Literary agents are struggling to prove their worth to authors that prefer to forgo management fees and publish and market their works independently
Jason Allen Ashlock
As I scroll through Google News articles about the now infamous Hachette-Amazon dispute, I see several impassioned headlines that urge authors and readers to pick a side in the brawl, as if allegiance is somehow a reflection of one's moral fiber. "Amazon is Not the 'Putin of Books,'" and "Amazon is Not Your Best Friend," are two such examples.
Time to brush the dust off of this blog and share my first ever experience of BookExpo America. Not only are my feet sore from traipsing across the massive conference, but my mind is bursting with new ideas and insights about this constantly changing book landscape.
In a panel moderated by Porter Anderson of Publishing Perspectives, the IDPF stage hosted a cluster of professionals who are making tremendous advancements and innovations in the industry, but are in the world between major traditional publishing houses and self-publishing. Some of these so-called independent publishers, not to be confused with the current concept of indie publisher or indie author in terms of self-publishing, are long-standing publishing houses with major bestselling titles whose authors are household names.