Brad’s guest this week is going to be answering questions that I am asking myself as well. As an e-book publisher, my partners and I are struggling with the real world cases of how the traditional publishers have thus far taken advantage of or just plain demeaned a good deal of the writers out there.

It is never nice to cast aspersions on an entire industry but these days, industry seems to be synonymous with perpetrator.

And we hear stories or have had our own experiences with the traditional industry decision makers that sound more like the double speak of a totalitarian government than the informed and meaningful thoughts a supposed purveyor of intellectual properties would be expected to make.

As opposed to; We cannot publish your book because a) you are unknown and b) the ending of your story is too depressing there are alternatives to this scenario that exist today and need to be considered.

For one thing, everyone starts out basically unknown as a writer. Until your first essay, book, poem is published no one but those friends with whom you share your work know about you as a writer.

Second, if a story is well told, and by that I mean if the editor, reader, agent or whomever is making these inane comments is able to truly hold their heads up as a gatekeeper, then the first question should be, is the story well told?

If the answer is yes, then the next question would be, am I as a purveyor of intellectual property in a position to make this story available to people who like what I like?

I will go into this topic in greater depth soon, but let me finish this opening salvo against the traditional publishing industry by just acknowledging that none of them have any purpose whatsoever other than making money.

I am not opposed to making money but I am also not opposed to helping those who have good stories to tell and want to either learn how to market for themselves or to use companies who can show them how to do that get their stories read.

But and this is the huge caveat all writers, myself included, must learn: If you are going to scorn the business of publishing and just want to be a celebrity then you will be treated as such possible fodder by the traditional publishing companies. But if you want to be a writer who has good stories to tell and has truly studied your craft, then you need to learn how to be responsible for what you have created and make it available as best you can.

This is my latest crusade for writers. I believe in storytelling but I also believe learning how to get people interested in your story is part of the story itself.
Chow for now.

Deborah Emin is the Publisher of Sullivan Street Press, www.sullivanstreetpress.com