Page Turning Books: RW Peake – Pet Peeves of the Publishing Industry

RW Peake – Pet Peeves of the Publishing Industry

Pet Peeves of the Publishing Industry

by RW Peake

Well, it’s hard for me to discuss my pet peeves since technically I don’t have any experience with the publishing industry, and therein lays my pet peeve. I will be the first to admit that, when compared to people like Amanda Hocking for example, my attempts to find an agent/publisher was almost non-existent. I sent out perhaps 20 queries before throwing up my hands and going the self-published route. (I have no issue with saying I’m self-published simply because I’m selling books) Now that my first book has been out for a total of 8 months, and my second just a month, and I’ve sold almost 12,000 copies in that timeframe, I would argue that the people who rejected me missed the boat.

But I think that right now, with the seismic shifts taking place in the publishing landscape, instead of broadening their horizons, the traditional arm of the industry has developed a bunker mentality, where they are only going to bet on sure things. And my genre of Ancient Rome, while a relatively small one is nevertheless one of the more consistent, but since none of my work has zombies, vampires, slightly kinky sex or whatever the fad of the moment is, nobody inside the bunker is willing to risk much on an unknown. They’re looking for a hook, a gimmick, trying to catch the next wave of what readers will be latching onto, instead of looking for good, well-constructed stories, especially if they don’t have the “sizzle” factor.

One of the few things that I can now state with confidence is that, according to my audience, I am telling a story that has immediately grabbed readers from the first page. And yet, more than 20 “experts” read the exact same first pages and saw…..nothing interesting. I would submit that their loss, while it’s my gain, is also a microcosm for what’s wrong with the traditional publishing industry. They’re looking for zebras, when there are a sufficient number of readers who are looking for horses. In short, the trads are cutting their own throat.