Infinite Loops Ellen Fishbein — Make Art, Not Noise (EP. 220)
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Jun 13, 2024 
Ellen Fishbein, a writing coach and author, discusses traditional publishing disrespecting intelligent readers, advice for aspiring authors, insights from Shakespeare's sonnets, the impact of Herman Hesse's works, using AI in book writing, changing role of agents, and innovating in the publishing industry.
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When Publishers Pad Books With Filler
- A publisher forced a 150-page technical manuscript to 300 pages by printing code snippets as filler.
- Ellen used this example to show legacy publishers pad books and disrespect readers' time.
Respect Readers' Time, Not Page Counts
- Legacy publishers prioritize word counts and unit sales, which often wastes readers' time.
- Altamira instead enforces maximum word counts and respects readers' limited reading time.
Audience Size Replaced Talent Scouting
- Publishers now scout authors by existing audience size, not raw literary talent.
- This favors social-media-savvy creators and overlooks smart readers who avoid noisy platforms.