The only people who care are in the same spot as you and can't help you.
The traditional media have all gone full zombie. At least as far as “publishing” goes anyway. It's both stunning and disturbing.
The business term is Walking Dead. Traditional audio, video, text, all gone zombie. The eyes are still open and the aimless wandering has begun.
Attacked by digital pirates from the outside while simultaneously imploding on the inside from righteous self loathing, these are devastating (but disconnected) encirclement and infiltration maneuvers.
Are we now in a world where the material speaks for itself? The solo voice era? The artist king? Maybe. I'm not that optimistic. But if so, how does that even work? Either way, it's clear that this vehicle has no reverse gear.
You're on to something, alas. When it comes to traditional publishing, there is an element of helpless shuffling, a sense of entrapment spurring the afflicted to chew on their own arms. (I didn't mean to convey a sense of optimism - must do better.)
You ask how the solo voice era would even work. Not a clue. A realignment is clearly taking place, for better or worse. Until it's done, though, I have the same voice I always had - I'll use it where I can.
I think these trends could lead to the reemergence of small presses, and a new marketing model will have to develop alongside.
I hope you're right and I'd love to see it, truly.
Glad I read that though the big picture is it makes me sad. Or, if I shift my thinking, it just makes me happy you’re on substack, glad I shoved off my adamant anti social-media to find substack and…. Too much to list. If nothing else, I’m going to look up your book.
Yeah, I kinda love this place except that it’s digital and on my phone. I was going to head for Visible World but now that we’re here, I’ll go for whatever you are most connected to, like best etc. My guess is I will read more than one though my stack is ridiculously tall. I hope I’m not out of my lane to ask, but if you have a chance I’d love you to peek at my carving, introduced here w a favorite author’s words:
https://open.substack.com/pub/ljurcik/p/loving-pair?r=270xom&utm_medium=ios
Pleased that my books might add to your stack - mine just keeps growing, which is fine by me.
I guess I'm closest to Brewster, which is set in the late 60's in America - just finished the sequel. The Visible World is historical fiction, set in Prague during WW II. Lost Lake - stories - might also be a thought, or . . . But I feel like a salesman, so I'll shut up.
Happy reading . . .
No, don’t shut up. Or think you’re too much a salesman. Or let you distract me. I’m going to head for
Brewster, not just because you said that, but because it sounds great, makes me think of a fabulous film I just saw (Apollo 101/2. Please see it!) as I type this, I’m
Panicked about my memory, suddenly thinking my book group read Visible World about a year ago and loved it. Sadly I am not sure, will have to check my notes to be sure. Here’s a thing about my book group. Every block should have such a thing: https://substack.com/@louj1/note/c-84769609?r=270xom&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action
Thanks - it's amazing to me how welcoming people have been.
Hope you like the book (whichever one you get). Finding readers is why we write.
Welcome to Substack! I’ve found it an incredibly welcoming and wonderful place, in which I’ve found so many warm and often enough, revelatory encounters with really good and even great writers, as well as a dedicated, compassionate and highly engaged audience of readers, cross-promoters, and supporters of writers/fellow writers, foo.
Thanks so much - that's very kind of you. So far - I'm new here - I love the unfiltered simplicity of it, and being able to hear from people like you. Looking forward to seeing where it goes.
Thanks for sharing
There are many more stories like yours that go undocumented. Literary journals almost always obscure the reason for a rejection, and throughout the industry few explicitly state what those editors said to your agent. All of this makes it impossible for people to call out the problem.
If I may ask: How many, or what percentage, of editors refused to read your manuscript based on race? Also, for my understanding, is it the editors who first read manuscripts at publishing houses?
I've heard the same thing, almost verbatim, from more than one agent.
I can't honestly tell you the percentage - I wasn't told and it didn't occur to me to ask - but my understanding is that it was significant. And it wasn't just my race. It was the whole package: white, middle-aged, male, straight. I also need to say, again, that my weak sales record no doubt had something to do with it (excellent reviews in The New York Times, etc. don't count), and would have been a legit reason for rejection. It was not being read at all that made an impression on me.
To answer your question, new writers submitting manuscripts often get read by in-house readers; when you're further down the road, like I am, you're read by editors.
Hope that helps.
