You criticized a hustle and then tried the exact same hustle. We gotta get the writers writing to make money off others writers and creating know-it-all posts about their path to publishing success, while ignoring readily available stats about the white focus of the publishing industry, to do better, please.
We need writers trying to create readers on the platform, not writers trying to make money off less successful writers, which is what a good number of people on here are doing. That will just be insular and a wack advertising platform.
I get it, you think The Black List shouldn't get into the fiction space because the publishing industry is totally functional and just calling balls and strikes. And people should just sign up with you to get right. Sure....
Honestly, it don't matter, the publishing industry and most writers lose money. Most of them don't make a living off their writing. So they are gatekeeping something that isn't working for them, hustling others access into that same dry desert. Good Luck, Dawlin!
I didn't know you were a person of color when I wrote my post. I saw that when I visited your profile. I didn't go back to your previous posts to see if you had covered those racial disparities, but I am glad to hear that you have.
Here in this post, you criticizing a Black man trying to disrupt the media industry, came off as gatekeeping to me. I hear you that your content is free but you are advertising your separate paid for services in a post that begins as criticism of a Black man trying to disrupt the media industry.
I think writers should change their approach to the ways they try to make money off their success within an industry that exploits even the lucky ones it chooses. But its not personal to you. I really, really disagree with the sentiment of the message conveyed here as I understood it. I have said the same in other posts with a similar sentiment.
You can delete the comment if this is just an advertising post that I messed up for you, but you can keep the comment if this is content for which you wanted engagement, which I gave you. I just didn't agree.
I won't delete your comment just because I disagree with it. But incidentally I will criticize anyone, whether they are a minority or not, when they are offering a service that has people pay for access to something that is actually free. There have also been a couple business that opened to "disrupt" the querying system with no apparent benefits. And I pointed out the irony of then advertising editorial services in the same post but I did this because while I was recently at a conference half a dozen people told me I should be monetizing this substack more and that it is better than what they are getting at paid-only substacks. What I am charging for is not access, it's editorial services, which I don't give away for free, as I am not a fan of minorities working for free (I'm not a fan of anyone working for free, but minorities in particular)
You really think that's a fair summary of what The Black List does? I don't. I see it as a flawed capitalistic tool for visibility. I'm not protecting it or anyone, nor do I have a connection to him. I just think your critique was unfair and covered for the current publishing industry too much.
I'm sure you're a good editor and you should advertise your services, but couched in a criticism, while doing a version of what you are criticizing, is maybe not the right way to do it.
It comes off as hypocritical, not ironic.
Good editing is priceless. Editors should charge writers and writers who want help should pay. I have an editor for my manuscript despite years of 'elite' training and experience. I love his services and appreciate his help.
But also let's be honest, figuring out how to get fans of your work, will be more sustainable in the long term, than good editing.
And that, no editor can solve for you. The Black List maybe helps with that, maybe not, but the current system is not working.
A paid slush pile----ooof.
Thanks for sharing this. I'm just catching up this week on all the news and still processing how I feel about the Black List.
You criticized a hustle and then tried the exact same hustle. We gotta get the writers writing to make money off others writers and creating know-it-all posts about their path to publishing success, while ignoring readily available stats about the white focus of the publishing industry, to do better, please.
We need writers trying to create readers on the platform, not writers trying to make money off less successful writers, which is what a good number of people on here are doing. That will just be insular and a wack advertising platform.
I get it, you think The Black List shouldn't get into the fiction space because the publishing industry is totally functional and just calling balls and strikes. And people should just sign up with you to get right. Sure....
Honestly, it don't matter, the publishing industry and most writers lose money. Most of them don't make a living off their writing. So they are gatekeeping something that isn't working for them, hustling others access into that same dry desert. Good Luck, Dawlin!
do you know that I'm not white? and that I've written about racial disparities in the publishing world? all my content is free by the way.
I didn't know you were a person of color when I wrote my post. I saw that when I visited your profile. I didn't go back to your previous posts to see if you had covered those racial disparities, but I am glad to hear that you have.
Here in this post, you criticizing a Black man trying to disrupt the media industry, came off as gatekeeping to me. I hear you that your content is free but you are advertising your separate paid for services in a post that begins as criticism of a Black man trying to disrupt the media industry.
I think writers should change their approach to the ways they try to make money off their success within an industry that exploits even the lucky ones it chooses. But its not personal to you. I really, really disagree with the sentiment of the message conveyed here as I understood it. I have said the same in other posts with a similar sentiment.
You can delete the comment if this is just an advertising post that I messed up for you, but you can keep the comment if this is content for which you wanted engagement, which I gave you. I just didn't agree.
I won't delete your comment just because I disagree with it. But incidentally I will criticize anyone, whether they are a minority or not, when they are offering a service that has people pay for access to something that is actually free. There have also been a couple business that opened to "disrupt" the querying system with no apparent benefits. And I pointed out the irony of then advertising editorial services in the same post but I did this because while I was recently at a conference half a dozen people told me I should be monetizing this substack more and that it is better than what they are getting at paid-only substacks. What I am charging for is not access, it's editorial services, which I don't give away for free, as I am not a fan of minorities working for free (I'm not a fan of anyone working for free, but minorities in particular)
You really think that's a fair summary of what The Black List does? I don't. I see it as a flawed capitalistic tool for visibility. I'm not protecting it or anyone, nor do I have a connection to him. I just think your critique was unfair and covered for the current publishing industry too much.
I'm sure you're a good editor and you should advertise your services, but couched in a criticism, while doing a version of what you are criticizing, is maybe not the right way to do it.
It comes off as hypocritical, not ironic.
Good editing is priceless. Editors should charge writers and writers who want help should pay. I have an editor for my manuscript despite years of 'elite' training and experience. I love his services and appreciate his help.
But also let's be honest, figuring out how to get fans of your work, will be more sustainable in the long term, than good editing.
And that, no editor can solve for you. The Black List maybe helps with that, maybe not, but the current system is not working.