Many serious bloggers out there have written books, just as I have done. And some well published authors grew concerned with directions that book publishers took over the past decade.
While individual publishers usually rock… my own growing concerns relate more to:
1). Overworked editors who have little time for any one manuscript in press
2). Long waits without any response or affirmation that materials arrived
3). Letters addressed to, “Dear Writer…” sometimes shoved in duplicate in an envelope
4). An attitude that it is an author’s privilege to wait and wonder for rusty results
5). Fewer and fewer royalties with increased “small print stipulations” in contracts.
It seemed to me that a few big publisher conglomerates bought out the written property of our nation… and tried to make big business off the art and science of writing. I'd love to be dead wrong on that one... because if it is so... it's also scary...
Then came blogs… followed by Digg…. What a refreshing change, and yet ... it’s too early to see if it will add the new media voice many long for. The escalation and popularity of blogs changed the rules from poor editing practices to self-editing… from long waits to the adrenalin rush that comes from Digg readers jumping onto a new post…quick responses that respect good ideas…a sense that we are in the media reports together… better royalties based on hard work and good ideas ... rather than on whims of big business. Hope is left for the nation’s communications network....
Now it’s time to unite mainstream media and the blogosphere in ways that both benefit communication networks. Do you agree that unity between these two groups could bring a new voice to each…?
Ellen, do you think this new urgency to share ideas and information freely aligns with Howard Gardner's notion that many journalists today "feel" pressured by employers and no longer report news and documentaries in a fair and unbiased way?
Posted by: Robyn McMaster | July 1, 2006 6:21 PM | Permalink to Comment