If you could call it a debate.
Information and link to download audio of the debate are here.
Selected summarizing quotes:
“It’s not better, it’s the way it is.” — Scott
“The signal to noise ratio is going to change.” — Howard
Scott’s made his success by podcasting his novels, gaining him exposure and a loyal audience. This translates into book sales. Obviously, then, he’s in favor of releasing content for free.
Howard feels that, while this is all well and good for now, once publishers are no longer trying to stop authors from releasing things for free and, instead, force them to, there will simply be so many choices out there that it will become more and more difficult for authors to speak to a large section of the culture. And the publishers, as the moderator suggested, will expect authors to bring their fanbases with them, instead of using their clout and money to create an audience through publicity and distribution.
Howard may have a point, here, when it comes to the expectations of publishers. But Scott’s quote up above is really the best argument. The industry’s evolving, and Howard mentioned that evolution doesn’t necessarily mean that things will get better, they’ll only get different.
But that’s simply the way it is.
Authors like Scott Sigler and Cory Doctorow are on the leading edge, and they’re the ones that stand to benefit the most from this trend. Eventually, everyone will be doing it, and then no one will stand to benefit.
What will happen then?
Someone else will figure out a new way to make money, and others will follow. What appears to be so difficult for people like Howard Hendrix to understand is that, yes, trends can make some people suffer and some people succeed. But once everyone tries to cash in, it merely changes again.
Creative Commons may not, in fact, be the end-all-be-all, the one final answer to problems of distribution and fortune-making. It might just be a temporary fad with which some people will create large fanbases. But someone else, somewhere, someday, will find another way to create popularity and money.
Maybe some science-fiction author will try to get even closer to the fans than they’re able to with only a blog, and form an entire social network around themselves, or their book. Max Barry created the game NationStates to sell his book Jennifer Government a few years back. Will every author have to invest that kind of time?
Who knows? Maybe they will. And then they’ll all start doing it, it will stop working, and then, surprise surprise: Someone will do something else.
As Ian Clarke once said, loosely quoted, ‘If you’re selling water in the desert and it starts raining, it’s time to change your business model.’
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Comments
Hmm, I didn’t ‘realize there was a debate. I’m looking up some background on it.
I think Howard is wrong because no publisher ever will willingly force an author to release free content. They may suggest promotions that entail free stuff, but I doubt that a large publishing firm will every build its business around free content. It’s too time intensive. This is the realm of small publishers.
One of the things I brought up in the debate is that Mr. Hendrix (who is a really nice guy) talks about the relationship between the AUTHOR and the PUBLISHER - but he doesn’t address the CUSTOMER.
Howard thinks we’re adding to the signal to noise ratio, but a better way to think of that term is “competition.” Until Cory Doctorow got the ball rolling, the only real way to reach millions of potential readers was to go THROUGH THE PUBLISHER. Now, we authors can cut that out entirely, and go straight to the customer. Howard talks about quality, and how we need publishers to determine that quality, but that’s where he and I disagree - quality is in the eye of the beholder. If Daniel Steele can sell 60 million copies of her books, than guess what? People like her content, and are willing to pay for it. Is it high literature? No. Does it “challenge the reader,” as Howard likes to do with his books? No. It just plain sells. People are happy to spend their money on that product.
Who will rise to the top with all this “free” craziness? The people with the content that appeals to the most people.
Welcome to the new world, where control is finally where it belongs - in the hands of the end user. It’s just reality, that’s the way it is, and if your content can compete in that new environment, than you go extinct.
“It’s just reality, that’s the way it is, and if your content can compete in that new environment, than you go extinct.”
Precisely. Couldn’t agree more.
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