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Unpopular opinion: "cancel culture" in publishing would be much less present if publishers were better at preparing authors to make the transition between being a nobody and a sort of public intellectual.
Lots of snafus in the book world happen because an author writes something dumb.
But at its core, publishing is LITERALLY the craft of deciding how a piece of writing finds its place in the world.
But at its core, publishing is LITERALLY the craft of deciding how a piece of writing finds its place in the world.
Much ink is spilled on how publishing is the path to free speech.
This is sort of true, but in the book business *choices* trump unadulterated free speech.
Publishing is an act of discrimination. Choosing what does or doesn't warrant a public, commercial platform.
This is sort of true, but in the book business *choices* trump unadulterated free speech.
Publishing is an act of discrimination. Choosing what does or doesn't warrant a public, commercial platform.
Let's take American Dirt for example. Macmillan paid over $1 million for it and....well...
There was lots of hand wringing over 'free speech' and 'cancel culture' there, which missed the point.
Cummins had every right to write it, but Macmillan DIDN'T HAVE TO PUBLISH IT.
There was lots of hand wringing over 'free speech' and 'cancel culture' there, which missed the point.
Cummins had every right to write it, but Macmillan DIDN'T HAVE TO PUBLISH IT.
Cummins caught a lot of heat for what is essentially a bad book.
But the failures of American Dirt - the tropes it used, the voices it erased, the way it was appropriatively marketed - were failures of publishing, not writing. They could have been caught before pub day.
But the failures of American Dirt - the tropes it used, the voices it erased, the way it was appropriatively marketed - were failures of publishing, not writing. They could have been caught before pub day.
Publishers play an *essential* role in saving their authors from saying the dumb shit that's an unavoidable outcome of spending too much time inside your own head.
I'm forever grateful to @AbbieHeadon for making me question a few v bad taste jokes in my first book.
I'm forever grateful to @AbbieHeadon for making me question a few v bad taste jokes in my first book.
Which brings us on to the question of promotion, publicity and social media.
The problem with publishing is that it's so tremendously hard to gin up any enthusiasm for a book that the maxim "all publicity is good publicity" holds.
Reader: this is a bad strategy.
The problem with publishing is that it's so tremendously hard to gin up any enthusiasm for a book that the maxim "all publicity is good publicity" holds.
Reader: this is a bad strategy.
It's a bad strategy because it confuses any attention with the 'right' kind of attention, and that:
leads to us confusing pointless controversialism with original thought
privileges the noisy over the insightful
throws inexperienced writers to the wolves
leads to us confusing pointless controversialism with original thought privileges the noisy over the insightful throws inexperienced writers to the wolves
When I worked in publishing there was this idea that social media was a magical force connecting authors & readers.
But very few people in the business understood how it worked.
Which means too many authors are led to believe they can shitpost their way to the bestseller list.
But very few people in the business understood how it worked.
Which means too many authors are led to believe they can shitpost their way to the bestseller list.
So when an author stumbles into a cancellation storm, let's ask
1. Were they stirring up controversy?
2. Is their sin one of omission that a publisher ought to catch
3. Is it a sign that their work touches a nerve in an audience the publisher doesn't know about?
1. Were they stirring up controversy?
2. Is their sin one of omission that a publisher ought to catch
3. Is it a sign that their work touches a nerve in an audience the publisher doesn't know about?
Remember this report from last week?
It showed publishing has a terrible idea of who its readers are.
And revealed an industry where structural racism goes so deep that statements like this aren't just tolerated, they guide publishers' choices.
https://www.spreadtheword.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Rethinking_diversity_in-publishing_WEB.pdf
It showed publishing has a terrible idea of who its readers are.
And revealed an industry where structural racism goes so deep that statements like this aren't just tolerated, they guide publishers' choices.
https://www.spreadtheword.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Rethinking_diversity_in-publishing_WEB.pdf
So in response to whether publishers should be afraid of 'cancel culture', I have a question & a suggestion
1. Is that 'mob' really out to get you, or are they just holding your choices to account?
2. You could probably avoid it altogether if you understood who reads your books.
1. Is that 'mob' really out to get you, or are they just holding your choices to account?
2. You could probably avoid it altogether if you understood who reads your books.
