Publishers and Patrons of the Arts

[cristina]

This "Dappled Things" initiative of nurturing young Catholic writers is very promising.

However, if we are to launch a literary movement (which I think is what we're doing) I think it's also important to develop publishers, editors, literary agents and patrons of the arts.

There are many talented writers who can't get published, and mediocre writers whose works become best sellers. THere are also a lot of authors whose works originally got rejected by mainstream publishers. Then, when the authors self-published the works, they became best sellers. Often, publishers make mistakes in deciding what's publishable. I wonder if it's because publishers have narrow, pre-conceived ideas about what's marketable and what's not. I also wonder if some best sellers are best sellers not because they're well-written, but because they're well marketed.

Thoughts?

[katycarl]

Agreed. The publishing world is a mess, a lovely mess sometimes but no less of one for that. I think you put your finger on the difficulties we face with it as young writers, too. The problem is not so much finding publishers -- there are scads of them at big and small presses alike -- but finding publishers who truly judge by timeless literary merit rather than by some contemporary barometer or by that word that makes my blood run cold, "marketability."

Perhaps what could help us, more than anything, is a list of good publishers to go to -- a list of ways we can target our submissions toward the kinds of publishers who want to publish the kinds of writers we want to become -- publishers who would trade a hundred readers this year for ten readers in ten years, who would trade those ten for one in a hundred years. Maybe we could even use a list of publications, like writers' magazines and what not, that can help to point us in these directions.

We could appeal outside for this -- or, by golly, we could start constructing the list ourselves. Maybe it would even merit a board of its own in this forum (if not, we could create an evergrowing thread within an existing board): a place where, from our own individual research, we can post the names of likely-looking literary magazines, small presses and big publishers. We can collect there all kinds of good advice that we hear or read: about how to approach these, about how to send submissions and queries. We can record and share valuable things that our professors and mentors tell us. As we gain experience, we can warn each other about pitfalls that we see, places that aren't good to go to, that don't treat their writers well or that don't publish the kinds of things we want to write. We can debate and discuss those opinions. We can, literarily, test everything and retain what is good.

After all, it really is an exhausting undertaking to winnow through all the information that is out there, and expensive to purchase sample copies of dozens of different literary magazines to find out whether they're good venues for your work. Well, with this network, we could share our information in a way that helps to preserve each other's energy for the actual writing and artistic work.

We want this to be a community, right? Where was there ever a community that didn't in some way share goods -- not just intellectual and moral support, but real practical advice as well?

What do y'all think? Is it quixotic? Is it crazy -- or just crazy enough to work? Who wants in?

[walker]

Well-worded, cristina.

I think a writer should be mindful of marketability in this sense: that most good stories are simple and universally appealing, that is, marketable. A young writer who has to caveat any submission with "I know it seems complex, but take some time to get into it, get the full picture" is asking that which he would not abide if he was in the editor's chair. I find a lot of good art has an instantly striking characteristic in it which only then entices further discovery.

I've spent a long time thinking over modern art (which I love) and I see that it mostly fails its public in this way. Much of it is deep, profound, powerful, even prophetic, but in refusing to present itself in some way that touches the viewer where they are at, it holds itself aloof and asks too much. Those pieces of modern art which most people can remember and name, Warhol's soup cans, Pollock's forceful splotches, have an instantaneous aspect to them that stays with the viewer even long after that viewer disallows any profundity in the pieces.

Then you have books like Brideshead Revisited which, I feel, would be very difficult to summarize or market, but which appeal to me precisely by having qualities which evade marketability.

So its a super fine line, but I can see why a publisher would err too simple than too complex.

That's an awesome idea, katycarl, by the way. I'm in.

[cristina]

I like katycarl's suggestion. Count me in, too.

I agree with Walker that writers should be mindful of marketability. The problem is, sometimes editors and publishers have a poor idea of what's marketable. For example, sometimes magazine editors tend to think that a cliche-studded interview of a celeb on his/her philosophy of life is automatically more interesting than, say, an article about the unusual hobby of my unknown next-door neighbor. I see the problem most in youth magazines or in youth sections of broadsheet dailies. Editors tend to assume that "youthful" means "vacuous" and that young people can't take substance.

I think it will also help if we get tips on how to market our own works.

[katycarl]

Okay. I have to dash right now or I'll miss the shuttle, but on the ride I'll be thinking about ways to construct this kind of resource. It would help if y'all had your own ideas and wanted to throw them out here in this thread, too.

[pierregambotsky]

I think such a thread is a great idea! Perhaps we could have it in the Announcements section.

[pierregambotsky]

Oops! I see announcements is gone now! Well, scratch that then. Maybe if it picks up we could talk to the staff members.

[katycarl]

Here then is my idea. Let's start making "Publishers, Patrons & Good Advice" threads in this board. If the concept takes off and an overwhelming lot of them appear, perhaps then, as you say, we could ask for a dedicated board.