I don't see the applicability. We're not talking a new product here; it's still short fiction. What we're talking about is a new distribution channel.
Of course writers should choose their distribution channels with care. I don't submit to non-paying markets, nor do I normally submit to anthologies that offer only shared royalties.
Granted, AnthologyBuilder is a shared royalty anthology, but with at least three key differences:
1. The resale rights are entirely within my control. I don't have to wait for the antho to go out of print; I don't have to wait for any reversion clause to kick in. I may pull a story from the website at any time, for any reason.
2. I don't have to worry about any distribution hassles, like a distributor suddenly deciding to dump a small publisher.
3. The anthology "brand" is determined entirely by the reader. My stories can wind up in the same anthology that contains public domain work by Conan Doyle or O. Henry. Or they can sit cheek by jowl with stories by Jim Hines and Tobias Buckell, both on the preliminary Nebula ballot. Either way, not bad company to be in. And again, the branding is up to the reader. It's as prestigious (or not) as he/she decides.
So as I see it, I have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Yeah, I'll give it a shot. A year from now, I'll know whether it worked or not. And if it didn't, I'm out nothing for having tried.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2008-01-25 10:24 pm (UTC)Of course writers should choose their distribution channels with care. I don't submit to non-paying markets, nor do I normally submit to anthologies that offer only shared royalties.
Granted, AnthologyBuilder is a shared royalty anthology, but with at least three key differences:
1. The resale rights are entirely within my control. I don't have to wait for the antho to go out of print; I don't have to wait for any reversion clause to kick in. I may pull a story from the website at any time, for any reason.
2. I don't have to worry about any distribution hassles, like a distributor suddenly deciding to dump a small publisher.
3. The anthology "brand" is determined entirely by the reader. My stories can wind up in the same anthology that contains public domain work by Conan Doyle or O. Henry. Or they can sit cheek by jowl with stories by Jim Hines and Tobias Buckell, both on the preliminary Nebula ballot. Either way, not bad company to be in. And again, the branding is up to the reader. It's as prestigious (or not) as he/she decides.
So as I see it, I have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Yeah, I'll give it a shot. A year from now, I'll know whether it worked or not. And if it didn't, I'm out nothing for having tried.