Large publisher jumps on the Web 2.0 wave
One of the great benefits of the internet is that it levels the playing field for the small guys like myself. Bloggers are getting book deals. Authors are able to write, publish and sell their own work and completely bypass the traditional large publishing houses (unless you plan to sell your print-on-demand book through Amazon, then there might be problems, which I have written about here). The list goes on, telling the stories of Average Joe finding literary fame where there once was nothing.
I guess those large publishing houses began to feel left out, or at least, one of them did. I came across an interesting blog post on the UK’s Guardian Unlimited that talks about HarperCollins joining the Web 2.0 revolution. Now in beta testing, the publisher is letting authors with an unpublished novel, post the manuscript online and let others comment on it. Here’s an excerpt from the article:
You can currently only join by invitation, but membership will soon be available to anyone. While there is scope for avid readers to add to their own virtual "bookshelf", the site seems to be aimed particularly at budding authors – members are encouraged to "create a profile for your own book" and "start uploading your work". (And, if there’s any doubt about their intentions, the right-hand column contains the links: "Get Read. Get Spotted. Get Online.")
While posting your version of the great American novel may not get you a publishing contract, it might improve your chances, if only slightly. Also, it is pointed out in the article that one should consider the full implications of just "handing over" your book to a publisher (even if it is only a website) without a contract.
My Response
Surprisingly, the new site by HarperCollins doesn’t excite me all that much. Maybe it’s because the idea is so new and hasn’t had time to work yet. Or maybe I’m just overly cautious. Let’s face it, they get buried with enough unsolicited manuscripts as it is, letting people post their work online will only increase the avalanche (and might save a few trees in the process).
I will say, however, that I think HarperCollins is heading in the right direction and thinking about the impact of technology on the future of publishing (an industry that still remains very traditional by most standards). I think the real test for this experiment will be to see how many novels are actually bought and published by HarperCollins from this new site. My guess is that even if you post a great novel that gets rave reviews, your chances of actually getting it published by them are still slim.
Ebook Potential?
One aspect of what HarperCollins is doing that does really excite me is the potential this might have for ebooks. They are setting up a good foundation for a future ebook platform. Think about it: Your manuscript is already in digital format on their website, so why not package some of the good books as ebooks, sell them and give the author a larger cut of the profits (since we all know that ebooks are much more economical than print books are to produce and sell).
What do you think? Would you be willing to post your manuscript on a site run by HarperCollins for the world to read and review? Why or why not? Also, let us know if you are going to participate in this program by leaving a comment, we’d love to hear from you!
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- HarperCollins goes green with online catalog
- New ebook publishing startup places power in the hands of the author!
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