On Book Packagers and Paper Lantern Lit
Earlier today I responded to a post on Twitter that mentioned an organization called Paper Lantern Lit. They're throwing some kind of party in Boston where you can 'have a drink, mix and mingle with the publishing and pre-publishing set, sign up for one-on-one time with a Paper Lantern Lit “story architect."' It sounded interesting, but as with anything that features the words "pre-publishing" it also sounded slightly shady, so I checked in with a writerly friend to see what he had to say. His response, in short, was "don't go, it's a waste of your time."
He explained that PPL is a book packager. For the linkphobic, book packaging is when a publishing company outsources the creation of a book to another company, who then sells it back to the publisher when it's done.
To be clear, PPL is not a scam. It's an organization that 'auditions' writers for its projects, projects first thought up by its 'story architects,' including author Lauren Oliver (the DELIRIUM trilogy). The folks at PPL roundtable book ideas, plot them out, then find unknown writers to write them. Here is an article about the company.
Of the book packaging companies out there, PPL is probably one of the better ones, the more legit ones. Some people are very happy with the company (such as the Twitter OP, but I'll get to that in a moment). There is nothing wrong with a book packager, though the literary community seems somewhat divided on the subject. My friend seemed pretty adamant that it would not be a good idea for me to go to the party in Boston.
Now, here's the thing - it would not be a good idea for me. For one, I'm not really interested in being part of a stable of writers working on books that weren't my idea. I also don't really have aspirations of being wildly successful, because that is a very rare thing and it's not constructive to think that I am going to be the next JKR. It may not seem rare, not when certain publishing houses are buying up Twilight fanfiction that's been scrubbed of anything litigious, but in the grand scheme of things, becoming a Hugely Famous Author is like finding Ryan Gosling riding a unicorn in Central Park. For every famous author, for every Rowling and John Green and Suzanne Collins, there are thousands of other writers struggling just to find an agent, and there are thousands more who'd just like to finish a damn book for once (hi).
Admittedly, when I first read about the party in Boston, I was intrigued. But then, I didn't actually know what PPL was, or anything about book packaging. I've spent enough time around authors and publishing folk to know that the industry is rife with scam artists preying on those desperate to be a Real, Published Author. Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America has a page about that very thing here. Predators & Editors is another. Absolute Write is where I first read up on Paper Lantern (link).
Scams are prevalent enough that a lot of professional writers (Scalzi & Gaiman, for example) go out of their way to warn aspiring authors away from them as soon as they crop up. It is a problem and a thing of which anyone interested in any aspect of publishing should be aware.
So I was suspect, and that is why I reached out to my friend. I'm glad I did, because as it turns out, Paper Lantern, though not a scam, wouldn't have worked for me, and so I won't waste my time and gas going out there for something that would only disappoint.
I then replied to the Tweet, advising the OP that she should read up on book packagers. It really wasn't meant for her specifically, and I should have made that clear, but moreso for her followers, most of which are young and possibly not well-informed on the labyrinthian ways of the publishing industry (I'm 36, and as I said before, I had no idea what a book packager was until I asked). Her response was defensive, and in the end I was blocked.
And I get it. I really do. When you want to become a thing so badly, such as a Real, Published Author, it's frustrating to hear that your method may not be the best method to get you there. But that wasn't my point. My point was that it's always wise to research a thing before you become involved in it. You have to know whether or not the company is on the up-and-up. You have to be aware of exactly what a company does, and what it will expect from you if you decide to work with them. Some people may not want to become ghost writers. Some may not want other people to come up with ideas for them. Some may just be uncomfortable with the idea of a "literary idea factory," period.
People should know what a thing is before they decide if it's right for them.
I'm sorry that the OP didn't understand what I was trying to convey with my replies to her Tweets on the subject, and I'm sorry that my skepticism offended her enough to block me completely. That's her right, and her right to think that PPL is right for her, and I'll respect that. But I'm posting this because I think it's necessary for others to look before they leap and to be aware of what, exactly, Paper Lantern is. I know there are a lot of us who love to write and would love to turn it into something lucrative, if not a career, and it's only through educating ourselves that we'll find the right paths to take to that goal.
There is, however, only one way to be a Real, Published Author, whether you do it the traditional way or you go through a book packager, and it is very simple, and very hard:
