A Startling Revelation
On July 13, 2013, there was a fascinating and remarkable development in the publishing industry. It seems a retired British military officer named Robert Galbraith had recently decided to launch a new career as a writer. Galbraith’s debut novel, “The Cuckoo’s Calling” was published by a prominent publishing house this past April and the book has since received a number of positive reviews and also some critical acclaim. In fact, literary critics were very impressed by the unusually sophisticated writing style of this first time author. Many in the publishing industry were also surprised that a major publishing house had agreed to sign Galbraith since these firms normally work with more established authors.
Prominent voices in the industry and media soon became suspicious and decided to take a closer look. Following a tip, they requested scientists at England’s Oxford University to examine the new book to see what they could find. Using pattern recognition techniques, scientists soon concluded that, “The Cuckoo’s Calling” had actually been written by JK Rowling, author of the enormously successful Harry Potter series of children’s books. They estimated the probability that their conclusion was correct to be nearly 100% and they were right. Robert Galbraith has now been exposed as a fictitious author.
Before this news broke last weekend, “The Cuckoo’s Calling” had sold only 1500 copies in three months despite strong reviews and the backing of a premier publishing house. But once the news report linking the novel to JK Rowling was published, the book immediately rocketed to the very top of Amazon’s best-seller list.
From the perspective of an author, the significance of the “Cuckoo” episode - and the shift in the commercial environment it illustrates - cannot be overstated. It now seems that the days when writers would worry about how to secure a contract with a major publishing house or would panic over reviews penned by prominent literary critics may now have passed. Nevertheless, the new challenge facing today’s independent writers may be no less daunting than the hurdles previous generations of authors had to contend with.
Perhaps the most important question authors need to ask today is: in this age of nearly instant independent digital publishing and global distribution, what can an author do to effectively cultivate a relationship with readers? After all, the “Cuckoo” episode demonstrates that the name of the author, more than any other factor, was critical to the commercial success of the book.
Interesting, well-written books in literary genres having a broad appeal will be very important along with a regular presence on social media. Blog posts and author websites may also be very helpful in developing a relationship with readers but in the final analysis perhaps an element of good fortune will still be the key. Unfortunately, even in today’s brave new world of independent digital publishing, there is still no secret sauce for getting noticed by readers.
Vicar Sayeedi
My Author page on Amazon is available @
https://amazon.com/author/vicarsayeedi
"Legacy of The Peacock Throne" is available for purchase @
Amazon in the USA @
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CEKE5XM
Apple iTunes in the USA @
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/lega...
I’m also on Facebook @
https://www.facebook.com/LegacyOfTheP...
Prominent voices in the industry and media soon became suspicious and decided to take a closer look. Following a tip, they requested scientists at England’s Oxford University to examine the new book to see what they could find. Using pattern recognition techniques, scientists soon concluded that, “The Cuckoo’s Calling” had actually been written by JK Rowling, author of the enormously successful Harry Potter series of children’s books. They estimated the probability that their conclusion was correct to be nearly 100% and they were right. Robert Galbraith has now been exposed as a fictitious author.
Before this news broke last weekend, “The Cuckoo’s Calling” had sold only 1500 copies in three months despite strong reviews and the backing of a premier publishing house. But once the news report linking the novel to JK Rowling was published, the book immediately rocketed to the very top of Amazon’s best-seller list.
From the perspective of an author, the significance of the “Cuckoo” episode - and the shift in the commercial environment it illustrates - cannot be overstated. It now seems that the days when writers would worry about how to secure a contract with a major publishing house or would panic over reviews penned by prominent literary critics may now have passed. Nevertheless, the new challenge facing today’s independent writers may be no less daunting than the hurdles previous generations of authors had to contend with.
Perhaps the most important question authors need to ask today is: in this age of nearly instant independent digital publishing and global distribution, what can an author do to effectively cultivate a relationship with readers? After all, the “Cuckoo” episode demonstrates that the name of the author, more than any other factor, was critical to the commercial success of the book.
Interesting, well-written books in literary genres having a broad appeal will be very important along with a regular presence on social media. Blog posts and author websites may also be very helpful in developing a relationship with readers but in the final analysis perhaps an element of good fortune will still be the key. Unfortunately, even in today’s brave new world of independent digital publishing, there is still no secret sauce for getting noticed by readers.
Vicar Sayeedi
My Author page on Amazon is available @
https://amazon.com/author/vicarsayeedi
"Legacy of The Peacock Throne" is available for purchase @
Amazon in the USA @
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CEKE5XM
Apple iTunes in the USA @
https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/lega...
I’m also on Facebook @
https://www.facebook.com/LegacyOfTheP...
No comments have been added yet.
