Comments on: The death of the slushpile—and the rise of new choices like self-published e-books http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/the-death-of-the-slushpile/ News & views on e-books, libraries, publishing and related topics Thu, 09 Feb 2012 15:36:33 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Vincent Chandler http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/the-death-of-the-slushpile/comment-page-1/#comment-1157462 Vincent Chandler Wed, 17 Feb 2010 22:34:08 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2010/01/17/the-death-of-the-slushpile/#comment-1157462 Hello Chris...all is not lost. I work for Slush Pile Reader, Press a publisher in San Francisco. And much like Authonomy, we allow authors to upload their manuscript so members can read and vote for their favorites; however, we go a step further with a promise-to-publish for the highest ranked manuscripts across all genres. All of this, with no charge to the author - ever. As writer and author forums and online communities abound, so does the level and breadth of support and significance for writers and their craft. Fictionaut is another great resource, for short-story writers, with an elite group of writing communities embedded within the site to hone and sharpen one's craft. The stereotype of what one expects to find online and in the slush pile, online and off, is vastly changing. Many have been rescued from the slush pile, and many, many more have been lost within it. Just makes me wonder what we're missing. Thanks, Vincent Chandler Hello Chris…all is not lost.

I work for Slush Pile Reader, Press a publisher in San Francisco. And much like Authonomy, we allow authors to upload their manuscript so members can read and vote for their favorites; however, we go a step further with a promise-to-publish for the highest ranked manuscripts across all genres. All of this, with no charge to the author – ever.

As writer and author forums and online communities abound, so does the level and breadth of support and significance for writers and their craft. Fictionaut is another great resource, for short-story writers, with an elite group of writing communities embedded within the site to hone and sharpen one’s craft. The stereotype of what one expects to find online and in the slush pile, online and off, is vastly changing.

Many have been rescued from the slush pile, and many, many more have been lost within it. Just makes me wonder what we’re missing.

Thanks, Vincent Chandler

]]> By: Robert Nagle http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/the-death-of-the-slushpile/comment-page-1/#comment-1153801 Robert Nagle Mon, 18 Jan 2010 22:59:53 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2010/01/17/the-death-of-the-slushpile/#comment-1153801 The slush pile may in fact the novels you find on Lulu and Smashwords. One other thing. NY Media tends to write about things from a NY-centric perspective. I doubt that what happens at Random House or FSG are representative of publishing as a whole. The slush pile may in fact the novels you find on Lulu and Smashwords. One other thing. NY Media tends to write about things from a NY-centric perspective. I doubt that what happens at Random House or FSG are representative of publishing as a whole.

]]> By: Beth http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/the-death-of-the-slushpile/comment-page-1/#comment-1153765 Beth Mon, 18 Jan 2010 15:37:02 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2010/01/17/the-death-of-the-slushpile/#comment-1153765 A rebuttal to the WSJ's article: http://juno-books.com/blog/?p=878 The slush pile is certainly not dead in genre fiction. Almost all of the speculative fiction zines have active, "healthy" slush piles, as do some of the novel-length publishers. A rebuttal to the WSJ’s article:

http://juno-books.com/blog/?p=878

The slush pile is certainly not dead in genre fiction. Almost all of the speculative fiction zines have active, “healthy” slush piles, as do some of the novel-length publishers.

]]> By: Rich Adin http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/the-death-of-the-slushpile/comment-page-1/#comment-1153757 Rich Adin Mon, 18 Jan 2010 14:48:03 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2010/01/17/the-death-of-the-slushpile/#comment-1153757 Chris, you beat me to it. In one of my upcoming blog posts this week (already drafted) I cite this WSJ article. But I come at it from a different angle. Chris, you beat me to it. In one of my upcoming blog posts this week (already drafted) I cite this WSJ article. But I come at it from a different angle.

]]> By: Steve Jordan http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/the-death-of-the-slushpile/comment-page-1/#comment-1153747 Steve Jordan Mon, 18 Jan 2010 11:52:24 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2010/01/17/the-death-of-the-slushpile/#comment-1153747 I'd agree with the article's assessment, with one caveat: At least those of us currently stuck in the web's "slush pile" can still actively sell our e-books, whereas in the print world, those books weren't even being seen. So I'd call this state an improvement over the old. The rise of the big online e-bookstores (Amazon, B&N, etc) will cause even more of a "slush pile" effect, as more and more customers will probably come to get used to going through those outlets to buy their books, and will correspondingly spend less time seeking independent artists in other outlets. So indie authors will have to continue to work hard to get noticed in the market. I’d agree with the article’s assessment, with one caveat: At least those of us currently stuck in the web’s “slush pile” can still actively sell our e-books, whereas in the print world, those books weren’t even being seen. So I’d call this state an improvement over the old.

The rise of the big online e-bookstores (Amazon, B&N, etc) will cause even more of a “slush pile” effect, as more and more customers will probably come to get used to going through those outlets to buy their books, and will correspondingly spend less time seeking independent artists in other outlets. So indie authors will have to continue to work hard to get noticed in the market.

]]> By: Dusk Peterson http://www.teleread.com/ebooks/the-death-of-the-slushpile/comment-page-1/#comment-1153736 Dusk Peterson Mon, 18 Jan 2010 05:34:55 +0000 http://www.teleread.org/2010/01/17/the-death-of-the-slushpile/#comment-1153736 Small presses have also benefitted from major publishers' refusal to consider over-the-transom manuscripts. In one of the genres I write in, all of the e-publishers will consider unsolicited manuscripts. Small presses have also benefitted from major publishers’ refusal to consider over-the-transom manuscripts. In one of the genres I write in, all of the e-publishers will consider unsolicited manuscripts.

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