Why The Digital Publishing Age Just Might Suck

I was reading Milan Kundera's The Unbearable Lightness of Being, and I came across this line: "Culture is perishing in overproduction, in an avalanche of words, in the madness of quantity."

I stopped.

I read the line again.

I set the book aside.

I pondered.

Lately, a lot of words have been spoken and written regarding the positive and negative aspects of the digital publishing age. Of course, one of the positives mentioned has been: Lower barriers to entry.

Um...one of the negatives mentioned has been: Lower barriers to entry.

Yeah.

Now, before I continue, I would like to point out: We are entering the digital publishing age, whether we like it or don't like it. As writers and readers, we may as well adapt, and we may as well learn to turn it in our favor.

Before I begin adapting, however, I want to express some quick thoughts regarding the negative aspects of...well, of "Lower barriers to entry."

I began writing when I was 15.

When I was 19, I completed my first manuscript. It was called Surreality and (of course) it had some favorable points, and it had a whole lot of unfavorable points. At the time, however, I thought that this manuscript was going to conquer the world. I shopped the manuscript around with agents, and I got a few nibbles (and even one bite-that-I-lost) from small-time agents. And I realized: My writing still needed more work.

I finished my next manuscript, A Darker Shade of Gray, when I was 21. Before the manuscript even reached agents I scrapped the whole project and decided that my writing needed more work.

I finished my third manuscript, The 8th Day of Creation, just before I turned 22. I did the whole "agent thing" once more, and again I got some nibbles and a couple bites-that-I-lost. But this time, the interest came from big-time agents. I was getting better, but...I still needed more work.

Just before I turned 23, I finished my fourth manuscript. It was called The Great Lenore. I spent ages editing and "perfecting" the manuscript, and I took the manuscript to agents. I got lots of nibbles and several bites. I juggled numerous fishing poles at once. I finally landed an agent - a big-time agent - and my manuscript was perfect, and it was time to conquer the world. But what I didn't realize was: The manuscript was not perfect. My agent and I tore the manuscript apart and pieced it back together before she sent it to publishers, and now, at last, I have my first *perfect* manuscript. Or...so I think. And I imagine that once we sign a publishing deal and start working with an editor, he or she will once again tear the manuscript apart and help me rebuild it.

When I wrote The Great Lenore, I had grown enough in my writing to write a truly promising manuscript...but not to write a perfect one.

I have improved since then.

I am 24 now, and I am working on my fifth manuscript - it's called Blue the Person, and it's about a man who conquered life. Once more, I feel like I have finally *arrived* with my writing - like there is no room left for improvement. I feel like I will be able to finish and edit this manuscript and give it to my agent, and she will be able to give it directly to publishers, and they will be able to publish it directly. And once more, I'll be wrong. Because, as writers, we're always growing. We're always learning. We're always getting better.

No one knows so much about writing that they can't learn more.

And what scares me about the "Lower barriers to entry" is...Every good writer thinks that everything they write is good. So...how will those "good writers" know when what they've written is truly something good and not another pile of dirt? How will they know when they've grown enough to give us something worth reading?

What will novels look like when we start eliminating agents and editors from half of them? What will we be stuck reading?

The digital publishing age will be great, I'm sure. In many ways, the digital publishing age will be great.

But, I'm frightened.

I'm frightened that we will perish in overproduction. I'm frightened that we will perish in an avalanche of words.

I'm frightened that we will perish in the madness of quantity.

Other Places Where I Hang Out:

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(A Delicious Little Pre-Publication Sample Of The Great Lenore)