Hello from beautiful Southern California, where I have escaped the horrid winter weather the rest of the country is experiencing. Even though it’s February, it’s warm enough to sit by the pool, tan and read a book. Ever since finishing my master’s thesis (a 227-page novel), I’ve had a lot more time to do what I enjoy most: reading.

Last year, I took a course in 21st-century publishing. It was meant to teach students the ins and outs of the publishing industry, and I, as an editor, was happy to learn more. Instead of feeling confident in the publishing process, however, I got a hard dose of reality: the publishing industry is in decline. New authors struggle to get their work published. There is also an increase in poorly written novels. 

As an author and a reader, the future of literature looks bleak. Corporations are taking over every aspect of the publishing industry. Independence has been taken away from authors — we’re at the mercy of the corporate drive for profit at the expense of quality.

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At the risk of sounding like a Marxist, until literary monopolies are broken up and publishing power is decentralized, I believe literature will continue to suffer. The refusal to foster, support and encourage literary independence will undoubtedly be the ruin of the publishing industry.

Publishing power has consolidated amongst the “Big Four” — Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Macmillan and Hachette Book Group. Each of these companies has hundreds of imprints, which are trade names bigger publishing houses publish under. Penguin Random House, the biggest company of the four, has over 300 imprints. Combined, the company and its imprints publish hundreds of thousands of books per year.

SOURCES:

Imprints | Penguin Random House 

When I call these companies “monopolies,” I mean that they control all stages of publishing — acquisition, production, distribution, etc. In this way, the Big Four are in command of much of the world’s supply of literary content. Most published works can be traced back to one of the Big Four, even if the companies’ names don’t appear on the copyright page. 

Publishing is, after all, a business model, and businesses must keep themselves afloat. Quality is sacrificed for quantity as publishing corporations focus on quick turnarounds on their products. That’s why it’s nearly impossible for new authors to find publishing opportunities. Unless their work fits the exact metrics for high profit, chances are one of the Big Four won’t bite.

Quantity over quality has become the norm

This profit-focused model has led to a lack of literary variety. Big-box bookstores (think Borders or Barnes & Noble) seem to have a shrinking selection of unique works. It’s difficult to find a book that immediately hooks you. Fiction is limited to formula plots, and every book cover seems to look the same. 

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Yes, I know you aren’t supposed to judge a book by its cover, but in this era of modern publishing, you can easily guess what’s under it. The primary cause of this is the trend-chasing nature of social media marketing. Easily-quantifiable genres — that is, ones that can be reduced to three-to-five hashtags — are preferred simply for the ease of advertising.

Publishing houses must utilize social media if they wish to market their products; social media is the quickest way a publisher can make a product known to the intended audience. Well-known author names catch the eye of social media users. Formula plots catch the eye of algorithms. Do you see the problem? The literary industry has become a streamlined, easy-to-read market. 

The literary world has lost the plot, so to speak. No longer does it serve as a space where discourse is created and meaning is made. Profit is the buzzword, and quality is sneered at. But it’s not enough to sit around and talk about the importance of literary independence. The way I see it, there are two options: trudge along with the literary profit model, or begin strengthening independent literary spaces.

Independence from corporate publishing is key if writers and readers would like to make meaning together again. The only way to do this is to turn our backs on corporatism and foster independent literary spaces ourselves. For some, action may look quiet, such as frequenting indie bookstores or supporting independent literature magazines. For others, creating independent space, like how Fair Observer is creating space for journalism, is the best way to help.

Literature is not, and should not be, independent of community. Community is the key to maintaining an organic literary world where discourse isn’t dictated by corporate profits. If you agree, join me — and Fair Observer — in encouraging independence.