Over the past few months I have had the great pleasure of interviewing a fair number of authors, many of them first-timers. What I found interesting was a consistent theme, that of dissatisfaction and frustration with the publishing world. Unfortunately most authors are unwilling to talk publicly about their experiences, no doubt wary that ‘stirring the pot’ will make their future projects even more difficult to bring to fruition.

Fearless stand-up comedian and writer Ian Coburn however broke the mold and agreed to discuss his experiences with the literary world. And a fascinating story it is.

On Getting Started

It doesn’t surprise me that authors would be reluctant to share their knowledge. In any art medium, artists often feel there is only so much work or space to go around; if they share their knowledge, they create more competition. I often came across this mentality as a comedian. Many comedians did not want more people breaking into a business already oversaturated with acts. They were afraid someone better would steal their spots at clubs. So, comedians often recommended mediocre acts to clubs, in order to be certain there would still be work at those rooms for them.

This logic is totally backward. As a comedian, I can only work one club at a time. When I’m not at a club, I want the best possible act working there. I want the crowd to think he’s hilarious. That way the club will stay open. Hopefully, more clubs will open. If people see mediocre acts, they’ll stop going to the clubs. Clubs will close.

Comedy clubs have been struggling for years and there are far less now than there were in the 90’s, when there were less than in the 80’s. Comedians themselves are responsible for many of the clubs closings. Books meet with similar struggles. The industry is not geared to bring in new, fresh talent; it’s geared to keep it out. When someone picks up a book that isn’t mine, I want them to love it. I want that book to make them want to read more books. Quality books mean more readers which mean more venues for books.

Unfortunately, many of the books being published today are as likely to be written by pop culture stars with poor writing skills as they are by authors. Along with competition from technology, this is impacting book sales. In Chicago alone, where I live, