Rant against Publishers
The retiring president of the Science Fiction Writers Association launched a broadside against "web scabs", those authors who were publishing their content on the web for free, and so undercutting the market for established authors. ( click here)
He didn't mention names, but #1 on his "scab list" must have been Scott Sigler, who I have mentioned before. Scott's novel, Ancestor, was first podcast 12 months ago. He then released a PDF of the entire book just 5 weeks out from paperback publication. On release it peaked at #7 on the Amazon charts, and it is still #1 on the Amazon SciFi charts. Crown Publishing sat up, took notice, and just signed him to a 3 book contract. ( click here)
The thing is, the game is changing in the world of publishing. Sigler established a community around his free stories, and that community is now 30,000 strong. And they are loyal, and are willing to purchase a book that they already have access to for free.
Will the big publishing companies wake up and smell the coffee? Or will they get caught out, like the music industry did with iTunes?
And will certain nameless Christian publishers realise that you can't sell sermons anymore? The game has changed. Our church gave away 1,000 sermons last week. How did you guys do..?
5 comments:
I can name at least three Christian publishing companies that would do well to make their sermons free:
Matthias Media
Katoomba Christian Convention
The Martyn-Lloyd Jones Recording Trust
Personally I don't mind paying for sermons by those companies - in particular KCC. In my understanding KCC breaks even on all their conventions, but surely there are numerous other expenses they have (eg maintaining the Katoomba site, paying their 9 staff etc).
If me paying for their sermons helps financially support their ministry and keep it running, then I don't have a problem forking out. Even if they are able to survive without the money which comes in from sermon sales, I still don't mind financially supporting them in that way. I'm so thankful for the decade or so of teaching I've recieved at KCC I don't mind paying $20 or so.
If they make the sermons free, more people are likely to come to the events.
--And will certain nameless Christian publishers realise that you can't sell sermons anymore? The game has changed.--
According to Henry Fielding, that 'anymore' has been since at least the mid 18'th Century (in Book II of Joseph Andrews, there's a scene where Andrews' parson was trying to convince a bookseller to take-up his sermons.)
Thanks Lairdy! I appreciate you keeping me in the job to which I've become accustomed :) My poor student husband appreciates it too!
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