Let the reader be the arbiter of quality by Howard Robinson

Most Brit Writers, if the truth be told, continue to pursue acceptance of their work by the world's literary agents because being published in the traditional way continues to infer some suggestion of quality and legitimacy upon the work. The reality, of course, having read as many disappointing books as I have inspiring ones - all published conventionally- is that there is little that guarantees quality purely because of the way the novel has been brought to market.

Indeed so diverse are our collective tastes for art, culture, music and literature, it is an odd notion that we should leave those decisions in the hands of a comparative few, albeit very well qualified individuals, around the world. Not only that, it stifles creativity which, by any measure, we should be encouraging to flourish. As many an agent's email or letter has said to me, their decisions are subjective. This being the case, surely the only arbiter of quality must be the reader and our work, as writers, should live or die according to how well we please, thrill, amuse, inspire or otherwise engage our readers.

Terri Giuliani recently wrote a really interesting piece in The Huffington Post on the explosion in self-publishing and the rise of the ebook, sales of which most expect to overtake the printed form this year. She speaks, rightly, of how self publishing has come of age, of how independent authors take more seriously their responsibility to deliver work of a certain standard and quality. She speaks also of how the infrastructure of the self-publishing sector has developed at a faster pace than traditional publishing and threatens its position of hegemony. In what is becoming in all aspects of life a rapidly changing, digitally-led world, the notion of working through the agent process, the majority of whom still won't accept submissions by email, suggests that publishing could go the way of roll-film cameras that didn't see, or didn't want to see, the advent of digital cameras staring them in the face. Too many authors have now established themselves through the independent sector to believe that its rise will continue to be relentless. 

Traditional publishing needs to find a way of embracing and encouraging the many very talented independent authors across many many genres if it is to remain relevant. As soon as the marketing infrastructure available to independent authors has greater reach and becomes more accessible, it will be difficult to see the appeal of the traditional route.

And to those who would argue that the market would be flooded with sub-standard work, I say this: at the end of the day, the reader will be the arbiter of quality. If we produce work that appeals and entertains and deserves to be read - however it has been published - it will be so, and if it doesn't then the market will quickly find it out and it will fade quietly away. All we need is for the stigma of self publishing - which is propagated by a minority in the conventional sector seeking to preserve a vested interest and retain a sense of superiority - to be lifted and the opportunities open to both writers and readers would be truly transformed.

by Howard Robinson

Brit Writers

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