07 May 2008

Reproduction 101

Let's skip the birds and the bees and go directly to flowers--dandelions in particular. A dandelion may produce 2,000 seeds per year. Lots of those seeds may end up in places where they can't grow, but even if only two end up sprouting, that's another 4000 seeds.

This information goes a long way toward explaining the state of my front lawn, but it also has some use to authors, says Cory Doctorow in the May issue of Locus

"If you blow your works into the net like a dandelion clock on the breeze, . . .  the winds of the Internet will toss your works to every corner of the globe, seeking out every fertile home that they may have--given enough time and the right work, your stuff could someday find its way over the transom of every reader who would find it good and pleasing."

In case you're wondering, Mr. Doctorow thinks that, in the right circumstances, such reproduction is a good thing. No, you may not make a buck or two off the story, but you may hit a home run with an agent or editor who reads your work, likes it (or hears how many others like it), calls you up, and says "do you have anything else"?

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

An Espec author is working with an agent on a book, because of a story that agent read on the Web. It works.

lesleylsmith said...

I also read Cory's "Think Like a Dandelion". He does say some very interesting stuff about creative works and the web. I have personally been quite surprised where some of my fiction has ended up on the web and as a result of that in the real world.
But... with the changes going on with traditional publishing (conglomeration, failure), I must admit I wonder how it will all shake out.
Hhm...this topic is rife with story ideas.