Thank you for these details, and excited to read you here on Substack.
i mean some whiteppl 🤡 not all 🥳🎉🫠
Your experience of self-righteous political-correctness-run-amok, still ironically flogging itself as 'progressive', receives much empathy here. While, thanks to various quora of useful idiots, its disproportionate but not unpredictable reactionary consequences continue metastasising orange pustules all over the free world.
But doesn't even my uttering such an observation (rather than account) loft me as a target for speculations and worse: is he a this, or a that, what's his agenda, what are his real beliefs, ... etc?
So, on balance (and I am no luddite), I think the compression of time/ reduction to immediacy, coupled with the constriction of available information, which the internet has delivered, whilst initially garnering positive perceptions, has shifted to being generally—collectively—negative, specific use cases like yours excepted.
That's nothing new, just a feature of speeding stuff up:
fast food; fast fashion; fast sex; accelerated art of any kind.
Ubiquitous fast tech is comparably enshittifying and unhealthy.
What is new is the proximity of information distilled to mere lexica.
Was my life better before the bros began injecting Kool-Aid, ca. 2004?
Would Earth and its neighbours be better without the world's richest mollusc?
Isn't it time to unplug Silicon Valley and teach its kids to play properly on the beach?
Maybe I'm just getting old. And troublesome. Like Ted Danson in a care home.
Still, this place seems alright, for now.
Thanks for the read, Mark. I spent much of my adult life writing for others, first as a PR flack and then as a writer/editor in academia. I didn't begin regularly writing for me until I retired. After realizing that a novel by +70 year-old geezer couldn't interest even a small indie publisher, I self-published. At this stage, it isn't about money. I'm happy to be read. Substack has provided me with perhaps more readers than the literary littles and online equivalents. It's a brave new world.
When you strip everything else away, writing what you need to write and having somebody respond to it is what it's all about, no? I imagine Sophocles felt the same way.
How we get heard (and keep food on the table meanwhile), well, that's another story, something every writer figures out their own way. Passion, persistence and luck all play their part.
Waiting ever so patiently for Out West, here in Putnam Lake!
Thanks for this, truly. Unfortunately Out West (now For What It's Worth) is the novel I mentioned in the piece. But maybe I'll figure out another way to bring it to the light.
Till then, say hello to the lake for me.
Curious what your thoughts are on writing actual books, then. A fool's errand? Moot, since the writer must write? I did enjoy independently producing a book this year, though I'll be happy to break even. Whether I'd be likely to continue that model as the only option left is another question. A friend said recently that we now write for our coteries. Perhaps you always have, including that mom and pop agent team...
My feeling is that anyone hoping to publish a book should try to do just that. After all, hundreds of thousands of physical books are still published in the US every year, many of them by people who look more or less like me, so clearly it can be done. My experience isn't necessarily representative.
That said, I've spoken to too many writers and agents not to notice the changes taking place. Leaving aside the flat-out foolishness of not reading someone because of their race or gender or whatever (this will pass, I'm guessing), the market is exerting more pressure than ever, forcing many editors to grasp for the new, shiny thing likely to make them a bundle and making it harder for those of us inclined to quieter, less showy work to break through. (I'm often reminded of a quote attributed to the late Heath Ledger who supposedly turned to the person sitting next to him at the Oscars and said, "I thought this award was for the best acting, not the most acting.")
Bottom line (and you know this), put everything into the work, trust the work, because without it, the rest doesn't matter.
A sensible view -- thank you. It is rather difficult to ignore the market if it is wagging the rest. But, yes, the long arcs are the ones that count.
They just lied to you. It was because the industry is declining and they don't bet on losers like they use to, especially when they've shown they aren't good at the marketing stuff. If you're a good writer, come prove it on my flash style page otherwise stop feeling sorry for yourself. The only people who care are in the same spot as you and can't help you.
well, queer in so many ways here, clearly a person of color, and nobody is soliciting my 📚work to publish.
i know ppl are leaving substack now bc of its icky politics, but idk the specifics.
i make exceptions and read and interact with whiteppl 💓🐩🕊️
the politics of race + capitalism play out as they do, and some do benefit and and and 👺🤑😵😵💫🤮
all power to the ppl ✊🏽💓