The Authonomy Experiment

For those who've never heard about Authonomy.com, the brain child of Harper Collins UK, here's a basic summary:

Aspiring novelists can post part or all of the books to a community of writers who will vote for the top five books to be sent to editors at HC every month. Those books are then reviewed, and if Harper Collins so chooses, they can acquire those books for publication.

Why do I call this an experiment? Because HC is trying something new and unproven to, as they have said, flush out new talent. The bigger question, though, is has this experiment worked?

I can only offer the perspective of one writer who actively participated on the site for six months; from the day the beta version was opened to the general populace last September until just a few months ago. Just this weekend I deleted my account, so my comments and opinions will have no bearing on my standing within that online community.

It started out as a grand idea. "Beat the slush!" the site proclaimed. Get your chance to have an editor at a large publisher to read—and even better yet—acquire your book without having to deal with agents or the traditional route of querying. In all manners, it sounded like a great idea.

And for many purposes, it is a good idea, but not really in the way HC intended it. At the end of my sojourn there, I can positively say it helped me tremendously by connecting me with other writers who taught me more about the craft of writing than I had learned in the four previous years it took me to write my book. I learned to hone my craft through the critiques people offered on my writing, and through critiquing others' work.

Has anyone been picked up for publication by HC because of Authonomy? Yes. One person whose book I completely support. (HC claims two others came from the HC slush, but those two authors had agents who made the deals. Their participation on Authonomy was nearly nonexistent.)

Did any of those books come from the Editor's Desk? No. Only one book has even had a request for the full manuscript, and that was summarily rejected just like the rest.

So have HC's purposes in the site been met? That depends on what their intents really are. They said in the beginning it was to find new talent. If that is true, they have one success story from among the thousands of books that have been posted there, many of which I have read and, though many are still rough, have a lot of potential in them.

If HC's purposes are actually for publicity and monetizing of the slush, as has been argued by several Authonomites (with supporting evidence of ads now gracing the site and a self-publishing POD plan in the works), then I suppose they are achieving their goals. The only problem with that is that they are manipulating the authors who have, in trust, placed their work before the masses—and the editors at Harper Collins—without there having been a true intention of following through with their stated purpose.

What drove me from the site, though, was the sniping, arguing, and backstabbing that ran rampant in the effort to attain the hallowed Editor's Desk. I got tired of being called names and vilified by others for my sincerity.

Whenever you introduce competition, you bring out the best in some and the worst in others. Just this weekend, I heard from friends I've met on Authonomy and continue to associate with, that a certain writer posted his book two days previously and has risen to high rank of 17 because he asked his devout YouTube and video game followers to vote for his book. After 750 such backers, it is obvious that he will make the Editor's Desk. (For another perspective on this, visit Fake Plastic Souks.)

What is the value of all that support if it doesn't come with the blessing of the Authonomy community? Not much, if you are truly looking to improve your work by critiquing and receiving critiques on your work. But if his only intent is to put it before the editors at HC, he can be rejected as swiftly as the others before him.

Many claim that such antics break the system of Authonomy. But I wonder if HC doesn't revel in the publicity this garners for them. A captive audience of nearly 1,000 gamers at one time is what publishers' dreams are made of.

So it all rests with HC's true motives behind this venture. Yes, they have been lauded by the publishing and social networking communities for their enterprising venture. But the big question is whether the site has succeeded as a tool for finding writing talent. That would, sadly, be no. It is a great social gathering place, a writers' forum, and even a fun waste of time, but it is not, nor I doubt it will ever be, a successful way to acquire new books from talented writers.

Why? Because it is too focused on the competitive, on the social climbing and mutual back scratching that one finds whenever a game is being played without rules. People will make up their own rules, and then will be declaimed by others as cheating.

So to all the other publishers who might be considering such a venture, don't do it. One Authonomy is more than enough to show that it won't work to find new talent. And if you do want to set up your own marketing of self-publishing scheme, come clean and tell people the true intent from the beginning. It will save a lot of wasted time and effort for the writers involved.

The traditional route of finding an agent may be tough, and some talent may slip through the cracks, but it's better than the Dancing with the Survivor that is Authonomy.

Supremely spoiled

I feel spoiled to work for such an excellent book company and under such fine tutelage. Why, you may ask, is this being spoiled? Because I have such high standards for book quality that I find many other publishers disappoint by comparison.

I'm learning the ins of publishing, from the first conceptual stages of acquisitions through the editing and design process, all the way up to the marketing stages of a book. On any given book I work on, I have my hand in it all.

The up side? I know more about the whole process than many who work in large publishing houses because I have to know what happens and how to control it at every stage. The down side? It has made me spoiled for when I'll eventually have my own book published.

I know what great design is, and when I view books out in the marketplace, I'm often disappointed. You need a great story, of course, but before any reader picks up the book, they see the cover. If that cover is cheesy or kitschy, well, that can be a turnoff right from the start.

Working in publishing has helped me understand that you have to trust your publisher, editor, and designer implicitly if the book is to succeed, but being the do-it-myself type of girl that I am, I'll want to have my hand in the design pie as well.

It's a little too early to really be thinking of such things since I still don't even have an agent, but I can't help wondering what my book will look like. Matte finish with spot gloss on the cover image? Could be nice. Some embossing with a gloss overlay? Maybe cloth over board to give it a sophisticated feel. The possibilities (in my mind, at least) are endless.

