My science fiction mystery – Exit, Pursued by a Bee – looks great on Kindle – even on my PC version buy it here I need the sales!
Over the weekend I was kindly informed by someone who recently worked in the editorial offices of a SF publishing house that I should play down the original premise aspect of my Left Luggage trilogy when my agent queries to publishers. They are businesses and as such prefer to not gamble with the market, but take on tried and tested formulae. Shame. At least Left Luggage is the story of an apocalyptic Earth. The reader doesn’t know why the aliens left a pandora’s box with the virus (that’s the original bit: a disease not thought of before) that wipes out everyone eventually unless you can run and hide. It’s a story of survival, retaliation, coping and much more. Funny though, that publishers of the most creative people and ideas don’t really want to take chances on new ideas.
So the same old story of ‘write what works rather than originality’ has now corrupted the science fiction genre?
SHAME!
It reminds me of taking my books down to our local market and offering a book trader a collection of my books at a promotional price of ten for £5. What had he to lose? He put up a hand before and refused to even glance at any of them. He swept his hand over his stall. ‘This is what readers want. Books that look like this. Known authors. Familiar stories.’
Also, with books selling at 3 for a fiver in many stores a reader has to be keen to pay more. So I guess you can’t blame publishers for not taking risks. They have to print and distribute very many thousands to make their profit.
Depressing isn’t it? Hard work too for writers who decide to publish their own books.
I am new to this writing thing. I don’t understand the business side of the book market. I do like books. If publishers aren’t going to take a chance and publish something different then whats the point. I need variety. Reading the same stuff over and over again is boring.
Thank you for dropping by my blog and leaving a comment. I like comments.
I recently heard a story from someone inside a publishing house… They were heading into one of those recessions. An order from those who held the purse strings came trough to only take on and publish tried and tested authors. So anything that was new, including authors, or off-piste was rejected. Two years later they were coming out of recession. Those who held the purse strings asked this person why there wasn’t anything new or interesting coming out. The person concerned replied because they had stopped him from taking on new authors. He felt he couldn’t win.
Sorry awful at remembering names, but what more can I say?
Gwen and Rosie, it is a tough business. Ironically, it is now easier to be self published, quite legitimately using Lulu.com, Smashwords, POD, etc., however, so many are doing it now and without editorial overview. Consequently, although there ae undoubted gems in the tens of thousands of new novels published annually, you have to plough through a lot of dross to reach them.