Rothfuss got outed as another Martin-tier procrastinator by his editor today. He ain't the only one.
'Kingkiller Chronicle' Editor Believes Author Hasn't Written Anything for Years https://t.co/SLM3CAGEXd
— LJ Ramones (@LjRamones) July 29, 2020
This is a major problem with OldPub authors. Scalzi's been hammered for it. Scott Lynch got nailed for it. Years-long delays that fuck up publication schedules and hurt both the actual target for OldPub authors (the publishers) and the purported target (the readers) accordingly are too common, and sadly not even for reasons one could excuse if there were measurable results to offset them. (e.g. Vox Day's delays on finishing the final version of A Sea of Skulls due to all the side-projects eating up his time)
Not that some of these don't have legit causes--I'm privy to a few, and no I won't explain what they are; they can do so if they like--but what it too often comes down to is that they just don't want to and would rather do something else. The result is playing the game of seeming to do something when you're not, instead of unfucking your process to make you want to do it.
And this add up, as it's a problem across OldPub, translating into Indie gaining ground on OldPub and starting to overtake it due to sheer frequency of output. Readers want to read, and if Bob doesn't deliver in a timely manner then his readers quit him in favor of Dick who does. Sucks to be Bob, but that's the game and it's no good to complain about it; you do what it takes to win or you get the fuck out.
And yes, even for OldPub darlings, there is a limit. Patty-boy's reaching his, and being on the shitstick end of the Progressive Stack means that limit is less than he thinks. If he doesn't get his ass in gear soon, he'll find out just how fast he gets hit with an excuse to cancel him and that's that for the man who brought forth Kvothe upon the world.
Somehow I doubt most readers would notice, or care. They're having too much fun plowing through the ever-increasing availability of stuff they want to read that NewPub puts out at Pulp Speed.
*ahem*
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Curious. Are the plague and the shutdown causing editors to cut the dead wood out now?
ReplyDeleteUndoubtedly the paper shortage and retail destruction is pushing OldPub to do damage control and thus pressure editors with boat anchors to cut them loose.
DeleteBradford
ReplyDeleteWhat accounts for the sloth with old pub writers. Imposter syndrome? Realization their nihilistic works don't inspire? Redpilled disgust at the reality of publishing causing them to go quit?
I'm at a loss to understand why sloth so easily overcomes them.
xavier
Part of is a firm reality that OldPub requires massive lead times, which is why missing deadlines screws them so bad. They have to go pitch to distributors well in advance with a slate that those clients want. It's a lot like how movie studios related to the theater chains in that respect.
DeleteBecause of that lead time, the practical speed limit for OldPub is one book a year. That's one novel written, send (often the old way) in for edits, sent back for rewrites, hopefully don't repeat that dance more than once, and then once it's turned in you wait your turn in the queue for release.
Smart OldPub guys are already pre-writing the next book while getting ready to promote what's waiting for release at this time, but most OldPub folks aren't smart with regard to doing promotion and relied too much on publishers or agents for that- a thing many now don't bother with much if at all save for the top-tier talent.
It's VERY easy to get lazy in that environment, especially if you're not working a day job or have a similar commitment to keep you busy and focused when not writing and a lot of these chronic procrastinators have that lack of urgency in their lives to drive them- and that's before accounting for their psycho-sexual status, insofar as the men are concerned, as far too many of them are Gamma males.
Bradford
DeleteThanks. Your explanation is cogent and makes a lot of sense.
xavier