Dear book publishers and movie producers, it has come to my attention that many of you have suffered from an affliction which has been largely ignored by the wider community. It is my pleasure therefore to offer you some assistance in the form of my new support group called FacePalm, which reaches out to the many who have suffered as a result of poor decision making. Have you ever rejected a script or manuscript which later became an enormous success with someone else? Have you felt that sinking feeling as you realised that the housewife whose work you once labelled as mediocre was JK Rowling? Then this is the place for you.
As Shirky points out, we have long since relied on traditional publishers to filter potential works and provide us with only that which passes their test of quality. However, one only has to look at the enormous list of authors such as Stephen King, JK Rowling and George Orwell, whose iconic works were rejected by these gatekeepers several times before they became bestsellers, to see that this was not a fool proof process.
Today, however, we live in midst of a world infected by Bieber Fever, in which success can now be achieved through home videos on YouTube, and is no longer dependant on our ability to initially convince someone to invest in our talents- as we can have (relatively) direct access to a potential audience. While Anderson argues that this leads to a radically different creative climate, I can’t help but wonder if all that much has changed. Traditional publishers may have held the initial power in terms of what was consumed, but as the existence of my support group shows; the consumers have always had the ultimate power in the success of products. Regardless of what the book publishers and movie studios have provided us with, consumers have always been the deciders- which is why movie flops such as the horrible Gigli exist, as well as why so many authors became popular despite the resistance of publishers. What we have now instead, with popular review sites such as Rotten Tomatoes, is a society which understands the key- that if you want something to become a success, you need the approval of those who will consume it.
Your use of the FacePalm was really helpful here in relating to the reading! I'm sure it has happened many times that gatekeepers have rejected works that were later hugely successful, and as you point out, vice versa. I can see your argument that the creative climate and media landscape have not changed that radically due to the amount of access we have, however there is always that chance that you might get 'noticed' in a way never previously possible. Platforms like YouTube, blogging sites and citizen journalism arenas have provided a space that can now be utilised. Whether or not you actually are noticed however, is a totally different argument.
ReplyDeletehahaha hilarious!
ReplyDeletei agree there do is still so much convincing going on a shift from producers and so on to the audience still has to be convinced. There is still so much marketing and polishing that goes on to bring "stars" like Bieber to where they are. The main thing artists or talents need to do now to achieve is just get noticed.