Publishing industry changes . . .
There is no doubt that the publishing industry is changing. The best agent blogs in the business are constantly indicating this. Writers forums too are saying the same thing: the industry is tightening up, its developing to become fully competitive in a digital age. Its squaring up to fight e-books, POD, self-publishing and whatever else will be thrown at it as technology leaps ahead with the speed of light.
As a writer and one who has trodden the POD path through the publishing agency of YouWriteOn.com, the thing that I have noticed over the years that I have been writing and submitting is that the demands placed on the writer are now enormous. 
Once upon a time, it was enought that one had a good story. If the story was deemed sell-able and the house signed that person, then the editors would just move in, do what they had to do to coach the manuscript to publishing point and all would be well. I even know of an Australian wing of a global publishing house who sent an editor to live-in with the fiction writer so that her work could be groomed to the required level.
Gone are the days.
I have my work assessed by a literary consultancy in the UK and this time I have noticed a big change. This time I am required to have more than the good, commercially viable story. This time I must be word and letter perfect, punctuation perfect . . . let’s face it copy-edit, line-edit perfect, and all before submission/querying to an agent/publisher. That’s how tough the industry has become.
I am not decrying such a system. In the world of commercial success, every publishing house must offer the best if they are to succeed in a dog-eat-dog world. What does concern me though, is that despite all the work we new writers may put in, paying for assessments, line-edits and whatever else may be required, there is still dross on the shelves in the bookshops that is being released in a steady stream. Not only that, there are edit mistakes inside these tomes.
I wish I wasn’t a writer sometimes because I tend to read critically now whereas once I read with unadulterated pleasure. 
These days there always seems to be a metaphorical red pen handy. And I loathe it because it means that others must read my own books in the same way.
But it’s probably why I go back to the classic favourites so often: Austen, the Brontes, Sei Shonagon and the more contemporary classics of Dorothy Dunnett, Mary Stewart, Tolkein . . . an eclectic but very elegant group who don’t require metaphorical red pens and whom I can trust.
What does occur to me is that in the run to make money, to tackle the digital world head on, we are losing sight of something. In my foggy state after completing a 1500 word target for today, I haven’t a clue what it is we have lost sight of. But it lurks like a stain on laundry and when I discover what it is, rest assured I shall let you know.
What we are losing is imagination. Publishers are so focused on product that they have lost sight of content. Writers are so busy editing and marketing that we have lost the time in which we used to dream and deveolp stories.
Hi Jeff, thanks for the lightbulb moment. Because you are right, that’s what it is . . . there is no time for imagination. Over the last few months, I have spent HOURS AND DAYS on the technical presentation of what is deemed a commercially viable story. Once, as you say, I used to ‘dream’ my stories. Now I don’t have time.
Again I have to say that I don’t mind being urged to reach that much higher, that much harder but I hate that I must be judged on the use of a comma rather than a semi-colon. I’d much rather be judged on whether the story was a bloody good story or not.
I agree with Jeff. I don’t think any of the authors you mentioned wrote their books with a marked in mind – they wrote what they wanted to read/write, without bothering about marketability. And became classics.
I think it’s like with movies – no original screenplays because they’re too risky and then they’re surprised when little independent gems make millions (when their billion dollar movies without a story tank). It’s the same for writers, I guess. Little independent gems can start on Lulu or other POD companies and be picked up by the giants of publishing.
Let’s focus on our story/plot/characters and forget the run to make money. In this exciting, globalized world we have other means to publish our books and reach people most of our ancestors could only dream of…
That’s very true Barb. Which is why the industry is in such a state of flux at the moment.
I think what’s been lost is the chance that publishers will find a diamond in the rough – a fabulous story with a great voice that isn’t quite perfect yet, but once it’s polished up, it will outshine those technically perfect manuscripts that have barely changed since landing in the laps of the publishers.
I think we’re also in danger of losing the art of the editor – or, rather, publishing houses are in danger of losing that. Editors who are more interested in editing than markets will look for positions in agencies or, even, form their own consultancies. At least I hope they’ll do that and stay within reach of writers, because a good editor is a precious thing indeed.
