The Future of the Novel: Writers, Publishing and Technology

The buzz: “Today, anyone with a bit of technological know-how and an internet connection can publish—offering digital or physical editions, on the same online retail shelves—alongside Alexander Chee, Rebecca Makkai, or Tom Clancy.” For printed books, a slew of new funding, production, and distribution tools make creating and selling a physical artifact much easier…The books look fabulous. This proliferation of new technology and services has altered author economics. Almost half of author earnings now come from independently published books. For the first time—perhaps since the invention of the printing press—authors and small presses have viable independent options beyond the “traditional” publishing path with its gatekeepers. [wired.com] We’ll ask Water Street Press publisher, editor and author Lynn Vannucci, ad-copywriter-turned-novelist Arthur Vibert, and CPA-turned-novelist Joe Calderwood for their take on The Future of the Novel: Writers, Publishing and Technology.