One of the biggest challenges for new authors is getting that first book deal. We cast our queries out into vast waters teeming with agents and editors hoping to get a bite…heck, even a nibble would do for most of us!
The problem is: the agents and editors we submit to are already overwhelmed with hundreds—if not thousands of submissions. This mountainous pile of proposals is what has become known as “the slush pile”. Of course, the general idea (and every author’s hope) is that truly great writing and storylines will stand apart from the rest and shine like a diamond in a coal mine.
However, I intend to not be self-serving in this post. Instead, let’s look at things from the agent or editor’s perspective, hmmm?
The publishing industry is in trouble. No bones about it. The costs of creating and distributing paper goods continues to increase, while demand for said-goods in our economically-depressed climate continues to drop. Add to that the fact that the major book chains are promised full refunds of any materials they can’t sell, and one has to wonder how this business model ever worked at all!
Thanks to the accessibility of computers and online research tools in the last decade, book submissions have sky rocketed despite the decline of internal resources as publishing houses are forced to cut costs to stay in business. As a result, there simply aren’t enough people to shovel through the slush.
[Enter stage right] Authonomy (http://www.authonomy.com/), a Harper Collins project which I find extremely cool and exciting!
See, most of the publishing houses seem to by shying away from emerging technology—or change in general. But HC is instead embracing the power of the World Wide Web and using it to help them discover fresh new talent.
Here’s how it works: An author uploads his/her book to their website and allows people to read it online—for free. Other authors or potential fans can then comment on it, make suggestions, or add it to a virtual “bookshelf”, which means it’s one of their favorites.
Scratching your head because you don’t get it? …don’t worry, I was too—at first!
Step back a moment and look at the information Harper Collins has at their disposal with this tool: they can know at any time what the most popular titles are on the website and see comments from prospective customers. If they’re interested in an editor looking at the book, it’s already there for them to review, in its entirety. On their website, they very clearly state that the top authors/titles will be reviewed by an editor at Harper Collins each month!
Essentially, what they’ve done is moved the slush pile online and hired (so to speak) other authors and various visitors and fans to be their assistant editors! BRILLIANT!
I’m not 100% sure about posting my entire novel online where anyone can copy or plagiarize it. Plus, it seems like it might be a bit hard to manage long-term—although their FAQ page states that the site is still in BETA, so they might address these concerns by the time it releases.
Nonetheless, I can’t help but feel certain warm-fuzzy feeling for Harper Collins! In my opinion, this new initiative is absolutely genius and demonstrates the kind of creative mindset needed in order for publishing to survive. It’s important for any business to embrace changing technology and not shy away from it or risk become stale and out-dated.
If you haven’t checked out Authonomy yet, I please log on and let me know your thoughts. Do you think it’ll work? If you’re an author, would you post your complete book there for the world to see for free? Do you have any intellectual property concerns in doing so?
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