Created and hosted by the Ninja himself, Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writers Support Group posts the 1st Wednesday of every month. Click the image to learn more or sign up.
Optional Monthly Question: There have been many industry changes in the last decade, so what are some changes you would like to see happen in the next decade?
I feel like this is a loaded question- seems like a trick to get you to say something that everyone else will disagree with. Oh well, here I go.
More than anything I wish the culture of the publishing industry was more open. I wish there weren’t so many issues with providing and or accepting diversity in certain genres and or organizations. I’m tired of it always being the Indies vs the Traditionally published. I wish there was some sort of accreditation system in place that was used to grade books and stories to let readers know that “this product meets a certain standard” and I wish it was run by a nonprofit (free or a flat fee across the board) so that publishers and writers with more money couldn’t just pay their way to gaining this seal of approval. (I know, now I’m just dreaming. And no, Kirkus doesn’t count.) I wish there was a system in place that punished readers for stealing ebooks. I mean seriously, there are so many free ebooks in this world, it makes me angry that people are still stealing the ones that aren’t. I wish Amazon would actually do more to help authors who publish with them instead of just telling them to run giveaways all the time. I mean, why don’t they have a program that allows authors to sell ebooks at live events? (Just say’n.) I wish there wasn’t always some sort of scandal happening in the industry. But most of all, I wish the industry would come together to promote writing and a healthy reading lifestyle beyond school. I feel like the industry that could most benefit from these things spends a lot of time telling people they’re not good enough to write and then telling them what they should and shouldn’t read. I feel like the publishing industry is its own worst enemy sometimes.
But that’s just my two cents. Perhaps in 10 years, everything will be different.
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Now, on to the personal updates.
I wanted to write a bunch of stuff and give some updates, but I’m just too tired. Mentally and physically. Still, I managed to record an update video for the month of June early. Check it out if interested.
My book reviews are posted over at Lit Carnival. I read a few this from IWSG members this past month.
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What are your hope for the publishing industry?
Read any good books lately?
How you are coping with the current state of the world?
It may take some time, but I promise, will stop by your blog.
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After hanging out with Alex, be sure to stop by and visit this month’s co-hosts:
Jenni Enzor,
Beth Camp,
Liesbet @ Roaming About,
Tyrean Martinson, and
Sandra Cox!
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Click here to visit other IWSG blogs and sites to receive and share more inspiration and support. (This month, I’m #39).
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords #blacklivesmatter