As the founder of BetaReader.us I provide an online newsletter and bulletin board that helps match writers of all professional statures with readers and publishing service providers.
Publishing is joining the sharing economy. Walter Isaacson, the author of Steve Jobs, recently extoled the ability to have wide input from the public during the process of researching and writing his new book The Innovators: How a Group of Hackers, Geniuses, and Geeks Created the Digital Revolution.
Isaacson’s idea of “collaborating online and drawing upon the wisdom of crowds…to improve [his] drafts,” refers to a recent publishing phenomena — the beta reader — highly qualified readers who will proof and comment on a draft for little or no money. While an obvious boon to authors lacking access to professional editors at a publishing house, beta readers allow authors of all stripes, including chart toppers like Isaacson, to inexpensively obtain editing services. Tensions are rising between beta readers and professional editors who rightly claim that they perform and should be paid for services a beta reader cannot provide. An interesting distinction is psychological — if your publisher says “change this,” most signed authors will, whereas indie authors feel less bound to follow a beta reader’s suggestions.
Thanks to online resources available to indie writers, even the poorest can afford to produce well-edited books. But so far nobody has shown how to crowdsource book promotion and distribution. With very few exceptions, you still need to be published by reputable publisher if want to get your book into libraries, reviewed in the New York Times, sold to foreign publishers, or on bookstore shelves.
- Jeffrey Marcus Oshins is a member of the band Apokaful and is the author of numerous books including 12: A Novel About the End of the Mayan Calendar.
