When a system is based on competition, eventually it becomes too “competitive” for anything to actually be produced. Several people, including myself, grew up thinking that to be writers, we would have to acquire other careers so that we could support ourselves. Consider that: people who wanted to express ourselves had already cultivated the mentality that we would have to work multiple jobs in order to cultivate talent. However, cultivation requires time, energy, mistakes, and a myriad of emotions–and people who are already working full-time rarely maintain the energy to cultivate more than one full-time career. As such, the “credentials” of publishing in the future will be limited mostly to self-publication and independent publishing, allowing more people the chance to express ourselves without being forced to manage gatekeepers.
First and foremost, too many big houses are pro-capitalist, which means that they will only publish something by people who are a) already established and can manage on their own, or b) needing a foot in the door in the form of a competition. Yes, the publishing house takes on the liability of marketing costs, but ironically, they are the reason that more people need help marketing. When few voices drown out the millions, publishing companies perpetuate themselves by muting everyone else. Consequently, publishing companies only help the megafamous, and under the current model, most people will never get even a small break.
Thanks to the rise of social media, most authors are required to post to multiple platforms, many of which require payment to survive. Even if an author works a full-time job, it becomes impossible to sustain so many different avenues that exist to advertise. Furthermore, so many platforms charge people so much money that more people are paying to write than getting paid, despite wealthy people claiming that they want to rid themselves of all their resources before they die. My personal thought is that I will only limit myself to my site, my YouTube, and Medium, because people enjoy watching others go broke on the treadmill of trying to “be someone.” If everyone is “offering” a chance for people to pay to write, it is no wonder that authors see the futility in our craft and switch to videos–which cost even more time and money to perfect for large audiences.
Once upon a time, people thought that if they received PhDs, they would be able to live a reasonably sustainable life in academia; not making much, but making enough to sustain a small family and to live a somewhat middle class life. Now, academia is barely worth the paper that the degrees are printed on, thanks to the interference of outside funding that demands the right to control how people think. Unless people maintain the status quo in their writing, there is no way for them to ever get published or honored, let alone acquire tenure. Colleges are now corrupt, so “hiding in academia” is no longer safe for writing that would challenge the dominant narrative. Thus, the same ideas and the same justifications are repeated using different language, and academia has basically failed to advance, some even arguing that the precious STEM departments have remained stagnant.
There is a lot to write about in recent history, especially since more about history is being revealed, and people are no longer sticking to established narratives. It is interesting that simultaneously, there has been an effort to mute authors by either forcing us to drown in labor, or smile for the powers that be. Social media is one avenue of publication, but many are beginning to wonder if the words and the messages will be sustained when the empire completely loses its ability to endure freedom of speech. Nevertheless, more authors understand that as long as something is recorded in some way, there is a chance for discovery and not for money, but for the pure need to expel the thoughts in one’s mind to remain emotionally healthy.
Contrary to the lack of income, I welcome the rise of the independent scholars and authors, because if everyone is only waiting to get paid, then no one will ever say anything. The wealthy are hoarding, and those who are just beneath them want to be told that they are good people, and only scared authors cater to those whims. The only way forward is to end the dependence on agents and the bureaucracy, because just like the segregated country clubs and the suburbs, many establishments only exist to sustain themselves, not expand. It will take longer to get known, but more people can make some money instead of a few people making all of it. After all, people find that the wealthy rarely have anything to say.
Chasing A Dying Empire 