Books HarperCollins Decides to Put ‘Em All in One Place
posted by on May 13 at 16:08 PM
It looks like HarperCollins is the first major publisher to get in on this whole Web 2.0 business that all the kids are talking about. Authonomy—not my name, so don’t give me shit for it—is currently in beta testing. Apparently, it’s a way for would-be authors to post their work and have other authors rate it thumbs up or thumbs down. The publisher intends to publish the best in normal, boring old-fashioned book form.
From their blog:
…amidst the flurry of proposals that fill the daily mail bag (proposals that vary quite wildly in quality) the chance of the right book landing on the right desk - and at the right time - has long been creeping perilously close to zero. But if we could start again; use the internet to flush out the brightest, the freshest new literature from the widest pool of talent possible – what might emerge?(W)e’ll be asking writers to upload as much of their manuscript as they choose to an online platform for visitors to read, review, and talk about. And we’ll be using the public’s recommendations to search out the cream of the crop – and showcasing those titles to the book world at large.
It’ll be a transparent system, and most importantly it puts readers back in the spotlight; recognising that it’s the very people that search out, digest, and spread the word about the best new books that have always kept publishing alive.
And while we’ll be keeping a close eye on what emerges, it really isn’t just about getting signed: authonomy is a community - not a writing competition - and like the best communities we hope it will be a bundle of ideas, opinions and voices; swinging, we would hope, from the deadly serious to the downright quirky.
The biggest pitfall for their little online wonderland: many would-be authors that I’ve met are unnaturally obsessed with having their manuscript stolen. They think that book-stealing ninjas are everywhere, ready to abscond with their precious life’s work and then publish it under their own names. But a mass-market social network of authors-to-be could be a big damn deal. At the very worst, it’ll keep them off Facebook.
I see you looking at my book like that....
You can't have it!
This brings back some horrible memories of Fanfiction.net back in the day.
Zoetrope already did this for short stories a while back.
Finally a place for my Firefly fan fiction (you know, besides fan fiction sites)!
Yeah, what's the deal with author's unholy obsession with having their work stolen? Artists/designers have a paranoia about it too. Most of the "examples" of plagiarism that I've seen are just unoriginal ideas that two people had at the same time.
#4: I hate Gill Sans http://www.typotheque.com/articles/re-evaluation_of_gill_sans/ , but I agree with your point
@5 meh. It's better than Helvetica. Anyways, the salacious tales of Eric Gill's life are much more interesting.
Sans serif is the work of Satan.
Manning Publications (well regarded computer book publisher) pioneered this approach several years ago. It is called the Manning Early Access Program (MEAP). We publish early chapters as the authors write them, readers subscribe to the MEAP and receive the chapters immediately upon purchase as PDF downloads, and get regular updates as we post them. This can go on for months, depending on the author. Readers are invited to comment on the manuscript on the Author Forum we make available, which the author monitors. When the book is finally finished, readers receive the final ebook (and the print book as well if they ordered it).
It has taken a while for trade book publishers like HarperCollins to catch on, but they are getting there. Readers like the early access, authors enjoy entering the market months before the print book is ready, and the advantages to the publisher are obvious.
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