Thread: Amanda Hocking

So is Amanda Hocking a one off or the start of a new way forward? I note she is writing for the age range that uses the www as part of daily life.

I had to google Amanda Hocking. Never heard of her before, but it looks like she's doing alright for herself, and good luck to her. Another self-publisher success story to give the traditional market something to think about.

Don't know about answering your question though. For me there is no either or. It's just another author making a name for herself.

But I think fair enough, a lot of people like to ruminate about past methods and future methods of publishing and getting books out there so yeah, I can see where you're coming from.

I think she'll be the start of a new way forward, with the rise of eReaders and the increasing acceptance of the self-publishing industry.

E reading is certainly going to make big differences in some ways, censorship and book burnings die with the twentieth century when you can download a subversive library in minutes with a web connection. the minimum number of sales that make a book worth publishing drops drastically without production and distribution costs and the potential audience rises equally dramatically when you a talking about the English speaking world.

Television has downgraded entertainment in some ways, that is not only because of the profit in catering to a mass audience but also the cost of producing programs makes specialist television un-economical. A book only requires a determined individual. Computers should make possible a book store that is catalogued and cross referenced better than any library. thus catering to minorities as well in time.

On the other hand I am amused to see the lady has entered into an old fashioned publishing deal in the meantime.

Originally Posted by Olly Buckle

So is Amanda Hocking a one off or the start of a new way forward? I note she is writing for the age range that uses the www as part of daily life.

I dunno what you're talking about. I don't suppose you'd care to share it with us, would you?

Originally Posted by Olly Buckle

On the other hand I am amused to see the lady has entered into an old fashioned publishing deal in the meantime.

I wonder if I'm missing something here. I'm not sure why her going for a traditional publishing deal is amusing. From what I gleaned, she tried traditional publishing first, didn't succeed, went for self publishing, and has now been offered a traditional deal on account of her self publishing success. I don't get it. Why's that funny? Or, maybe it's the irony of the whole thing...

Why's that funny? Or, maybe it's the irony of the whole thing...

Amusing rather than funny, its partly the idea of those who turned her down then getting into a bidding war, partly that she, having demonstrated she could do it without them then takes their money and help. It is reminiscent of Tarquin and the Sybil.

Originally Posted by The Backward OX

I dunno what you're talking about. I don't suppose you'd care to share it with us, would you?

You must be able to Google Amanda so presumably you mean the age range thing. She writes for the sort of people who are using social networking sites to pick up their daily gossip and information, that meant she started being talked about and the chain reaction passed critical, or, 'it went viral'.

Originally Posted by Olly Buckle

Amusing rather than funny, its partly the idea of those who turned her down then getting into a bidding war, partly that she, having demonstrated she could do it without them then takes their money and help. It is reminiscent of Tarquin and the Sybil.

Ah, cool. I think I got turned around and assumed you were putting Amanda Hocking down for going after a traditional contract after going it alone in self publishing. I've seen that attitude before and it stinks because in my opnion, all publishing methods are viable options and just because one route isnt initially successful, that doesn't mean an author cant return to it at a later date if it does become viable.

Anyway, sorry to ramble round in circles. I think my brain just died, and I still have to go do real work.

I'd just like to get a piece of what she's doing. $100K/month in sales? I s'pose that's OK....

We can live in hope...

Originally Posted by NicholasJAmbrose

I think she'll be the start of a new way forward, with the rise of eReaders and the increasing acceptance of the self-publishing industry.

The problem with that argument is that most self-published fiction is dire, and even the books with a competent plot are usually poorly written. I've been trying hard to find a decent self-published e-book which wasn't previously published (e.g. an author self-publishing their backlist), and so far I've rarely managed to read more than two pages of the sample chapters before giving up.

I've no doubt that there will be plenty of other successful e-book self-publishers in the future (I'm in the process of testing the waters myself), but they'll have a hard time being accepted if people read through a hundred self-published samples and don't find a single book worth buying.

I can see why she went ahead and published the book herself. Rejection can really hurt, especially when you truly believe you've got something really good on your hands. Its ironic that the same people who rejected her earlier are now falling over themselves trying to get her to sign for them.

The Writer's role has gone through some revolutionary changes over the past few years, with forums like "www.writingforums.com", personal blogs and online publications, and this begs the question, "Are the publishers ready for the revolution too ?"

Movieman and ajay's comments make me think that there is room for an e-publisher who is selective about what they back and provides editing services and advertising for authors on their catalogue. Those I have come across to date seem to be catering to the vanity market.

Olly! You're back!

Out dress shopping for the big day?