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[-] mosiacmango@lemm.ee 157 points 3 weeks ago

"It's good, but we can't market it. If you were already famous in some other way so we could sell based on that, we would buy it."

Could have phrased it better, but I kinda get it.

[-] rockerface@lemm.ee 132 points 3 weeks ago

"It's good, but we're bad at actually selling books so we need you to be famous in another unrelated way to compensate for our incompetence"

FTFY

[-] mosiacmango@lemm.ee 43 points 3 weeks ago

At least they know their failings and wont waste the authors time.

[-] tempest@lemmy.ca 8 points 3 weeks ago

"they" don't though. The low level employee/intern who read it might but that entire industry is up its own ass smelling it's own farts at the top.

[-] BoulevardBlvd 7 points 3 weeks ago

No you didn't. People don't buy the memoirs of random people. The publisher can move heaven and Earth but people still wouldn't change the fact that the audience will never exist

[-] Nefara@lemmy.world 13 points 3 weeks ago* (last edited 3 weeks ago)

Sure they do, all the time, as long as it's an interesting story.

More than half of the books on this list are by "random" ie, non famous people.

[-] AeonFelis@lemmy.world 11 points 3 weeks ago

Who said anything about memoirs? The thing about "the memoirs of random people" is not that they were written by non-famous people - it's that they are about non-famous people.

[-] tempest@lemmy.ca 1 points 3 weeks ago

Remember Oprah and a million little pieces. I'm pretty sure that guy was a complete unknown before he made that shit up.

[-] SpaceNoodle@lemmy.world 29 points 3 weeks ago

"We won't publish you until you've been published"

Think about it

[-] Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 3 days ago

applies to the job market too

[-] InnerScientist@lemmy.world 10 points 3 weeks ago

I thought this was an entry level publishing

[-] mosiacmango@lemm.ee 3 points 3 weeks ago

You can be other kinds of famous. An athlete, youtuber, etc. Even if youre trying to sell speculative fiction, some traction somewhere helps the process.

But yeah, it's shitty. It's really hard to make any money writing now.

[-] meeeeetch@lemmy.world 7 points 3 weeks ago

So you run it by James Paterson, Inc. (or the estate of Tom Clancy or whoever fits best) get his name above yours and now you're contracted to release new novels at an absolutely breakneck pace,, but you have your foot in the door and can become the more famous writer who can release their own novels.

[-] rustydrd@sh.itjust.works 4 points 3 weeks ago

I would've thought "finding fresh talent" is something that publishers do out of self-interest, but I guess I'm wrong.

[-] Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de 1 points 3 days ago

this assumes the industry is vaguely competent and capable of critical thinking

this post was submitted on 25 Apr 2025
566 points (100.0% liked)

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