Sometimes you can't make it on your own
It's good to be home with my monkey and my dog, even if it is a grey rainy day in New York City.
Although at first I was tempted to comment about the new green paper on divorce published by the European Commission this morning, a point Ġużè Stagno made on his blog a couple of days ago merits more of my attention this morning. It relates to a topic I've focused on for the past few years in my professional life; one which I continue to follow with great interest, as underlined by my recent fall-out with the Archbishop's curia.
Here's what Stagno said: "Il-pubblikaturi huma dawk li huma; u sta ghalina li 'naqbzuhom' u nohorgu xoghlna ahna. U ghala le? Dawn il-blogs diga' qed jaqdu din il-funzjoni; imma mhux bizzejjed. Hemm bzonn li l-kittieba jiehdu s-sogru u jippublikaw xoghlhom. Kemm jiswa biex tistampa elf ktieb? Lm600? Lm700? Flok tmorru tixorbuhom Panzerville, faddluhom u aghmlu fattikom..."
To my knowledge, Stagno is the first Maltese person other than me to celebrate the way the internet has made it possible for any writer to reach an audience without an intermediary publisher. However, he feels that blogs are not enough and that authors should seriously consider self-publication, which in the Maltese market makes financial sense since a run of 1000 copies for a novel or other book costs about Lm700 (less than $2000 or about £1000).
Stagno has hit this coffin nail on the head twice: (a) the internet is an excellent way to reach an audience without the need of a third-party editor/publisher/funder, and (b) a few hundred liri is money well spent by any creative person who believes they have something to say and can't be bothered to wait for the appropriate "authority" to validate their work.
The current debacle concerning Progress Press and Immanuel Mifsud's Kimika shows how pathetic the Maltese publishing industry really is. Validation from the establishment has its value, but none that cannot be surpassed by the appreciation of a loyal audience who follows the works of an author or other creative person.
Sometimes you can't make it on your own...but most times you can.
posted by Toni Sant at 4:54 PM
It is true that self publishing is a feasible alternative (that was the accepted practice for centuries if I'm not mistaken), and that the internet, although a promising medium, is more of a stopgap. In the process a literary undercurrent may be created which may slowly develop into a movement of sorts, something of a cottage industry... oh who am I kidding? I'm just writing this to get a link to my blog on your own estimable blog...
well... I think it's quite an ego thing that borders on elitism. (not in an entirely negative way though)
compare "i've had three books published" to "i've got three blogs".
Essentially the thing about having something published is that it has passed through a "reviewing" processes and someone has not only said he likes it but was willing to spend money on it. sometimes, as is the case in Malta, it isn't a matter of your material not being good enough (although it can be) but the market not being big enough and the publishers not being bold enough.
I prefer the DIY approach in any discipline (music, art, etc). as long as you're also DIP (doing it properly) too I prefer it.
To my knowledge, Stagno is the first Maltese person other than me to celebrate the way the internet has made it possible for any writer to reach an audience without an intermediary publisher.
and what about Norman Lowell, who has been online since the late nineties?
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