I suddenly find myself wrapped up in a project that could very well become a book. I can’t say too much about it yet, but it’s an exploration the spot where I think we’re stuck as a civilization. The basic idea came to me on July 2, and since then I’ve been working like a mad man, researching and taking notes.

It’s exciting, to say the least! I never thought I would get to this point. Apparently self-publishing the collection of early works, Seeking the Upward Spiral, helped me move to the next level. It must have provided adequate closure to a very dark four-year period in my life.

So now, onward and upward! You may see an occasional post from me, if I have some news to share. And who knows, maybe I’ll post updates on my progress. In the interim, please keep an eye on Supraterranean. We really need submissions! Also, did you see the new Thumpme blog? If not, have a lookie!

“I have been helping authors self-publish for eight years and self-promote for the past three years. I have a kit called ‘Self-Publishing in a Box’ that takes authors through a step-by-step process to build a business around the book. I am currently working on an online training course called ‘The Author Platform’ that should help authors build a strong platform. This is scheduled to release in January ’09.”

Davis was kind enough to mention and link to Supraterranean on his blog. He quoted my email, which is a pretty good statement of how I feel about self-publishing. I said:

“I developed Supraterranean with little knowledge of the existing options for writers and artists to self-publish using the power of the Internet. However, I’ve been realizing more and more that this is an important thing to explore and build upon. I personally was unsatisfied with the concept of fighting against the traditional obstacles built into the journalism and book industries. Plus, those industries are facing difficulties — some common, some unique — that make me want to find a better way. I have yet to write a book of my own, but I may very well need help with self-promotion in the near future.”

Naturally all of us who enjoy books are hoping that there will always be some way to publish them. But book publishing as a mass-production business might not survive. With the economy suffering and the cost of paper and other production materials increasing, I wouldn’t be surprised if, in the future, paper publishing is far exceeded by electronic publishing. Maybe book publishing will become a totally “on demand” enterprise, since it’s apparently not a profitable one anyways. Davis also linked to this blog post by Moonrat, an editorial assistant in the publishing industry — but he argues that the publishing industry can still bounce back. Who knows.

Q: You have an idealistic site, aimed at showcasing the output of creative people. Do you get a lot of hits? Do the folks you showcase find an audience?

Q: How many other sites are there that are trying something broadly similar to what you’re doing? What kind of audiences do they pull?

Q: Why should anybody go to your site instead of one of the others – or vice versa?

Q: Ever been to one of the really large creative showcase sites like allpoetry.com? How easy or hard would it be for a good poet to get noticed there? How many people would be likely to notice them?

Q: So, some creative product “goes viral”. How would the audience of a successful viral product of today compare with the audience of guys like Kurt Cobain or Tupac Shakur? Is the difference due to quality of the work, or structure of the media?

Q: Do you think creative work that “goes viral” does so because it’s better than the stuff that doean’t? Or are there other reasons? If so, what would those be?

Here is an excerpt from my response:

To address your point about finite human attention, the core of my argument is that the FM radio and MTV model of music distribution is dead. My stance is more like, “Nobody has power, because power is an illusion.” I say the “center” isn’t worth fighting for, because music is an art form, and the center is based on manipulation and deceit. I think it’s safe to say that mass-produced garbage is usually the opposite of art. American Idol is crap, but it’s not intended for music lovers; it’s for pop culture addicts and those who like being indoctrinated. It’s our monetary system (capitalistic or otherwise) that turns music, books, and other artistic creations into trashy consumer products. I think it’s worthwhile to express yourself, search for truth, and work for progress — but not on the condition that you must be paid for it. Yes, I’d like my passion to be how I make a living, but it might be a long time until that happens.

