On Why The Authors Guild is Wrong about the Future

"This week, San Francisco Grotto and Authors Guild member T.J. Stiles published a vitriolic open letter to authors that argued anyone who joined the Authors Alliance, a competing author’s organization, would harm professional writers. The brouhaha is great deal of inside baseball for those who aren’t trying to make their way in the world as authors. However, the fight between the two organizations illustrates the very question everyone is asking these days: What is my place in the new, digital world? Where people fall on the answer spectrum – embrace the change or hold on to the past - says a great deal about how they look at the world ... There was a time (I’m told) when the careers of authors and long-form writers were cultivated. Editors at publishing houses would work with promising writers, help them hone their craft, find an audience, and (if all went well) become successful.  As I came out of the Berkeley’s graduate school of journalism in 2000, that world was going away. Writers weren’t shepherded along. They were expected to shape their own 'growth' period, which included such things as writing without a contract, paying a professional editor, and developing a loyal audience of readers without any promotional help. In other words, you were expected to come to the publishing party with more than just a book.  For many writers, this pathway to publishing at a major house was both daunting and depressing. The further I’ve moved away from  the traditional publishing world, the more I’ve talked with writers who are adrift in this new world.  Making matters worse: Established writers already entrenched and successful in the traditional publishing system are telling these aspiring writers that while they must develop their early-stage careers on their own and they must build a loyal following to a publisher, they shouldn’t embrace the digital publishing tools available to them as it might undermine the traditional business ... This brings me back to the original issue, which has nothing to do with the Authors Guild fight with the Authors Alliance. Instead, the problem is how to formulate a solution that enables early- and mid-stage career building that no longer exists within publishing industry.  For that, the Authors Alliance seems more inline with what those writers need.Even without knowing it, I’d already started moving in that direction. In April, I launched The Geeky Press, a loosely affiliated writers collective meant to serve a singular purpose: create a community around words and help promote early- and mid-stage writers.  We work in a space I call 'professional amateurism,' which means we gravitate towards open copyright and multiple distribution paths. However, we hire professional editors and designers when we publish, and our editorial process is not that dissimilar from major houses and large magazine companies.  All our work is sold through all the major outlets, but it has multiple price points that begin at free on up through $10.99.The flexibility we have extends to each author’s desire, and we have the ability to change what we do in just minutes since we control the distribution channels.  I’ve yet to find a writer or organization that didn’t want to work with us. Many have asked for instructional seminars on how to navigate the digital publishing landscape, even more want to know the best practices for building an audience, and everyone is happy that we’re not charging them anything to do this ..."