Sunday, July 15, 2007
One Reason Why Newspaper Readership is Down
I read a newspaper article entitled, "Reviewers mostly draw the line at self-published submissions," and I chuckled at the arrogant pomposity of the writer's "BOOK EDITOR'S POLICY ON SELF-PUBLISHING."
While it is true that there has been an explosion in publishing, which presumably makes an editor's job more challenging, it's also a fact that printed newspaper readership has been—and will continue to be—on the decline.
I suspect the main reason for this decline is newspapers have failed to deliver what people want, which is something DIFFERENT than they can get via broadcast and Internet media.
That difference might be delivered in the form of reviews of self-published books that the other media are not bothering with.
When a writer is one of dozens, or perhaps hundreds of newspaper writers reviewing, say, Jessica Lynch's book, how can he—or anyone else—be different enough to really stand out?
In my opinion, when a writer limits himself to reviewing only mainstream books, he practices "dull-normal" journalism. Being dull-normal doesn't sell papers—or anything else for that matter.
The fact that a book is self-published may mean it's not 100% polished. So what? If the information is meaningful and useful, does an interested reader really care if the writing style doesn't adhere to some arbitrary literary standard?
And just because a commercial publisher believes a book is worthy of publishing doesn't make it so. As proof, just go to any major book retailer and note the number of "name" authored-books that are in the bargain bins.
The point the writer missed is that today's self-publishing and ebook technologies have allowed unknown people to communicate ideas to audiences they would not otherwise have been able to reach.
Self-publishing has allowed for the fast conversion of ideas to print to distribution in a way that the commercial publishers cannot accomplish.
And speaking as a self-published author, I can say that the financial rewards of self-publishing can be far greater for an author than the paltry royalties that are often available in a commercial publishing deal.
So, instead of clinging to outdated book review policies that may be contributing to the decline in readership, newspaper writers should consider entering the 21st century. They might venture outside their comfort zones by being a little different, a little controversial, and a lot more interesting.
Call me, Nick Nichols, at 702-227-5877 and I'll show you how self-publishing articles, special reports and ebooks can get qualified prospects to seek you out in droves.
"NOT hiring Nick Nichols will cost you a LOT more than hiring him!"
While it is true that there has been an explosion in publishing, which presumably makes an editor's job more challenging, it's also a fact that printed newspaper readership has been—and will continue to be—on the decline.
I suspect the main reason for this decline is newspapers have failed to deliver what people want, which is something DIFFERENT than they can get via broadcast and Internet media.
That difference might be delivered in the form of reviews of self-published books that the other media are not bothering with.
When a writer is one of dozens, or perhaps hundreds of newspaper writers reviewing, say, Jessica Lynch's book, how can he—or anyone else—be different enough to really stand out?
In my opinion, when a writer limits himself to reviewing only mainstream books, he practices "dull-normal" journalism. Being dull-normal doesn't sell papers—or anything else for that matter.
The fact that a book is self-published may mean it's not 100% polished. So what? If the information is meaningful and useful, does an interested reader really care if the writing style doesn't adhere to some arbitrary literary standard?
And just because a commercial publisher believes a book is worthy of publishing doesn't make it so. As proof, just go to any major book retailer and note the number of "name" authored-books that are in the bargain bins.
The point the writer missed is that today's self-publishing and ebook technologies have allowed unknown people to communicate ideas to audiences they would not otherwise have been able to reach.
Self-publishing has allowed for the fast conversion of ideas to print to distribution in a way that the commercial publishers cannot accomplish.
And speaking as a self-published author, I can say that the financial rewards of self-publishing can be far greater for an author than the paltry royalties that are often available in a commercial publishing deal.
So, instead of clinging to outdated book review policies that may be contributing to the decline in readership, newspaper writers should consider entering the 21st century. They might venture outside their comfort zones by being a little different, a little controversial, and a lot more interesting.
Call me, Nick Nichols, at 702-227-5877 and I'll show you how self-publishing articles, special reports and ebooks can get qualified prospects to seek you out in droves.
"NOT hiring Nick Nichols will cost you a LOT more than hiring him!"
