Inspirational!

Wonderful story, wonderfully told. Moving, inspiring. I loved reading this. Thank you both!

This is a fantastic story and I like the itemised approach!

But the one thing which surprised me, Tania, is that a professional writer told you to give up your day job to concentrate on writing. This goes against all the advice I was ever given by agent, editors and other writers when I was starting out. Even most people with 5+ books published still need a “day job” of some sort!

SMD, your original post got wedged between Akismet’s teeth, I’m afraid. I’ve dragged it out with the aid of some extra-strength dental floss and have left both of your posts up because they’re both good points, elegantly made.

And I doubt that Mr Rozansky will be able to provide the proof that you ask for, as he seems unable to cite any of his sources or provide reasoned arguments at even the most basic level.

Alex, apology accepted. You can send the doughnut to my home address.

I’ve read SO many comments about how “traditional” publishing is “merely rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic” until self-publishing and/or e-books take over the market that your comment was a big red flag for me.

But I still don’t see how your comment addressed the topic of this particular post.

Okay, so apparently my comment got eaten by the ether, or it needs approving, or something. It didn’t tell me what happened to it…it’s just not here. So, if this comment is a double-post, feel free to delete it, as it will be an oversimplification of what I originally wrote.

I just wanted to point out that the definition of greedy is not “wants to make a profit” or “desires to profit,” but is, in fact, something far more insidious: “immoderately desirous of acquiring e.g. wealth.” And it should be noted, again simplifying what I originally tried to say, that “desiring to profit” does not necessarily mean “immoderately desirous of acquiring wealth.” That’s a leap, and someone making that claim has to provide proof that publishers are actually going beyond reason to acquire profit. Desiring profit, in terms of business, has more to do with self-preservation (if I don’t break even, at the very least, I won’t be in business for very long) than it does with greed.

Anyway.

True fact that I (prowdly) publish my work in e-book formats so you win the bet, Jane. Relevance? Gosh, I thought the theme was getting books to readers and electronic publishing is a growing part of that issue. Sorry if my post came off as ’snarky’. Didn’t mean to offend. PS: I am also in discussion with agents regarding print possibilities.

Because I feel like being an annoying English major:

“Greedy” actually means, according to the dictionary, “immoderately desirous of acquiring e.g. wealth.” “Immoderate” meaning: “To a degree that exceeds the bounds or reason or moderation.”

So, if one wants to argue the definition of greedy and apply it to publishers, one has to provide proof that what publishers do in trying to acquire profit is, in fact, an attempt to acquire wealth beyond reason or moderation. That implies an enormous burden of proof on the part of the one making the claim, no matter who it is, since you have to prove that the services provided by publishers to authors, when subtracted from the total profit, and then the royalties subtracted from that to give us the publisher’s share is a grossly unfair quantity of $$$s.

But you’d be hard pressed to make that argument stick, since for every book that publishers make millions on, there are several thousand that either break even or lose money…every year (or whatever the period of reasonable return is for publishers, which might be 18 months, rather than 12).

So, if publishers are, in fact, greedy about their profits, I need to see the proof. The desire to be profitable does not imply that one is greedy so much as one is interested in self-preservation, which is, in fact, not necessarily a greedy motive.

Anywho.

I don’t know what you’re talking about, Justine.

(Thank you. Ooops.)

Psst. Reid not Reed.