David Clark's Blog
March 5, 2013
Is Self Publishing the new Punk Rock?
In the sixties and seventies, the tried and tested formula for bands to get discovered was to spend hours in garages and basements rehearsing and rehearsing, until they were note perfect. And when they were sure they were ready they would travel up and down the country in the back of beaten up old vans, playing their tunes to crowds of disinterested people, in the hope of one day being discovered.
Music Agents or Talent Spotters would head off to these smoke filled venues in the hope of finding 'The Next Big Thing'. Like today they would jump on the bandwagon and once the Beatles hit it big there wasn't a band in Liverpool that wasn't getting begged to sign on the dotted line. Fashions and crazes followed and so did the agents.
But once the dust and screams had cleared and the records stopped selling, the only ones to come out of the experience unscathed and financially secure were the agents and hangers on.
But what to do? The roads to wealth and fame were guarded by these people and if you didn't play ball then you might as well give up on your hopes and ambitions.
And then in the 70's along came a bunch of spotty kids who changed all that. They had a message to send and couldn't wait to master their art. If it meant a few missed chords and a strangled vocal then so be it. Not for them the grovelling to record executives that their predecessors had to do. They set up record labels in their back bedrooms and sheds and would soon be on Top of the Pops and have their faces staring out from newspapers and magazines. Some would go on to become household names, while others had their five minutes of fame and disappeared without trace.
With the advent of You Tube and Facebook bands and artists often didn't have to leave the confines of their bedroom to become overnight sensations. The revolution WAS televised.
Fast forward to the Noughties (is that really a word?) and the tapping of type writer keys are replaced by the softer rythmic taps of the computer keyboard. People can now sit in Starbucks or on the train and dream of being the next Catherine Cookson, Martina Cole or JK Rowling. Or if you're a guy and want to be the next Peter Benchley or JJ Connelly you might decide a wine bar or upmarket pub will be better suited. Especially as you can tell any female that asks that you're 'formulating your next novel'. While in the past the nearest any of the vast majority of novels would get to publisher was pub, the arrival of the internet meant that there was a home for a lot of this writing. Up and down the country, and even around the world, budding writers could write to their hearts content and be read by 1 or 1 million depending on how well they pushed their scribblings.
When the breakthrough into publishing came though it wasn't some small independant company that gave aspiring writers the chance to let others read their work. No, it was a giant. And as the world woke up to improving technology these giants pushed and pushed until there wasn't a person who had the inclination to write that hadn't become an author. And I should know, I was one. Hardly suprising really as I had also leapt at the chance to perform in a band despite having little in the way of a voice but a hell of a lot of biting lyrics.
But just as the output of self made records made it impossible for DJs and reviewers to listen to everything, meaning they again plumped for what they knew, bands with a history, then I fear that the sheer volume of new titles released means that it will once again be the recognised names that again get the publicity needed to entice readers to spend their valuable time and money.
My first novel, Self Published obviously, is The 3 Card Trick, available now on Amazon.
Music Agents or Talent Spotters would head off to these smoke filled venues in the hope of finding 'The Next Big Thing'. Like today they would jump on the bandwagon and once the Beatles hit it big there wasn't a band in Liverpool that wasn't getting begged to sign on the dotted line. Fashions and crazes followed and so did the agents.
But once the dust and screams had cleared and the records stopped selling, the only ones to come out of the experience unscathed and financially secure were the agents and hangers on.
But what to do? The roads to wealth and fame were guarded by these people and if you didn't play ball then you might as well give up on your hopes and ambitions.
And then in the 70's along came a bunch of spotty kids who changed all that. They had a message to send and couldn't wait to master their art. If it meant a few missed chords and a strangled vocal then so be it. Not for them the grovelling to record executives that their predecessors had to do. They set up record labels in their back bedrooms and sheds and would soon be on Top of the Pops and have their faces staring out from newspapers and magazines. Some would go on to become household names, while others had their five minutes of fame and disappeared without trace.
With the advent of You Tube and Facebook bands and artists often didn't have to leave the confines of their bedroom to become overnight sensations. The revolution WAS televised.
Fast forward to the Noughties (is that really a word?) and the tapping of type writer keys are replaced by the softer rythmic taps of the computer keyboard. People can now sit in Starbucks or on the train and dream of being the next Catherine Cookson, Martina Cole or JK Rowling. Or if you're a guy and want to be the next Peter Benchley or JJ Connelly you might decide a wine bar or upmarket pub will be better suited. Especially as you can tell any female that asks that you're 'formulating your next novel'. While in the past the nearest any of the vast majority of novels would get to publisher was pub, the arrival of the internet meant that there was a home for a lot of this writing. Up and down the country, and even around the world, budding writers could write to their hearts content and be read by 1 or 1 million depending on how well they pushed their scribblings.
When the breakthrough into publishing came though it wasn't some small independant company that gave aspiring writers the chance to let others read their work. No, it was a giant. And as the world woke up to improving technology these giants pushed and pushed until there wasn't a person who had the inclination to write that hadn't become an author. And I should know, I was one. Hardly suprising really as I had also leapt at the chance to perform in a band despite having little in the way of a voice but a hell of a lot of biting lyrics.
But just as the output of self made records made it impossible for DJs and reviewers to listen to everything, meaning they again plumped for what they knew, bands with a history, then I fear that the sheer volume of new titles released means that it will once again be the recognised names that again get the publicity needed to entice readers to spend their valuable time and money.
My first novel, Self Published obviously, is The 3 Card Trick, available now on Amazon.
