Myshkin Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 So what would be the purpose of this guild at this point? To promote non-crazy authors, or to act as quality gatekeeper in the self-publishing world? If it's the first, well I don't see how that's really feasible. How would you vet the authors to make sure they're not crazy? If it's the second, who would be judging quality? And how would this guild operate? Presumably there would be membership dues, and then all the guild would be is a pay-to-play outfit for self-pubbers. I don't recall any goats in Wise Man's Fear. Ooh, burn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrackerNeil Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 Does this group make you more or less inclined to read tie-in fiction? (I ask this having friends who write tie-in fiction) I applaud the desire to build credibility around good self-pub novels, but a guild of self-pubbed writers will still be judged the same by people who don't read self-pubbed novels. Getting someone like Dan Abraham would add considerable weight to such a group, but it will be a long journey uphill to raise public awareness of quality. No, but then I was OK with reading tie-in fiction before! I think a guild would be at first dismissed, but if some heavyweights endorsed it, things would turn around. At the very least, it would media attention, which is the first step towards acceptance. All I need to do is bring JK Rowling on board... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myshkin Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 Does this group make you more or less inclined to read tie-in fiction? Off topic, but what tie-in fiction did Kingsley Amis write? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jussi Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 I don't recall any goats in Wise Man's Fear. The Wise Man's Fear was edited by Betsy Wollheim. Or is this a joke I'm not getting... TWMF is one of my all-time favourite fantasy novels, and a big improvement from the TNotW. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myshkin Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 The Wise Man's Fear was edited by Betsy Wollheim. Or is this a joke I'm not getting... TWMF is one of my all-time favourite fantasy novels, and a big improvement from the TNotW. I think the joke is that many of us feel that about 300 pages could have been cut, and the novel would have been better for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrackerNeil Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 So what would be the purpose of this guild at this point? To promote non-crazy authors, or to act as quality gatekeeper in the self-publishing world? If it's the first, well I don't see how that's really feasible. How would you vet the authors to make sure they're not crazy? If it's the second, who would be judging quality? And how would this guild operate? Presumably there would be membership dues, and then all the guild would be is a pay-to-play outfit for self-pubbers. The way I envision it -- and we're talking about a non-existent guild, here -- is that the guild would NOT determine if an author was crazy. It would evaluate the author's work for quality. As to who would be judging, I guess the folks in charge of the guild, which would mean you'd have to sign up some credible people to get the ball rolling. Dues? I suppose so, but maybe something volunteer could be set up. I think there's something to the idea, but making the idea reality would take more than just hard work; you'd need connections to well respected authors and reviewers. If most indies had that, we wouldn't be speculating about a guild! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myrddin Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 All I need to do is bring JK Rowling on board... Or Oprah. (serious, actually) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Richard II Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 I don't recall any goats in Wise Man's Fear.Good lod sci, I laughed so hard at that I scared the cats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myrddin Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 No, but then I was OK with reading tie-in fiction before! That is my point, in linking the tie-in fiction guild. The existence of the organization probably does nothing persuade people not already willing to read tie-in fiction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrackerNeil Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 That is my point, in linking the tie-in fiction guild. The existence of the organization probably does nothing persuade people not already willing to read tie-in fiction. I'm not sure that's a fair comparison. If tie-in authors are signed to a publisher, they have a level of access and respectability of which we indies can only dream. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Richard II Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 Lots of big name authors do tie ins. Dr Who has Reynaldo and Moocock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myshkin Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 And apparently Kingsley Amis did a tie-in. Seriously I'm really curious about this, but I can't find an answer through google. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Darth Richard II Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 lol Reynaido? Apple, your auto correct does not correct correctly. Ahem, REYNOLDS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sci-2 Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 I think the issue with this kind of guild judging quality is the vast amount of potential works to cover. Even if it were limiting itself to SFF, I can't imagine the number of works that would need to be read. And would well known authors be offering their reviews for free? Additionally, what would be the markers of quality. As noted before there are many varied things a book can be good at... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthmail Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 Linking your own thread is a whorish thing to do, Sci. I need a shower. But aside from that, I've mulled this over for some time. I'm not sure there is an easy solution to any of this. In theory I like the idea, but I know people that have been a part of writer groups and they've imploded because of jealousy and what not. It's similar to my aversion to serving on a board of directors for my condo or any other organization, people blow and in groups they just blow harder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrackerNeil Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 But aside from that, I've mulled this over for some time. I'm not sure there is an easy solution to any of this. In theory I like the idea, but I know people that have been a part of writer groups and they've imploded because of jealousy and what not. It's similar to my aversion to serving on a board of directors for my condo or any other organization, people blow and in groups they just blow harder. I've been giving this a good deal of thought lately, but I keep running into the same wall. the only way such a guild would have any respectability is for a respected name to get on board, and most of those are signed authors who have zero interest in helping us indies. I've got enough chutzpah, but I can just imagine the response if I were to write to those kinds of folks, asking them to join an enterprise that would eat up their time and gain them nothing. As an indie author I am used to derision, but I didn't sign up for that much at one time, no thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MisterOJ Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 Neil, Do you think Hugh Howey would have enough heft to help such a guild get off the ground? As far as self-pub authors go, he's about the most successful, isn't he? I could see him possibly getting on board with such an idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deornoth Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 And apparently Kingsley Amis did a tie-in. Seriously I'm really curious about this, but I can't find an answer through google. Had a quick look on Wikipedia and Amis wrote 'Colonel Sun: A James Bond Adventure' under the pseudonym of Robert Markham :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrackerNeil Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 Neil, Do you think Hugh Howey would have enough heft to help such a guild get off the ground? As far as self-pub authors go, he's about the most successful, isn't he? I could see him possibly getting on board with such an idea. I suppose. I don't know all that much about him, to be honest, but support from him certainly couldn't hurt. Maybe Darcy Chan, too. If a few strongly selling indies got on board, there's be some credibility. Of course, that might not convince the reviewers, some of whom I'll bet still won't look at either one. Edited to add: Let me clarify this post. Nothing against Howey, but I suspect an indies' guild would need several big-name endorsements; otherwise, the whole thing would be viewed as a Howey vanity project. However, if three or four names joined their clout, I think the venture would come across as more legitimate. Again, how to get those kinds of people... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myshkin Posted October 30, 2014 Share Posted October 30, 2014 Really the main service this guild would provide to authors would be some kind of fancy stamp to put on the covers of their books. A shiny seal of approval that says something along the lines of, "An official selection of the International Guild of Independent Authors". You could start doing that without any high profile backers, and if you do it right consumers will eventually start trusting the stamp, and it will actually become meaningful. ETA: Also, thank you Deornoth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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