"...as I welcome Brent Lank, a very successful writer and publisher. So, Brent in the midst of the collapse of the publishing industry over the last decade why do you think you have been so successful?" I don't really care for these types of dated interviews, but it was Amazon after all and they were the only oldmedia still in business.
"A lot has to do with marketing and using the newest technologies to connect to readers and as a way to market myself. Taking advantage of the opportunity the demise of the old publishing model offers is also a part of it."
"What do you mean by 'taking advantage'?"
"What I'm saying is that when New York was still the hub of publishing, when the conglomerates were making the deals and decisions, and of course, because of the advent of the new integrated un/grid technology, I could not have become the successful publishing author that I am today." As soon as I finished speaking the blogcaster from Amazon Media lobbed another one my way.
"So, what's your take on the impact of the 2016 100mile law and how it limits the hard copy production of books." asked the blogcaster.
"Well, by the time the price of gas finally came down to $14 a gallon and most of the media conglomerates and traditional means of publishing, distribution, and book selling collapsed, it made sense for us to make some drastic changes. The Supreme Court said that hard copies must be printed within 100 miles of where they are bought and sold. Additionally, that number of oldbooks can be printed is now dictated by the number of electronic sales for any given market. Ninety-eight percent of all people now read newmedia or newbooks."
"So, in your local market only two percent of books are oldbooks? Doesn't that make them more expensive? Something only collectors can afford?" the blogcaster leaned in as if she would be able to better hear me though her monitor.
"I love a great physical book as much as the next person. But now that newmedia and newbooks are so inexpensive and since almost everyone is connected to the un/grid, surely this localized, micropub culture we have instituted in the wake of Depression2 is far more sustainable than that bloated bygone model that made oldbooks so cheap."
"But what about those that aren't connected, are there no books for them at all?" she asked me?
"There are programs in place to help those people and you must take into consider all of the jobs that micropresses have created because of the 100mile law. And just think about how many people are writing and publishing these days. Look at all of the collaboration that goes into projects like my own Brainstorms."
"Isn't a lot of this just vanity publishing?" her eyes gave away the subtle sarcasm in her voice.
"Not with the project that I am working on. With the aid of aiEditor 3.0 (vastly improved in its subtle comprehension of language) I can get chapters and other pieces of writing out in hours or days. You have to spend some time working with the software before you go live but once you feel comfortable it opens up great opportunities for reader feedback and collaboration. I can't tell you what a great response I am getting from my subscribers and..."
The blogcaster spoke just loud enough to cut me off in the middle of my sentence. "Well, thank you for coming on and sharing your view with me. Good luck with endeavors. And with that I'll say farewell. Please join me tomorrow for my interview with Governor Cruise. We will talk about his plan to make intergalactic history a part of high school curriculum."
3 comments:
Humor and enthusiasm in such troubled times for the industry, how do you do it? I love the idea of the 100mile law.
Thanks, I have to say that I had a lot of fun with this story/blog. I think it might be the first time that I have really allowed myself to make up words and concepts. Often that comes across as cheesy, but I think some of it works here.
Governor Cruise? No!
I wonder if we'll see anything like a 100-mile law? I wouldn't be surprised. In many ways, it makes sense.
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