‘Publishing people’ — not what they used to be?
A few months back, in the days following another Publishing conference the question of what was happening to innovation in the industry came up. The question was specifically aimed at what was new and what was going to grab the attention of consumers at a time when music and television & film’s evolutionary cycles continue to turn. The digital gun had been fired; excitement around e-book plenty, another product to get your book onto, apps bending and stretching narrative lines, and publishers getting down deep n dirty in the data was all well and good, but projects were being interrogated much more critically. An exciting rush of blood to the head was slowing down a little bit, and some of the more interesting start-ups were folding under the weight as bottom lines bit back. Was innovation really so easily cowed in our content industry, when it is persisted with and iterated on in others?
No, no it wasn’t.
What did happen, and is continuing to evolve, is that the terms of the definition changed. The speed of change in ‘what’ has slowed, perhaps to allow those who can afford to experiment and fail to catch up with the crowd’s desires for different ways to consume. At the same time the speed of change of ‘who’ is moving fast and in a direction which will alter the Publishing industry for the better and with long-lasting effects. The vehicle for this change is funnily enough an old-fashioned format, the anthology — of essays, of stories, of whatever speaks best to the context in which they are written — aided by the energy and enthusiasm of those putting the collections together. In the past twelve months, notable collections have made a dent on the public, and not just the industry, consciousness.
For my money, the lead anthology, The Good Immigrant, combined timely publishing, great writing, new perspectives and a powerful point to wake its readers and encourage its fans to spread its message and make converts where possible. Following this, Nasty Women is due and all pre-pub suggests it will make a similar impact to The Good Immigrant. Again, immediate response to a societal issue, providing its readers with fresh perspectives, new voices, considered opinions and with promise to prompt champions to pass the book and spread the word. It is also worth noting that these collections are turned round quickly. Different people making is changing the model. With Know Your Place in the pipeline giving platform to working class writers and Rife aiming to do likewise for the country’s disenfranchised youth, the wave isn’t receding. Going back to a long-established format has enabled a shift in the voices being given a platform. At the same time they have put immediacy and relevance at the fore to ensure that in a competitive environment the hook doesn’t need to be sought.
And so what of innovation washing back into the ‘what’? Well for one, the collections have sprung from the ‘new’ (still new? 2017?) crowdfunding model, via Unbounders and Kickstarter, but the next big change which will really make the shift unretractable (is that a word?) is to change the ‘who’ on the production side. The evolutionary change in evidence at 404 Ink, Dead Ink, Rife and other indies is required by the industry is to put those who have been given a voice by these collections into the process of making and selling so that Publishing doesn’t retreat from this period of exciting innovation as it has before. As established publishing organisations seek succour in strengthening the grip of stale and pale reactionary views masquerading as revolution, the development of anthologies by the previously excluded isn’t just a refreshing response but a vital step that will be fundamental to whether or not Publishing remains relevant and competitive in the dogfight for an audience.
This scene is exciting, stories, essays, books, relevant to now, urgent and inspiring in a time of turmoil and change when everything is up for grabs. Back in 2011, the Brain Shots series offered a hint of what might be possible by turning round short-form pieces in response to events. The current cycle of anthologies may be more than just a trend, especially if it becomes an effective way of broadening the Publishing church. Those with the hands on the levers haven’t had such a loose grip as they do now in a long time, and it’s hard to make a case for where those who are producing and pushing these collections fit into the nice tea and cakes spectrum Publishing currently occupies.
Having taken the first steps and seen that there is a genuine appetite and energy there, entrenching new voices, new perspectives, new cultures into the whole eco-system from end to end will keep the fires of innovation lit regardless of what the bottom line says. And if nothing else, it’s a welcome counter to seeing that ‘Milo’ melt having his brain-farts printed for cash.