But in the end, it will be up to the publisher. That means I'd better sign a contract with a good one*, now doesn't it.


*Note: The quality of publishers doesn't depend upon size. I work for a smaller house that produces excellent quality books. But that is probably a discussion for another day.

P.S. To answer the question you're probably asking: I write fiction, but I work for a nonfiction publisher. Hence, why I'm not going through them to publish my book.

When is it enough?

I've often heard writers ask, "When is my book done? When have I finished writing it?" I ask myself the same question. Frequently.

For the past few months I've focused on sending queries out to agents, and after initially good responses to my queries, I've since gotten rejections from some of those same agents. The standard line? "I didn't love it enough."

What is enough? I wonder. I love my book, which is why I wrote it. I even think it's close to being as done as I can get it—without outside editorial help, of course. But is it good enough?

I think it is. Really I do, but I also think I haven't found the right person yet who will love it and cherish it as much as I do. This may simply be the wrong time to be out shopping a young adult historical fiction. (Sorry, there are no vampires or zombies in this tale.)

What there is, though, is a story of heart and triumph over tragedy. Maybe now's not the time for it to make a big splash in the national publishing scene, but that doesn't mean I'm about to give up. I'll keep going, keep querying, keep seeking feedback on what I've written. And it may be that a small no-name publisher decides to take it on because they love it as much as I do. I'm realizing that will be more important than any six-figure advance because what I wrote will mean something to someone.

The moral of this tale? Don't give up. Even if you have to change your expectations, do whatever you need to do to achieve your dreams. It's worth it.

Sick and tired of being sick and tired

Well, I haven't blogged in awhile because I've been sick with a variety of things (flu, cough, eyelid surgery), plus I've been really tired because of that.

I really have nothing to say other than: I'm not dead, and I plan to blog more when I do have something to say.

Other than that, have a great week.

Glutton

I feel like one large gluttonous mass. When I want something I get it, eat it, or pay for it. Self-restraint has never been my forté.

Why does this worry me? Well, with all the treats I've eaten lately, I've gained weight. With all the things I've bought, I use up all my money. With all the things I don't feel like doing, I become lazy and selfish.

Long story twitterized: I need to get back in control. No more giving in.

Why write?

Honestly, it can be troublesome. Writers are a misunderstood lot. People expect that it’s easy. All you do it type words onto a screen. As long as you understand the basic rules of grammar, you should be set.

Ah, but it is not quite that simple. One may write without being a writer. Written communication is essential to the world in which we live, but how often do you read something that lacks the basic essence of writing: clarity, energy, vitality, and ease of understanding?

Writers understand the essence and passion behind the words. Words are only symbols for the deeper meaning embedded in them. A writer can take letters—numerous, seemingly random strings of them—and craft them into something that hits the core of who we are as human beings.

I don’t profess to be a writer, at least not yet. I’m working toward it. The most poignant example I’ve come across lately is a personal one. In writing my book Surviving Eden, I found a poem by Emily Dickinson that, in eight lines, captures the entire essence of what took me about 300 pages to express.

Eden is that old-fashioned House
We dwell in every day,
Without suspecting our abode
Until we drive away.
How fair, on looking back, the Day
We sauntered from the door,
Unconscious our returning
Discover it no more.

She is a writer; I am only her apprentice.

So why write? As they say, there are only eight or so plots in the world; everything else is just repetition of the same. Essentially, there is nothing inherently new that we can write. But does that really matter?

I write because my life would be empty without it. I wouldn’t be me. Neither would I understand who I am as a person. When I write, I discover essential qualities about myself and my life. I can put things in the proper context instead of wandering around guessing at what they may mean.

I write to share a part of me with others and to make a piece—even a minuscule one—of humanity better.

Those are just some of the reasons I write. What are yours?

Is the world full of aspiring writers?

Everywhere I turn, someone is writing a book. Myself included, obviously, but I'm wondering just how many people in the world, or even just the US, think of themselves as budding authors?

I can't think of another profession (and yes, writing is a real profession) where people profess to have the talent/ability with nothing more than a desire. Art? To some extent. Acting? Well, there are plenty out there, but I don't know of many closet actors. Closet writers, now. There are millions of them. Anyone with a pen and paper can be a writer.

There's a rather random statistic that 80% of people in the US say they have a book within them that they want to put to paper some time during their life. There are about 300 million people living in America at the moment. So 80% of that is 240 million (feel free to correct my math if I'm wrong). I know that's not an entirely accurate number, but honestly, anything even close to that is mind-boggling.

If that many people truly want to write, would there be enough people to purchase all those books? And would most of them be worth buying or even reading?

Lately, every time I tell someone I've written a book and am searching for an agent, they tell me about the amazing story that they want to write. I'll tell you right now that the majority of those stories probably would not sell in the marketplace. Publishing is fickle, and while no one can really predict trends or what will succeed, there are some pretty big indicators that certain ideas wouldn't do well: lack of talent, lack of commitment, lack of a good plot.

So am I trying to dissuade anyone from writing? Certainly not. If you have a passion for it, then do what you must to accomplish your goals. I just think some caution is needed. If all signs are pointing out that you won't make it as a professional writer, maybe it's time to listen.

If this posts disturbs you on some primal level, ignore it. Keep writing. Who am I to stop you? I'm just tired and rambling.