This new world of publishing is the only one I've ever known, having begun my journey as a published author in 2012. I obsess daily over my Amazon rankings and check NovelRank to keep an eye on how many books have sold, even though I know they're unreliable. I check the number of hits I've had on my website and blog and keep track of the tweets I've posted for various books to gauge any correlation. My web presence checklist for each new release is about seventeen places and growing daily, it seems. That's not including any guest blogs I'm appearing on and must write content for. And, in between all this compulsive behavior I need to focus on writing the next book.
All of which led me to ponder how it was in the days prior to the internet and blog sites. The days when each page of a manuscript had to be printed out, bound in rubber bands, and mailed from the post office to the traditional publishers or agents who would then determine its fate. I've heard stories of Nora Roberts appearing on QVC to promote her latest book. I know book signings were more abundant back then, and people would be on the road for weeks at a time. Now, all I have to do it push a button to reach hundreds, or hopefully, thousands of potential readers. I guess a little obsessing over numbers is worth it.
My latest WIP features Rosemary Fitzpatrick, who is an author true to her day. She writes dime novels, so, in writing her story, I've had to learn a bit about what printing was like in the late 1850s. Her love interest is the man who has just taken over the publishing house where her stories emanate from, and many of their scenes take place in the office of the publishing house. Any student of journalism can tell you about lead type boxes and the tedium of creating headlines and text one upside-down letter at a time, then setting all of it into a frame. Ink was then rolled onto the lead letters and a sheet of paper laid over top and pressed into the ink. The advent of computer programs has now made lead type obsolete, and printing is much faster now. Several times I've been able to witness the big presses used for magazines and newspapers in action.
We've come a long way. Books can be printed electronically in a flash, and the length of time from manuscript to finished product sometimes takes my breath away. But the smell of ink on the printed page is still one of my favorite scents of all time.
Good morning. Yes, I remember the days of printed out endless of pages of manuscript, saving big rubber bands and boxes in which to mail it off to publishers with 'that' hope. Sometimes it paid off and sometimes it did not. One thing that occurred to me, with the ease of emailing scripts out now, compared to the old days, is we writers are quicker to click a button and just send-send-send to editors without really putting a lot of time into researching if they even put out our kind of book. Why? Partially because it's quick and free. Not $5 and a trip to the post office.
ReplyDeleteSo while this new modern world does have a perk or two, we need to remember the basics of submissions. And writing. And still putting out the best work we can.
Good advice RyanJo. The playing field may have changed, but the rules still apply. Put out the best work you can.
DeleteIt reminds me of that movie Julie and Julia, where she's typing up her cookbook on a typewriter, and then boxing up the big stack of papers to send it out. When I was looking at different publishers to submit to I came across two of them that wanted the manuscript printed out and mailed. It was interesting, and expensive, but I did it. Great post!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Angela. I've only submitted a printed manuscript once, and I think it got shipped to England. It was expensive, that's all I remember. And, a year later, getting a rejection.
DeleteInteresting post, Becky. I've been through it all, from typing with a manual typewriter and making copies via old fashioned printers, to "smart" typewriters and dot matrix, to the glories of now. I would never go back to the slow, inconvenient, and expensive world of yesteryear.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you, Deborah. Although I sometimes feel like I've got an umbilical cord to my laptop.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Becky. I remember using a mimeograph machine back in the day, my fingers dyed purple. Sometimes it's hard to imagine those days now, in the age of instant, and far less messy, communication.
ReplyDeleteAh, yes, the days of purple fingers! How times have changed.
DeleteI enjoyed reading this, Becky. It made me consider printed books, signings and the hope the book did well. My first book is being released this summer and with the age of electronics, it's amazing how many places an author has to post now. Mind boggling!
ReplyDeleteIt must have been so hard to get noticed before, even if you did find a publisher. Now, there are any number of places to get the word out, and more cropping up every day.
ReplyDeleteGreat discussion topic, Becky. I've only once sent the obligatory 3 copies of complete ms to England at great expense and received a rejection letter. It was such a relief when publishers started to ask for emailed ms's. But I do remember my first IBM golfball typewriter...thought I'd died and gone to heaven. And you could pull out the balls and put different ones in if you wanted another font :-). Sounds like we grew up in the 19th century when we talk about 'those days'!
ReplyDeleteI remember the golfball typewriters, too! Boy, those were the days.
DeleteBecky, my first draft of Love's Destiny was written in longhand. The next draft was typed on a 5 1/4 inch floppy using dos. I love the ease of drafting, revising, and submitting today. What a fun post!
ReplyDeleteSuch an interesting post! My mom was a typesetter back in the good old days working for the town's newspaper printing office. She split a fingernail there. She was about 17 when it happened and she still has that split in her nail at age 89. I can't imagine typing on an old Underwood. I would have given up!
ReplyDeleteThought provoking article. I was in Key West at Hemingway's house last week. Looking into his office, you could just imagine him toiling over his old non-electric typewriter. It's hard to imagine he pounded out so many incredible books on it including The Sun Also Rises.
ReplyDeleteWonderful post. My first books were hand written on paper and I still miss doing it that way. And I wish I had more room in my house for actual books.
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