Oldpub Has Forgotten How to Make Good Books

For generations, publishers understood that good books take time. Authors need to draft and revise. Editors have to spot the weaknesses authors miss. That’s how manuscripts improve: gradually, through repeated cycles of review, correction, and reconsideration.

Every book is different, but if you can make one general statement about the publication process it is this:

It’s slow. And that deliberate pace serves an important purpose.

Recent reporting suggests many legacy publishers are abandoning that time-tested philosophy. More and more authors report truncated production schedules, rushed editing, reduced marketing support, and books hitting stores before they’re ready.

Oldpub set out to optimize itself for volume. And succeeded. At the cost of quality.

That devil’s bargain mirrors a pattern that keeps popping up throughout modern culture. The line must always go up. And every organization is convinced it has to produce more. Few stop to ask whether more is actually better.

Read the full post on Substack.