Sometimes I despair about late-stage capitalism. The recommendation of "hire more people, let them actually do their job" is basically "Stop doing what you've BEEN doing to squeeze out more profits to shareholders, namely more work for fewer people." (See: CHOKEPOINT CAPITALISM for a longer explanation about more of that.) It can feel impossible to fight the whole system.
But your article gives me hope, actually! All it would take is one big publisher (...of which there are only 4 now? Or still 5?) ...or even a medium one, like Scholastic or Disney, to decide to prioritize reader experience. I bet that in a few years they'd have all the biggest hits, and then other publishers might follow suit.
Great insight, Jodi
So many good insights here. (And thanks for linking to my piece about exclusive editions!)
Sometimes I despair about late-stage capitalism. The recommendation of "hire more people, let them actually do their job" is basically "Stop doing what you've BEEN doing to squeeze out more profits to shareholders, namely more work for fewer people." (See: CHOKEPOINT CAPITALISM for a longer explanation about more of that.) It can feel impossible to fight the whole system.
But your article gives me hope, actually! All it would take is one big publisher (...of which there are only 4 now? Or still 5?) ...or even a medium one, like Scholastic or Disney, to decide to prioritize reader experience. I bet that in a few years they'd have all the biggest hits, and then other publishers might follow suit.