May 11, 2021

The evolution of reaching readers

Is getting published all that great? If your goal is to reach readers, then it’s possible you don’t need a publisher. Before the internet, Publishing (and the process of reaching readers) used to work in a very straightforward and rigid way.

A diagram showing the traditional workflow of publishing
The traditional publishing model brings curation, cultural awareness, and expertise to the process but boy, there are a lot of gates!

1. The artist makes their work.
2. The artist submits their work to many agents.
3. An agent signs the artist and then goes off to find a publisher to multiply the work.
4. The publisher signs the artist (via the agent) to help them make their book.
5. The publisher then distributes that book to booksellers.
6. The readers then purchase the book and consumes the work.

But now, we’re in a world where it’s possible to go from 1 to 6 without all the steps in between. The sequential, gated process of curation that an agent, publisher, and bookseller controls is not the only way (although it’s still a very valid and important one).

A diagram showing a different way to reach your audience
A new model for publishing shows that you can reach all of your audience in a much less sequenced way. What still remains true, though, is that you have to make the work.

For this reason, it seems that there’s never been a better time in history to be an artist because it’s easier than ever to reach readers or your audience. The only thing that’s still the same is step 1: The artist needs to make the work.

Other observations
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Consistent or resistant

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October 15, 2024

Proper technique

If I’m learning a new art form, do I focus on technical correctness first or building an emotional connection with the medium?

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The importance of mess

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