At first glance, things look rather grim for storytellers—or authors, as they are commonly referred to today. Bookstores are going bankrupt; traditional publishers are at war with their online rivals; pirated e-books are sailing the digital seas in record numbers; and of course, there are the widespread rumors of an impending reading apocalypse…
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| "Paper or Plastic?" (Which side of the publishing war are you on?) -Photo by Peter Usagi |
But even more disturbing than the current conflicts in the sale and distribution of published works, is a shift in how writing is viewed as a career. According to author Seth Godin, if you're a writer, you have no right to make money anymore. It's a little harsh, but he does have a very good point:
“Who said you have a right to cash money from writing? Poets don’t get paid (often), but there’s no poetry shortage. The future is going to be filled with amateurs, and the truly talented and persistent will make a great living. But the days of journeyman writers who make a good living by the word — over.”
Blogs are dethroning journalists, reality TV and YouTube are turning the everyman into celebrities, and thanks to Amazon and Lulu, now anyone can publish a book. With so much freedom, and so few gatekeepers, publishing is starting to look a lot like cable TV: thousands of choices, but nothing worth reading.
