Our Philosophy

"I love books.

"I love the crisp feel of a new paperback, the soft thumbed pages of an well-read novel, and that unique, rippled, stippled binding of old hardcovers. I never miss the opportunity to visit a second hand bookshop. An Exclusive Books or Amazon gift voucher is my favourite gift. Books have inspired me through difficult times, led me in exciting new directions and educated me.

"Books have shown me that no matter how bad you think your life is, it was worse for Anne Boleyn. No matter how unfair the modern world seems, at least you aren't in Nazi Germany or living as a woman any time before 1920.  No matter how successful or rich you are, there is always someone richer - and often less content. It's shown me that there are bad times and good times, and these too shall pass.

"Books are the final packaged result of the thoughts and ideas of gifted writers of every age, colour, generation, era and attitude. From Socrates complaining that "the kids of today are going to ruin the world" to Dilbert's blog, I believe that writers and authors have guided human civilisation. Using humour, logic and emotion they show us "what was" and "what might be".

I love books, but I discovered  after buying a Kindle, that the physical form of the book isn't important. It's a little like falling head over heels for a 26 year old guy with a flat stomach and a full head of hair - and then realising 15 years later when he's grey and a little tubby, that why you love him has nothing to do with his looks! Remember that old saying about books and their covers"?

The publishing industry is dying. I outline my own opinion below. But I believe that the technology of electronic publishing and the evolution of eReaders has presented authors with opportunities they have never had before - a chance to have greater control over their creative work and the income generated from it.

As always with opportunity comes responsibility - writers will no longer be mothered and chased by editors, and they will need to make decisions about marketing, cover design and other areas previously left to the publisher. That means writers need to learn more about business, marketing their work and branding themselves - this site offers insight into these fields based on our knowledge of the risks and rewards of both "traditional" and "new" publishing practices.

The opportunity, freedom and promise of money from electronic or digital publishing will also attract a new set of parasites - knowledge will provide you some immunity. If you plan to self-publish, this site will provide advice and warnings from authors, and help you take the first steps in relative safety.

IMHO* The world needs more good writers

WHY AREN'T PEOPLE READING?    

It's a downward spiral. When people read less, there is no income for writers. So writers write less. Fewer book choices mean that readers can't find books they like.

Publishers used to be book lovers - 100 years ago there were hundreds of small publishing companies in every country who knew their readers and their genre. They weren't in it for the money (there never was much to start with), but they loved to read. Authors and publishers respected each other for their mutual contributions to the finished book.

These days, publishers are business corporations. The CEO reads only the Wall Street Journal. Publishing houses have a business model that is based on a 1930's Ford motor production line. At the very lowest status level - badly paid - are the editors who "produce the goods". At the high status levels are the managers and executives who play with numbers. There is no respect for authors, who are a commodity and easy to replace.

Now and then they identify a "star" - a writer who needs little editing, no promotion and sells millions of books effortlessly. Mostly these are celebrities and politicians with their own marketing and PR machine. They don't plan to make a living from writing (actually they don't write, they hire writers) because they are using the book as a means of marketing their acting, singing, political or "being famous" career.

These books are a low cost "raw material" and a low risk investment. A certain number of sales are guaranteed if the content is spicy enough, so the publisher gets away with putting in minimum effort. This business model has resulted in outstanding short term profits for publishing houses over the past 50 years. Those profits were used to buy up small, quality publishing houses, steal the best authors and toss out the rest.

But this business model is not sustainable.

• Manuscripts accepted by publishers are low quality, short, formulaic books churned out "to spec".
• To improve profits, Editor positions are being filled by low-priced academics who want to focus on their own writing or who have the kind of degree that makes them unemployable elsewhere. These young editors cannot nurture or guide authors - they limit themselves to enforcing the publishing house style guidelines.
• With only a few publishing houses to approach, authors have fewer options and are forced to take low advances and accept minimum royalties. Only people with an independant income can afford to be  professional authors or devote real time and passion to writing a book.
• Because of the above, quality writers and editors are now finding other writing jobs. Anyone who intends writing a book or novel has set it aside for their retirement. So there are fewer and fewer good books.
• Readers struggle to find anything that inspires them to buy, and balk at the high prices being charged.
• The publishing houses complain that "no-one reads any more" and cut advances and marketing even further. It's a downward spiral for the industry.

IMHO* The world needs more good readers

WHY AREN'T PEOPLE PUBLISHING?  

For every J K Rowling or Steig Larsson, there are 10 000 writers desperately touting manuscripts to publishers. Some eventually settle for "vanity" publishing where they cover the costs but still lose a large percentage to publishing houses who promise to market their book along with "real" titles. The publishers make even more money preying on writers desperate to get their words out to the world.

The internet developed the "blog", a form of literature where people write for free and the rest of the world passively reads without paying.  The bloggers - often talented writers - have made most forms of professional writing redundant. Why hire a copywriter when you can go to the internet and simply copy-and-paste wording from industry leaders' websites. Citizen-journalism provides free editorial for newspapers, putting professional journalists into the unemployment line. Newspapers pay less and less for articles, accept press releases from corporates and only employ "freelancers" for content. Freelancers don't have time for lengthy research - all you need is a celebrity story (fiction or non-fiction). Writing more than 300 words doesn't pay.

While making it almost impossible for anyone who writes to earn a living from writing, blogging did have one important positive outcome. It made it clear that people do still want to read. They just don't want to read what commercial publishers are selling at crazy prices.

While newspaper and commercial magazine sales are plummeting, bloggers have massive audiences. They have rewritten "the book" on what people want. It turns out that publishers - books, magazines, newspapers - actually had a really poor understanding of what readers really wanted. While publishers were rushing to replicate the "last best thing", bloggers were out finding the "next best thing".

Many of those bloggers have honed their writing skills in the tough world of the internet, and now know more about what people want to read than any ivory tower publishing manager!

IMHO* The world needs a more ethical publishing industry

The mission of the website is to address these three beliefs:

1. Provide WRITERS with some inspiration, motivation and encouragement to get that next chapter, short story or article written, knowing there is somewhere to publish it that will earn them an income for their time, passion and skill. If you have an idea that will help us help you as an author, please tell us about it!
    
2. Provide READERS with inspiring, motivational books at reasonable prices. We want books and stories that inspire a love of reading because they tell great stories, not because they are one publisher's idea of what will sell to the greatest number of people quickly.
    
3. Provide a PUBLISHING platform where writers can earn fair value for their talent and skills, and where readers can get fair value and assistance in selecting books they will really enjoy. We want to introduce readers to authors, writers to editors, and everyone to the concept of the electronic book which offers an inexpensive "entry" into publishing.

Most of our readers will be disappointed that books are not free - but we need to charge or our writers won't keep writing! If readers want to keep getting books into the future, I'm afraid we will need to allow our writers to eat the occasional meal. And they need to have a roof over their heads to keep the computer dry. Please don't begrudge them a price of a cup of coffee (not Sandton or Constantia coffee, just ordinary Alberton coffee)

If you are - or want to be - a good writer, a good editor, or a good reader please join our community. The world needs more people like you, and your contribution can encourage and motivate a better publishing industry that will survive the 21st century.

Dianne Volek
InterComm South Africa

WRITE. PUBLISH. READ.

*IMHO = in my humble opinion