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From: rf@wu1.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.micro
Subject: Re: The software industry (a bit on book publishing)
Message-ID: <335@wu1.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 30-Jan-85 13:01:30 EST
Article-I.D.: wu1.335
Posted: Wed Jan 30 13:01:30 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 5-Feb-85 04:26:59 EST
References: <205@gcc-opus.ARPA>, <222@looking.UUCP>
Organization: Western Union Telegraph, Mahwah, NJ
Lines: 63

Brad Templeton (watmath!looking!brad) writes:

  Software is not like books either.  Good books are written as a labour of
  love for the most part.   Good software isn't.  Sure interesting software
  is developed as a labour of love, but the effort to turn that into a
  polished product that is well-documented, bug-free, nicely packaged and
  SUPPORTED is a lot of hard work.   People aren't going to do it unless
  they are paid and paid well.

In the article Brad Templeton contrasts the publishing industry with the
software industry.  His picture of publishing is very different from mine
and he draws a number of conclusions based on that picture.  Since I
personally know editors and publishers, I think my picture is clearer and
I'd like to set the matter straight.

"Good books are written as a labour of love for the most part".  I'm not
sure what books Brad is referring to.  Books are written only for the love
of it only when the writer does not get paid.  Do you really believe that
*textbooks*, even very good textbooks, are labors of love?

"Sure interesting software is developed as a labour of love, but the effort
to turn that into a polished product that is well-documented, bug-free,
nicely packaged and SUPPORTED is a lot of hard work."  In the book business,
the process is called publishing and is subdivided into book design and
editing.  Very few manuscripts are published exactly as submitted to the
publisher.  In some cases editors will ask for major rewrites.  There is
even an analog of support: most books are slightly revised in later
editions.  Text books in active fields and financial references are often
massively updated.  Book design ("packaging" -- which has another meaning in
publishing) requires similar attention.  In mass-marketed books, it is
packaging, especially cover design, which get the buyer to pick up the book
and leaf through it.

"People aren't going to do it [edit software] unless they are paid and paid
well."  Professional writers won't substantially revise a book unless they
are first given a contract.

". . . , the book industry IS controlled (essentially) by a small group of
major publishers."  "Can John Doe without many $M start a car company?" John
Doe Editor, however, can start a publishing company.  In science fiction
publishing, Tor (Jim Baen), Bluejay (Jim Frenkel), and Baen Books (Jim Baen
again) were all started by editors who lost their jobs with the "major
publishers".  These companies publish a vast amount of well-marketed science
fiction.  They are (so far) successes because their editors know their
markets, can publish what they'd like, and have control of their cover art
(a major factor in book marketing).  Most of the big publishers prefer
costume romances and "bestsellers" to science fiction; both pay better.

There are markets not covered by the major publishers.  These are served by
university presses and small publishing houses, publishing rather expensive
(usually $20-$200) volumes.  It's possible to make a fair living working for
or owning one of these; you won't get rich, but you can get by.

I doubt that the rise of cheap software (already well underway) will destroy
the markets for the more expensive products.  There will perhaps be fewer
fortunes made in the business, but, if software publishing turns out like
book publishing, there will still be room for the software company that
started in a garage.

"The price of freedom 
is self-discipline."		Randolph Fritz
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