Doesn't surprise me. Publishers were pinching pennies back in the 1990s, when I jumped into the sub-rights field. Remember being told that they were cutting way back on personnel and on what they'd finance. More and more of the heavy lifting was being placed in the writer's hands. Unless of course - the book was a guaranteed best-seller, then they'd put all of their marketing weight behind it.
(This may explain why I want to rip books like the Twilight series to shreds, because I know how much money the publishing industry threw at that series, money that they took away from far better written YA novels...such as Kristin Cashore's Graceling, which I just finished. But I also know from my various discussions with trade publishing editors and agents - Meyer's Twilight series is their bread and butter. They'd be out of business without it and nothing would get published.)
I remember the story about The Horse Whisperer - picked up at a rights convention - based solely on the first five chapters. It's a cinderella tale. First novel. But for every one of those..there are people like Kathy Wall - a mystery writer, paying her own way or a James Yaffe, another mystery writer/and television scribe (who I know no one has ever heard of) doing the same thing. I remember Yaffe telling me once - only write if you have the drive, and have something to say - don't do it for fame or fortune, both are unlikely to come your way.
But most writers pound the pavement. I know Stephen King, John Grisham, JK Rowling, and George RR Martin all did. As did Jim Butcher. The lucky ones - get a best-seller. Most, pray for one, much like my co-workers pray to win the lottery - better odds winning the lottery.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2011-07-26 10:13 pm (UTC)(This may explain why I want to rip books like the Twilight series to shreds, because I know how much money the publishing industry threw at that series, money that they took away from far better written YA novels...such as Kristin Cashore's Graceling, which I just finished. But I also know from my various discussions with trade publishing editors and agents - Meyer's Twilight series is their bread and butter. They'd be out of business without it and nothing would get published.)
I remember the story about The Horse Whisperer - picked up at a rights convention - based solely on the first five chapters. It's a cinderella tale. First novel. But for every one of those..there
are people like Kathy Wall - a mystery writer, paying her own way or a James Yaffe, another mystery writer/and television scribe (who I know no one has ever heard of) doing the same thing. I remember Yaffe telling me once - only write if you have the drive, and have something to say - don't do it for fame or fortune, both are unlikely to come your way.
But most writers pound the pavement. I know Stephen King, John Grisham, JK Rowling, and George RR Martin all did. As did Jim Butcher. The lucky ones - get a best-seller. Most, pray for one, much like my co-workers pray to win the lottery - better odds winning the lottery.