I am also interested in the back and forth shift from underground to mainstream, especially with music. However, I have become convinced that musicians aiming for the center are looking for a music career, and that undoubtedly removes them from the realm of art. Talk about a paradox: indie music has taken over the public consciousness, turning many bands into the exact opposite of what they first stood for (e.g. — Modest Mouse, The Decemberists, Death Cab For Cutie). I’m not sure that I’d want another Nirvana, but I was never a huge fan. They probably did take advantage of that “psychic desolation” you mentioned. But I think we’re approaching a point when everyone turns their attention inward. We must work on the evolution of human consciousness if we are ever to move beyond the repetitive failures of the last 60 years (or 4000 years, depending on how you see it). And somehow, this always returns me to Fight Club.

I just watched Zeitgeist: Addendum, so I’m sure that is flavoring my lingo here. Essentially the Internet is the best modern example of how our world is constantly in an emergent state. There is no stationary point. It’s ever-changing, ever-growing, ever-improving (hopefully). What has happened in the past decade with music and the Internet does seem like anarchy, but that’s simply because methods of finding music are constantly emerging, and they’re being refined and improved.

The Internet provides many options for finding new music, none of which involve searching through thousands of albums. But then again, I feel that if a band is important enough or valid enough or determined enough, they will somehow find the route to their audience. I get a weekly release newsletter from AllMusic.com, which I can scan for band names and genres, then link to the page if more info is needed. Pandora and Last.fm are both tailoring playlists to the listener’s tastes. They work on slightly different systems, but are both pretty effective in introducing new music. There are also online publications and music blogs. (However, I wrote an essay about Pitchfork. You might be interested in reading that one as well.) Then there are the traditional, but always less used methods of talking with a record store employee or frequenting your local indie music venues. Personally I didn’t have that option before the Internet, because the area I grew up in had neither in close proximity.

I wasn’t familiar with AllPoetry.com or any creative showcase sites. It seems like a good idea. Initially, I’d say my site is different because of the various types of content published here. Secondly, I modeled my site after my favorite print and online publication design, so that people can self-publish their work in a professional, attractive setting. I admit that I needed a place to publish my work, and I was largely unsatisfied with journalism, book publishers, and literary journals. But my work is in no way showcased here, especially if more and more people start to submit (eventually I want them to be able to submit themselves, so that there only need be moderators to check that the creative work is legitimate and not an advertisement, etc).

As for traffic and audience, Supraterranean was launched on June 23, 2008, only four months ago. The site currently gets about 300-400 unique visitors per month. I’m hoping that will continue to grow. I did create the website with an idealistic foundation — the most extreme goal being a revolution of the publishing industry. However, I won’t be disappointed if I don’t meet that goal. Even if this site becomes an incubator for writers, filmmakers, and artists to learn and grow, so they can then move into some aspect of traditional publishing, that wouldn’t disappoint me. I don’t expect Supraterranean to be the end point of progress. It’s just (in my eyes) vastly better than the current system. I think that the publishing industry is about to face what the music industry just went through. One example is Amazon BookSurge, which provides self-publishing opportunities for authors.

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As you can see, some of these topics have already been addressed on this blog. But I’m hoping that interactions such as this will become more commonplace on Supraterranean.

In related news, Amazon BookSurge is the first source I’ve seen for self-publishing books. They claim to help with editing, design, publication, and promotion for independent authors. Also, they’ll work with the publishers and book stores so that you (the author) don’t have to. It seems like a great idea, very much in line with the concepts behind Supraterranean.com. I say, let’s take it to the extreme. Remove the literary agents and publishers of creative writing. The industry is build on absurd notions of only publishing what can be sold in mass quantities. Writers and artists need a community to learn and grow. Progress is now more self-directed than ever before.

Speaking of Supraterranean, I just wrote a press release for the site and put it on as many web PR sites as I could. Here is an excerpt:

“The Internet has opened the power of publishing to all. Or at least, that’s the hope. The web brought about an unexpected amount of interaction, cooperation, and sharing that has bolstered creativity on many levels. But the publishing industry has remained particularly static, with traditional stop gates still in place. Supraterranean wants to change that, so that the Internet continues to foster personal expression and cultural progress.”

Please do us a favor and send a release link to friends and family!

Links:

PR.com
Free Press Release
Widespread PR
I-Newswire.com

(Sorry this post was so random…but sometimes randomness is fun.)