I also think that now more than ever writers need each other. I have some very dear writing friends from when I did my MA and we all share work, ideas and feedback – there is a lot of ‘ooh, I read this newspaper article and thought of you and cut it out’ and ‘read this book, you’ll love it’ as well as really wonderful editing and honest critiquing of each other’s work. It’s exactly these kinds of groups that writers are going to need to help them make their books into the diamonds that publishers demand.
(And off-topic – I had a very exciting and lovely parcel waiting for me when I got home today! Thank you ever so much, it’s gorgeous! You must have known that I love silver – so pretty. And I’ve spent quite a while starting at how neat and pretty your stitches are – I’ve got a lot of practice! I just need to find something special to use it for now 🙂 )
I agree with everything you have said, Clare. Its those fabulous stories that we just don’t seem to get anymore in this age of mass-marketing. That in no way denigrates those authors that I read and love that are from contemporary writers (Juliet Marillier, Rosamunde Pilcher, Robin Pilcher to name just three among a huge list that I can see right now on my book-shelves). But I know and trust those authors . . . I would like to go into a bookstore and pick up an unknown and have my socks blown off.
As to editors, I am unaware of what’s happening within the industry from an industry POV, just that from a writer’s POV we are being asked to up the ante to a pre-publication level before submitting and that is very different to even 10 years ago! Certainly where my books are assessed is a consultancy established by editors who have left the houses and gone out on their own.
I love the idea of critique groups and wish that I belonged to one such, but I am unable to find any local ones so must rely on those accessible on the net such as YWO.com
Re the embroidered bag, I had the idea it might suit you . . . I love the work you display on your blog and it is absolutely my pleasure. Besides, anyone who has the good fortune to see a Robin Hood re-enactment and who lives in Nottingham wins a prize in my book. As you can see I am rather a fan of Robin Hood (BBC, not Russell Crowe). Thanks for your wise comment.
Oh, and I’m with you on the frustration of reading as a writer – it’s so much harder to read for enjoyment these days, I’m so busy mentally red-penning and analysing, it’s hard to simply relish the reading.
Came across your blog sometime ago, and noticed a linked view to my page today. Happened to come back and can’t believe this post is here! This is a topic that has been on my mind a lot recently, the changes and flux in current publishing trends.
To me, it seems that you are absolutely correct: mass marketing has taken over publishing. Eveyone has an eye out for what can make the most money. Sadly, the most popular trend I see these days is a huge wave of Young Adult fiction. Eveyone wants to write the next Twilight, and readers of all ages are searching for the next saga. Bookstores want to sell books, so they heap mass quanitities of YA on their shelves, and all of a sudden I walk into a bookstore at an airport and YA is 5 bookshelves deep and literary fiction is 3. What happened?
My favorite books these days (from a literary POV) are by contemporary women writers (Alice Hoffman, Carol Goodman) but I adore going back to the classics (Fitzgerald and Edith Wharton). I’m not saying YA is a bad genre, I just think it’s become incredibly formulaic and that is the sad part.
These days I avoid most YA and love when I get an ARC by a debut author and it blows my mind (The Yellow House by Patricia Falvey for example). Someday I want to BE the editor you speak of, the one who wants to work with and help authors, not from a marketing or sales-driven point of view, but from the love of a good, original book. 🙂
Keep in touch, Alayne. Some day not far away I am going to need a top notch editor!
I came here via Creative Barb’s site. Great post, Prue — very insightful!
One point in your post was very similar to my own rant (my post was one, not that I saw it as a rant in yours :-)) about how I’m not able to just ‘read’ anymore. It is called “Reading is fun no more”.
And I really lament the disappearance of hand-written notes and letters myself. In addition to conveying the writer’s feelings and emotions – by the slant of writing or the extra blob of ink at one word, or a splash that looks suspiciously like a spilled tear – it also affords us time to think through. This in turn helps us to not respond hastily and regret it later, which is what happens many times with these technology-oriented responses!