My writing is not in the mainstream because it sucks (my writing or the mainstream?--no, the mainstream, which sucks for not wanting my writing—no, that's arrogant, no, wait a minute….)
Well, that title could’ve gone on a lot longer! But let’s get out of the bold type face and into the plain: is that what “underground” writing is all about, not good enough for ‘the show’?
If OJ can get (almost) published (until the world justifiably puked) with his “If I Was More A Than Retired Football Player With One Concussion Too Many, And I Killed My Wife, Her Boy Friend And If They Paid Me Enough To Say It, Hell For Another Million I'd Say I Killed JFK, Here Is How I Would Have Done It As Long As They Are Paying Me And Someone Else Writes It And Where Is My Money?”, why not me, uh, us?
Why do millions of readers want to see Stephen King’s latest (Stephen King is a good writer), but not mine (is Stephen King coming to my defense, after all of the nice things I have written about him—will he say something good about me to his agent)?
Are Outsider Writers wannabes? That you ask such questions only demonstrates your ignorance. No wonder you aren’t buying my stuff (assuming I could get anyone to sell it of course).
Like most Outsider Writers, I was born a writer. Who can explain why we write? It’s a drive, it’s on automatic without a low gear. We write because we ‘have to’. Speaking just for myself (although I would be happy to speak for you, and apparently have already done so several times already) I started writing when I was six or seven, and never stopped. Slowed down at times, but never stopped. If I do not write something (preferably something “creative”, but at least something) every two or three weeks, I start getting angry, irritated, unsettled. Life has less and less of a point. I am, on some fundamental level, not fulfilling my function, my reason for being.
Note: I never said my writing is good. Good is not the point. Writing—that is the point. If the writing’s any good, even better, but not necessary. Good is gravy.
However, me aside, most of Outsider Writers’ writing is very good. That is why small publishers are willing to mortgage their homes to publish it. So. If it is so good, why is mainstream publishing not full of it? Uh, that is, why is mainstream publishing not full of Outsider Writers’ writing (and try saying that ten times fast)?
Two reasons.
Reason A: Mainstream publishing is similar to what it was ten years ago, a hundred years ago, or for that matter, ten minutes after the printing press was invented. The public that mainstream publishing caters to does not always want to be challenged, provoked or, well, have their face rubbed in real life. A lot of the time readers want to be entertained, they want to relax after a long day, they want an escape (all those are different, by the way). Outsider Writing, by definition, wants people to think. It wants to provoke, to challenge. It is edgy, uncomfortable. It does not want you to accept the world, it wants you to change the world.
Of course, sometimes mainstream publishing puts out some very good stuff, and sometimes independent publishers put out greeting card poems.
Reason B: Mainstream publishing is nothing like what it was ten years ago, a hundred years ago, or ten minutes after the printing press was invented. It has all changed—for the worse.
Yes, there were always big publishers and little publishers. Big publishers were always interested in the mass market (which generally means the less controversial the better), while small publishers were always interested in an independent vision—what mattered was whether the book was good, not whether it would be a best seller.
But today? Oy vey.
Big publishing houses are often a “department” in a larger company. One part of the company publishes books, another makes movies, a third television shows, a fourth garbage trucks. This is called vertical integration. One of the big ideas in vertical integration is that the departments work together; so, for example, books can be published by a garbage truck. Or maybe it’s that the books go straight into the garbage. Often it is hard to tell.
The pressure on a big publishing house to make money was bad enough when it only had to report to itself. But now it has to not only turn a profit, but when another department in the company fails, it is expected to help make up the loss. The end result? The invasion of Iraq. No, wait, that’s from another kind of vertical integration.
This is all only a small part of the whole problem. Another time, we’ll get into how hard it is to get your writing to that larger audience. Mainstream publishers generally no longer accept ‘unsolicited’ manuscripts, the larger agents often won’t accept ‘unsolicited’ manuscripts, last week the post office refused to even mail my manuscript.
Outsider Writing does not fit into mainstream publishing because mainstream publishing does not think it will sell enough books—mainstream publishing is wrong, but this rant is already too long to begin with, but not long enough to end with.
Last update : 25-03-2007 12:20
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By: Pat King (Guest) on 25-03-2007 19:04