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Writing books is not really a good idea

ellegriffin.substack.com

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Re: Writing books is not really a good idea

#51

Post by martincmartin »

AS_of wrote: post #43
tarr11 wrote: post #23

I used to read a lot more books 10-20 years ago. Now, I mostly read books on vacation. I think I have an unspoken budget of “words read daily” that is consumed by work and my mobile devices.

As you get older, you should read fewer new books, and revisit the ones that have you the most joy. Vacation sounds like a great place for that! Edit: why? Because you believe in the leverage algorithms can provide https://www.amazon.com/Algorithms-Live-Computer-Science-Deci... There are probably a lot of single people here that would benefit from that book as well (the stopping problem) We all "know" the algos. But…

should

why is that?

Re: Writing books is not really a good idea

#52

Post by matsemann »

mxcrossb wrote: post #3

I wonder how serializing a novel would mesh with most author’s work flow. I guess most would want to write it first and release monthly an already finished product?

The Martian was released one chapter at the time. Same with Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality. As for the last one, it's felt that it was written as it was going along, with certain changes the author normally would have gone back to fix. Like stuff ending up not mattering, or certain inconsistencies in the world building.

But even for larger book series this happens. Like Wheel of Time, one can in an earlier book read about Lan sitting and sharpening his sword. Some books later it's mentioned that his sword never loses its edge. So in later versions of the first book it has been changed to him sharpening his knife instead.

But my guess is those things would happen on a larger scale when not having the opportunity to go back and edit previous chapters.

Re: Writing books is not really a good idea

#53

Post by dudul »

AS_of wrote: post #43
tarr11 wrote: post #23

I used to read a lot more books 10-20 years ago. Now, I mostly read books on vacation. I think I have an unspoken budget of “words read daily” that is consumed by work and my mobile devices.

As you get older, you should read fewer new books, and revisit the ones that have you the most joy. Vacation sounds like a great place for that! Edit: why? Because you believe in the leverage algorithms can provide https://www.amazon.com/Algorithms-Live-Computer-Science-Deci... There are probably a lot of single people here that would benefit from that book as well (the stopping problem) We all "know" the algos. But…

I don't know if you should but it's not a bad advice. I do that occasionally, re-read a book I read as a teenager or young adult and it is interesting how sometimes one can pick up different details or understand things differently.

Re: Writing books is not really a good idea

#54

Post by _joel »

andrewzah wrote: post #10

I feel like I'm one of the few people that still does purchase books. In 2020 & 2021 I bought music theory books from amazon + jazzbooks.com, and I had some Korean books imported by a friend. I have the space and bookshelves to house them though.

I don't think you're alone (I much prefer hardcopy) but possibly a dwindling demographic. One thing I have noticed is a decreased quality in print. I ordered some Rust books from Amazon (printed in house) and they basically seem to be ebooks that have been printed out, loads of whitespace in random areas and no signs of proof-reading. I don't think this helps the cause. Have been using Waterstones more recently but they are a little slow on some more of the ecclectic subjects.

Re: Writing books is not really a good idea

#55

Post by hluska »

mxcrossb wrote: post #3

I wonder how serializing a novel would mesh with most author’s work flow. I guess most would want to write it first and release monthly an already finished product?

I helped a writer friend move a writing workshop online last summer. This was one of the topics. The crowd seemed evenly split between:

- write it at once and release in chunks.

- release it as you write.

- And the most interesting (in my opinion), release it as you write and then if it’s popular, do a full round of edits based on crowd feedback and self publish the ‘definitive, crowd edited edition’.

Re: Writing books is not really a good idea

#57

Post by dovrce »

Most new books aren't very good, and there's so much noise that only reading old books is a perfectly good strategy.

The only recent stuff I buy and read is technology related, if I'm going to read a narrative book it's going to be > 1 year old

Re: Writing books is not really a good idea

#58

Post by ellegriffin »

GCA10 wrote: post #12
mxcrossb wrote: post #3

I wonder how serializing a novel would mesh with most author’s work flow. I guess most would want to write it first and release monthly an already finished product?

A lot of 19th century fiction was done this way. Authors (Dickens, etc.) tended to work from a loose outline and construct the details as they rolled along. Peer at those books closely and you can see some odd detours that were shut down. Also some padding to get more segment-by-segment payments. But it's workable

Absolutely, but it was completely profitable for the author. Alexandre Dumas earned about 10,000 francs ($65,743 today) per installment when he was poached from The Presse by The Constitutionnel in 1845. And it's estimated he was making about that much per installment writing The Count of Monte Cristo. People followed it like it was Game of Thrones!

(More on that here if you're interested: https://ellegriffin.substack.com/p/publishing-industry-truth

Re: Writing books is not really a good idea

#59

Post by lumost »

Is this the natural outcome of having larger retailers?

In the era of small local book stores, the store owner had large discretion on what to stock. Different book stores would naturally stock different books and cater to different preferences. The customer would have options to discover new books, but would also have popular books sometimes "hidden" by the book sellers preference.

If every book reader is hooked into the same recommendations/search feed will they naturally move to reading the same books?

Re: Writing books is not really a good idea

#60

Post by sremani »

AS_of wrote: post #43
tarr11 wrote: post #23

I used to read a lot more books 10-20 years ago. Now, I mostly read books on vacation. I think I have an unspoken budget of “words read daily” that is consumed by work and my mobile devices.

As you get older, you should read fewer new books, and revisit the ones that have you the most joy. Vacation sounds like a great place for that! Edit: why? Because you believe in the leverage algorithms can provide https://www.amazon.com/Algorithms-Live-Computer-Science-Deci... There are probably a lot of single people here that would benefit from that book as well (the stopping problem) We all "know" the algos. But…

If one is reading to apply the acquired knowledge, the above is an excellent advice.

Also, do not underestimate the power of re-reading great books, new and deeper insights are attained during the second and third reads.

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