In reply to random_developer.

Maybe 🙂

Cool idea. Might work.

Hi Pat-

I suspect most authors still think in terms of publishing contracts, and it’s been a stretch to get many (including me!) to see alternatives.

So there’s a learning curve. And authors are pretty much eternally hosed if they sign with a legacy publisher (see Joe Konrath at http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/2012/05/unconscionability.html). Ironic, yes, but we’re dealing with human minds & their habits of thought more than with the capabilities of the internet.

But all it takes is time. Self-publishing (or “indie” publishing, a term I prefer) was really hard to do successfully until someone built tools to make it practical. This next step is just waiting, I think, on a toolset. If an author is already publishing work in other places, there’s no real downside to publishing via the mechanism I outline at the same time. And if that happens…well, my opinion is probably already clear.

Thanks for the kind words.

Hi

Interesting, and I’m enjoying following your line of thought on this – which could, quite separately, be hatched as a backdrop to a short fiction story and get more exposure.

But is it me missing some the tech aspects, or the overall thrust, or is there an irony here? Is the distributed tech idea, in general, what the internet/web is, fundamentally? So it helps to free writers to share/publish work, albeit through middlemen, i.e. the folks who showed the way to utilise that tech but who are now, effectively, the new gatekeepers in writers’ heads…and that is not needed, ultimately?

Internet/web frees, perhaps absolutely, but writers/authors still fall to a default ‘bind’ mentality, missing the bigger possibilities while praising internet/web in era of e-books?

Would be interested to know your view.

I suppose ‘publishing’ agreements would be used here as a limitation – i.e. you can’t do that if your ebook is being distributed by us [name an ebook retailer]. So, how would a bunch of authors put works out there? Pick one or more and use exclusively for the ‘project’, thereby having no complications?

Building on the above thought on blinkered POVs, there might be further perceived hurdles – not understanding nor wanting to understand the tech aspects, never mind business/publishing…

A niche, subset of writers with biz & tech savvy may join such efforts. In the end, though, the real love is creating stories – content, which you note will always be needed.

Again, interesting, and enjoyed the piece. Thanks.

best, Pat