Make sure to stop by to visit each of our awesome co-hosts as well as all of our other members! A big thank you to: Jenni Enzor, Beth Camp, Liesbet, Tyrean Martinson, and Sandra Cox!
July Question of the Month: There have been many industry changes in the last decade, so what are some changes you would like to see happen in the next decade?
July Question of the Month: There have been many industry changes in the last decade, so what are some changes you would like to see happen in the next decade?
I may be slightly off topic here, but there are a couple of things I want to touch on in response to this question.
1) Has there ever been a time like this for writers? One where anyone who wants to publish a book can? I think not. As a person who reads and reviews a lot of books, I can say the ability to self-publish is a double-edged sword for readers. The best of times, the worse of times comes to mind. I've read some amazing self-published books, and I've tried to read others that just weren't ready to be published in my opinion. But because we can, they were. Is there an easy solution? Should there be?
2) When thinking of the future for writers and the publishing industry, there's something I'd like to mention that's heavy on my mind right now. I'd like to see more support, respect and acceptance of fellow writers' work given to both genders of writers, as well as everyone else, in any genre they choose to write. Does it really matter if we're male or female or black or white when it comes to writing and publishing a well-written book? Did I miss an unwritten rule that says women writers can't write fantastic suspense thrillers? Show me a rule that says men can't write steamy romance. And yet the stigma exists.
Let's open our heart and mind, look beyond the status quo, and accept that great writing is great writing no matter your gender, race, nationality, sexual preference, etc. If we judge books or people by their "outer package", we're setting ourselves up to miss some great reads as well as potential friends in life. In my perfect world, all writers support all writers. All people support all people. Period. End of story. I hope to live to see the day in time when there is no prejudice and discrimination in publishing or life in general. All we need is mutual love and respect. Something we all have to give freely.
I'd like to share a personal experience: One of the publishers I regularly review for recently offered me an arc of a book called Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby. I accepted it knowing nothing about the story or author (not that it would have mattered to me) other than it was Grit Lit/Southern Noir - one of my new favorite genres. I read this book without putting it down because it's that good. After finishing the book, I was anxious to find out more about the talented writer and his work so I looked up the author's bio and learned that he wrote from the personal experience of a black man growing up in the south during a time of extreme prejudice. No wonder this book is so authentic! Just another reminder to never judge a book or people by the cover - you never know what you might be missing. For anyone interested, here's my review: Blacktop Wasteland Review
Have you've read a book that surprised you this year? Feel free to share it. How would you like to see the publishing industry change in the future?
See you next time!
1) Has there ever been a time like this for writers? One where anyone who wants to publish a book can? I think not. As a person who reads and reviews a lot of books, I can say the ability to self-publish is a double-edged sword for readers. The best of times, the worse of times comes to mind. I've read some amazing self-published books, and I've tried to read others that just weren't ready to be published in my opinion. But because we can, they were. Is there an easy solution? Should there be?
2) When thinking of the future for writers and the publishing industry, there's something I'd like to mention that's heavy on my mind right now. I'd like to see more support, respect and acceptance of fellow writers' work given to both genders of writers, as well as everyone else, in any genre they choose to write. Does it really matter if we're male or female or black or white when it comes to writing and publishing a well-written book? Did I miss an unwritten rule that says women writers can't write fantastic suspense thrillers? Show me a rule that says men can't write steamy romance. And yet the stigma exists.
Let's open our heart and mind, look beyond the status quo, and accept that great writing is great writing no matter your gender, race, nationality, sexual preference, etc. If we judge books or people by their "outer package", we're setting ourselves up to miss some great reads as well as potential friends in life. In my perfect world, all writers support all writers. All people support all people. Period. End of story. I hope to live to see the day in time when there is no prejudice and discrimination in publishing or life in general. All we need is mutual love and respect. Something we all have to give freely.
I'd like to share a personal experience: One of the publishers I regularly review for recently offered me an arc of a book called Blacktop Wasteland by S.A. Cosby. I accepted it knowing nothing about the story or author (not that it would have mattered to me) other than it was Grit Lit/Southern Noir - one of my new favorite genres. I read this book without putting it down because it's that good. After finishing the book, I was anxious to find out more about the talented writer and his work so I looked up the author's bio and learned that he wrote from the personal experience of a black man growing up in the south during a time of extreme prejudice. No wonder this book is so authentic! Just another reminder to never judge a book or people by the cover - you never know what you might be missing. For anyone interested, here's my review: Blacktop Wasteland Review
Have you've read a book that surprised you this year? Feel free to share it. How would you like to see the publishing industry change in the future?
See you next time!
Cross My Heart . . . xxx
♥Sandra♥
8 comments:
What you said . . . all of it! YES! Our new publishing freedom is indeed the good, the bad and the only a mother could love ugly. Nothing like buying a book that has never been vetted by anyone and it shows. (Sidebar: thanks for vetting my current WIP!). With time to read now, I've been trying a little bit of everything and have loved sampling new writers.
Self-publishing is a blessing to writers whose work would otherwise never see the light of day. However, just because we can, doesn't mean we should. I have 2 books sitting here because I know in my heart they aren't ready to publish. And as you mentioned in your fantastic IWSG post, I hope both publishers and fellow writers will embrace diversity and welcome all writers into their fold.
I don't usually look at anything about an author before I read a book, but that said I know need to diversify my palette. Because of my circles I tend to read from a small range of writers.
Stigmas suck! There...I said it. We should be able to write whatever we want to write regardless of our gender and race.
As for self-publishing...yeah, many do think they should because they can without putting in the necessary work. Self-publishers could have required questions that authors need to fill out before their books can be submitted and go live, like "who edited your book?" Then the service would have people to verify this, with real proof/receipts, nothing that can be faked like an email, "Oh, yes, I did edit so-and-so's book." Just a random idea that popped to my head. :)
I'm with you on the prejudices in publishing. It seems like it's becoming more limiting what you can write--and that stifles creativity. One of my favorite kidlit writers has said that sometimes editors publish what they think a certain demographic wants to read (like bathroom humor for boys), when that's just a prejudice about what that group likes. So I'd like to see more books that actually appeal to the demographic they are trying to reach.
I've had the same experience with self-pubbed books, but I'm so thankful that we have more options now and that we're not just dependent on gatekeepers so much.
Happy ISWG Day!
C.D. - I think we can all stand to diversify our reading palette. I am definitely making an effort to branch out some.
Oh I so agree, Chrys! I've recently followed some controversial statements indicating women writers can't write suspense...at least not without adding a strong dose of romance. I call bull! I'm a fan of several women writers who excel at suspense thrillers. One writer that comes to mind right off is Loreth Anne White. I've read & reviewed her next release In The Deep and it's a fantastic suspense thriller.
Jenni - I'm happy for the choices writers have nowadays, but I do encourage self-publishing authors to edit, edit, edit, and then have someone else edit. As Nancy mentioned earlier, self-published books are a blend of the good, bad, & ugly.
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