PLR

In the UK we have a government funded recompense scheme for authors whose books are borrowed from public libraries - Public Lending Right.  It's a small amount of money each year, but nonetheless welcome for all that.  The thing is, about a year ago, the present government decided it would be good publicity to get rid of all those useless quangos (quasi-autonomous, neo-governmental organisations) that spend taxpayers' money without being responsible to the electorate.  The trouble is that, despite the public's dislike of quangos, many of them carry out useful functions.  Like PLR.  It's a small unit in Stockton-on-Tees that performs efficiently and hands out money to authors on time every year according to figures estimated from samples of library loans.  The government ran a consultation exercise (so-called) which raised a lot of protest from authors, predictably to no avail.  The PLR organisation was to be subsumed into the British Library, and authors were left fearful of the consequences.  In a way we need not have worried, because PLR now tells us that, although now being part of the British Library, the office remains in Stockton-on-Tees and the staff remain the same.  No cuts then.  Which only goes to show the government's 'big idea' of cutting quangos was just smoke and mirrors.  I have no doubt that some organisations disappeared, some maybe had funding cuts, but I would bet most of them were simply hidden away in another organisation with the same funding and staffing.  Just to give the impression that the 'big idea' had been carried through.  Pull the other one, Mr Cameron.

Elmore Leonard

So, Elmore is dead.  I know it happens to us all, but it is sad when one of the truly originals departs this life.  I'm not going to go into detail about his life - there are plenty of obituaries being written right now covering all he wrote and what he stood for.  Besides, his ten rules of writing included a stricture on going into irrelevant descriptive detail - what he called the "hooptedoodle".  It struck a chord with me when I came across it, because i have always found it difficult to write those 600 page blockbusters.  My books have, if nothing else, been sparing in detail.  Perhaps too sparing.
His other rule I like is number 10 - "Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip".  You know what they are, don't you?  How many times have you reached a point in a fast-moving story where the author veers off and describes the countryside, or gives you a potted history of the soon-to-be-murdered character who is being pursued by the serial killer.  Who cares about it?  You skip it, and get on with the story, don't you?  So, in the best spirit of Elmore Leonard, let me finally and succinctly say - "Elmore Leonard is dead".

His rules, for those of you who have not seen them.

1.  Never open a book with weather.
2.  Avoid prologues.
3.  Never use a verb other than "said" to carry dialogue.
4.  Never use an adverb to modify the verb "said” …such as, he admonished gravely.
5.  Keep your exclamation points under control. You are allowed no more than two or three per 100,000 words of prose. 
6.  Never use the words "suddenly" or "all hell broke loose."
7.  Use regional dialect, patois, sparingly.
8.  Avoid detailed descriptions of characters.
9.  Don't go into great detail describing places and things.
10.  Try to leave out the part that readers tend to skip.

Alternative publishing again

Now another possibility for new (and existing) writers has cropped up.  National TV in the UK has highlighted the website Unbound.  The concept is that authors and readers can cut out the middle men - the publisher, or I should say the traditional publisher - and get together direct.  The author tells you what he/she wants to write, you take part in funding it, and derive some benefits if the book reaches its financial target and is published, albeit in a limited edition.
The problem for naturally reticent authors, who do not like having to promote their own books in the traditional world as it is now, is that they have to 'pitch' their idea by way of a video clip.  I guess the more professional an author is at this stage, the better his/her chances.  But how good is an author at using the visual medium?  And isn't the likelihood that potential 'angels' (to use a theatrical term) will go for big names?  Terry Jones is already the flagship author trailing the site.
I wouldn't knock it though.  Any means of getting a work published that does not rely on the traditional process through major publishers, who are controlled by accountants, has got to be good.  Could this be another nail the big publishers' coffin?

Alternative publishing 2

My friend and fellow Medieval Murderer, Mike Jecks, has recently had some strong opinions to express about publishers.  He thinks they are on a self-destruct course as they are pushed into ever bigger discounts by the likes of Amazon.  All well and good, you might think, as more books are sold.  But as the publisher's margin per copy decreases, so does the author's, and increases in sales do not compensate.  Mike believes as authors we would be fools to continue using a middle man, like a publisher, when direct internet selling is possible.  Of course, we are all aware that places the onus on us writers to market our own books, as there is a huge slush pile of titles on Amazon, some good, some indifferent, most awful.  Most authors just want to write, and marketing is an uphill struggle.  I don't know what the solution is, but I am going to give it a try, so watch this space.
Oh, and go read Mike's blog - "writerlywitterings".

Alternative publishing

I have been looking into alternative ways of publishing recently.  There was a time when the only alternative to traditional publishing was so-called vanity publishing, and no self-respecting writer would travel that route if he or she wanted to be taken seriously.  Of course, things have changed radically.  Vanity publishing still exists as a way forward for people who want to see their book in hard-copy, and who can't get a publisher any other way.  But why bother with that route, expending your own money, when you can publish in the virtual world now?  Naturally, there are e-books, but they originally tended to come after a book had been published in hard-copy.  And print on demand is a route I have taken to get my older books republished.  All publishing systems piggy-backing on traditional publishing.
Now, though, the world of publishing has broken wide open with online publishing companies and self-publishing.  In the early days this would have merely been seen as a form of vanity publishing.  But no longer.  Manuscripts can be formatted and sold through Amazon now.  The problem remains the quality and quantity of self-published books.  Without sifting for quality and editing, many books available in this way can be dire, and the author of a good book can find his/her work lost in a sea of dross.  In the end, self-publishing presupposes self-marketing, and this is an area that many writers have had to undertake in the sphere of traditional publishing, but few actually relish.  Enter Facebook, Twitter, and author websites.  Oh, and author blogs, of course!