Michael Pietsch, CEO of HarperCollins, thinks that all the talk about the failing publishing industry is just talk.
In a column penned for The Wall Street Journal, Pietsch points out that e-books didn’t kill books as previously predicted and that self-publishing is only good for authors that are willing to forego an advance and want to build an audience themselves. Here is an excerpt from the piece:
Publishers’ essential work will remain the same—identifying, investing in, nurturing, and marketing great writers. The abundance of titles readers have come to expect will continue to gush forth. Pictorial storytelling will increase in popularity, and comic versions of novels and nonfiction will become commonplace. More titles will be published for children and young-adult readers, including books blended and layered with games. Beloved best-selling writers, living and dead, will publish books more frequently, often with help from co-writers.