Three Questions: Part Two

I've been working on a feature article for mnartists.org about my journey to e-publishing my fantasy novel The Ragged Mountains. Part of the piece involved three questions I sent to seven publishing luminaries, six of whom work here in MN. I couldn't fit everything in the piece so I've decided to put the interviews here on my blog.

Second up is Katie Dublinksi, Associate Publisher at Graywolf Press. The original questions are in the previous post.

Answer #1

I don't see printed books going away altogether, at least in my lifetime. I
think that as long as there are children who are exposed to books on paper
at an early age, there will be some level of attachment or affinity for that
form. Right now, to me, the printed book is still a superior technology.
We've had a lot more time to work out the kinks with it. I am confident that
ebooks and the industry in general will continue to evolve, but right now
it's difficult even to speculate about market shares ten years down the
road.

Answer #2

I agree with you about the technology. What current ebooks/ereaders have in
their favor:

- The type size is adjustable.
- They don't take up much physical space, a boon to people whose houses are
already too full of books and people who travel light.
- Once you've invested in the device, the books themselves are generally
cheaper (from the consumer perspective) than printed books.
- They're available instantly.

Answer #3

Well, my entire publishing experience has been at an independent nonprofit
publishing company with a relatively small list, so I'm not in the best
position to answer this. I can say that I don't think that any marketing
department (or any other department) at any kind of press actively wants
any of their books to fail. But, when a house has a large list and limited
resources, and there's pressure to make books for which the publisher has
already made a substantial commitment (by way of a big advance) succeed, not
every book is going to get the same level of attention.