TO MY CRITICISMS of the literary establishment, defenders tell me, "Create a better product." To this I agree. To overthrow the moribund lit-scene, rebel writers have to create stories, poems, short novels, and zeens unlike any before seen; so exciting they demand to be bought and read. The First Wave as represented by ULA Press, Microcosm Publishing, and others is a necessary step-- but not enough. Another level awaits. The new products will have to be accompanied by equally exciting marketing campaigns, each piece of the assault working in synchronicity.
In the creation of new literary art, I'm doing my best. My "McCartney at Starbucks" poem and "Bluebird" story from last year are initial entries. I'm still experimenting. I can do better, and will if I stay in one piece. I hope other rebel writers do likewise.
Who will write the next immortal poem or story? THAT's the task for all of us. Our disputations otherwise are meaningless.
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3 comments:
See, there the King goes again. He doesn't just want to do what he wants. He wants people to buy it, too.
Psst: nobody -- including publishers -- has the slightest fucking idea what books people are going to buy. They hype the shit out of one book and it sells 6,000 copies. Another one, buried on the midlist, sells 40,000 in hardcover. Wow, the publishers say. Then, do they scrap the idea of hyping some books and burying others? No, they publish 1,000 books like the sleeper that sold 40,000 and hype the shit out of those. Then those books sell 6,000 and everybody wonders why.
So, King, market your products excitingly. We all wish you well, but would you please just for once consider that "exciting marketing campaigns" and actual excitement are two different things? That the success and health of an art form aren't measured by what the morons who subscribe to the Book of the Month Club are reading?
I don't defend the literary establishment. Once again: I agree with you. My question is always, what the hell do you *care* about the literary establishment for? How would any success measured by its yardstick be relevant to you in any way?
PS:
I am not a woman.
I am not who King thinks I am.
I have no history with the King.
I have no personal animus against the King.
I'm wondering why you're even here. You've gotten what you've wanted: the end of AttackingtheDemi-Puppets. You should be out celebrating.
You don't defend the literary establishment? That's all you've been doing! Your posts speak for themselves. I'm wondering what your payoff has been.
I've made my case about the closed and insular nature of the literary industry again and again and again-- including on this blog. The several posts I have left here will continue this.
The real question, Goneril, is why YOU "care" about what I'm doing so much to have expended thousands of words on my blogs, an investment of many, many hours and not a little thought.
Despite your obvious brains, you're a fundamentally dishonest person, which not only gives away your identity, but ultimately discredits your arguments. You distort everything I'm about; everything I've done and said. One example is your saying I'm going to wage "revolution" on you personally-- when anyone with the attention to detail you claim to have could see I was talking about the future, about persons who are not myself.
Regarding marketing: this is THE problem facing the underground. On sites like OW's they've discussed this often; even clueless Joe Smith recommending "guerrilla marketing" without seeming to realize this is exactly what I was doing, with great success while it was tried.
How else does a group of UNfunded writers compete with billion-dollar conglomerates?
Every credible marketing book out there recommends getting FREE publicity in place of the ads we can't pay for.
Sorry, but in this noisy age, products have to have hype. Tiger Woods didn't create golf on his own, but came into an already existing structure of TV contracts and promotion. Without that, it wouldn't matter how good he is.
The task for shut-out writers like myself-- and I'm completely shut-out right now-- is enormous. At some point a person, when getting stabbed in the back by his potential allies, finally says "To hell with it." Oh yeah, I can write and write and write, like Bill and Jack have done for decades. Without access and without marketing, it means nothing. Cullen Carter wrote about this-- the discarded manuscripts at garage sales after the author's death.
I'm castigated for wanting to have a voice in this democractic society-- for wanting the words I create to be heard. Is this really so bad?
I've wanted to add different voices, from a broader spectrum of society, than ever, ever, ever today find print.
As for you: I know who you are; know you only too well. You've gone these many years holding a reservoir of hate for someone who made mistakes but still had respect for you. No more. Talent without character means nothing. Intelligence without heart and soul is worth than having no talent at all.
Whatever else I have to say will be said at Literary Mystery. Since I'm not a writer, I suggest you not look in. What I say may disturb your pristine standards.
Whatever I've said about the literary world doesn't express my full loathing toward those who inhabit the world of literature. I'll find more honesty, credibility, and ability on a used car lot. . . .
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