Ahead of Alt.Fiction's 'Other Worlds 2' event this Saturday at Nottingham Central Library, they hosted a live online chat session with some of the best talent in science fiction, fantasy and horror. I chatted with Angry Robot editor Lee Harris to find out how well speculative fiction might fare in the current and future publishing climate.
Angeline: Does speculative fiction have a strong future in traditional publishing, or will such genres see a move to self publishing?
Lee: SpecFic has a very strong future in traditional publishing - if we didn't believe that to be the case, we wouldn't have launched in the US less than a year ago.
However... 'Traditional' publishers will need to adapt to the new landscapes, but as those landscapes are still in a process of flux, it's going to be interesting to see how trad publishing changes, and how quickly.
After all, with 3million+ eBooks self-published in the last year, it's difficult for a self-published author to get attention. Traditional publishers don't experience that problem *as much*
Angeline: I'm just wondering with booksellers closing, they might concentrate on what sells most, forcing publishers to abandon niche genres
Lee: Well, I think niche is the way forward. Specialisation is a good thing. And some of the biggest success stories of recent years have been niche authors - JK Rowling, Dan Brown, etc.
Some booksellers *will* abandon some lines, of course, but traditional publishers (by this, I mean the ones with traditional *practices*, not necessarily the ones who publish paper) will continue to publish great books.
I wonder how it will go? I'm sure it will remain alive in smaller publications and have a rebirth even if it quietens down in the wider publishing circles. :O)
ReplyDeleteThat's very much my feeling. Specfic has always had a cult following, and that will never change, it may just drift in and out of the sphere of popular culture over time.
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