Owenskies Blog
Books for Unsung Heroes, Geniuses and Charlatans
8:18 AM, November 6, 2007
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There are a lot of question writers and readers should be asking themselves these days. It used to be that being “published” is synonymous to being an authority in the subject, or at the least, an initiation to being a full-pledged writer. But does this concept still stand given the new technology such as on demand printing that allows anyone to be self published?Published books have an air of credibility to them because of the tedious process they undergo to land in your bookshelf. The pass through the scrutinizing eyes of editors who would turn them inside out to see if every part, every detail is good and working.
Then there are critics who would take everything that you and your editor had put together. They will take all these little pieces, sometimes all the good parts, and sometimes the bad. They will swallow it all and lo’ and behold, proclaim it as ambrosia.
Other works, unfortunately, will be eaten up and then spat out. It’s the same feeling as being pointed at and laughed at when you were in kindergarten.
You also have to worry about pleasing your publisher, bargaining with them and working out a decent contract. And because of the difficult process it undergoes, flippant writers usually wouldn’t even bother.
Today, nothing is sacred. No one has the final say on what is good or bad. What is classic or not. Some even say, nothing produced is original anymore.
When everyone can be a published writer, it begs the question of whether or not it will affect the credibility of books in general. Take the example of the internet. Everyone who has access to the internet can use it as a resource, one can also input any kind or form data for other people to use as a resource.
Yes, be it through internet or independent publication, the only fear that runs high is the amount of truth and the amount of lies people can say. It seems that it is no crime to publish half-truths or lies or unfounded claims.
It’s not that I don’t appreciate the benefits of such technology. I do. But it also makes me wonder what the repercussions of having independent publishing accessible to anyone. Published books enjoy more credibility than the internet, even if some are just printed brochures or booklets. It is because print material, in any size or shape, can serve as a tangible reference, a material that immortalizes a thought or an idea.
It seems that print have a legitimizing quality that makes abstract ideas real and intact. It is the only output or evidence that says, an idea exists like all the other things we can easily perceive, touch or taste.
It can be argued that people are more critical of the information they receive, but when it comes to traditional reading materials, people don’t seem to question them as much. We can cross-reference these books and check for validity, but what if, they are the only ones at hand that deal with such a topic.
Like the internet, self-publication may usher in a new trend, a new era where the most likely result will be specialization in topics or subjects to avoid competition. If everyone can write, the subjects to write about will become more specific – and more difficult to verify.
The on demand printing technology might help sincere aspiring writers to get published and make a name for them. But technology is a two-edged sword. While it can help unsung heroes and geniuses, it can also be undeservedly used by charlatans.
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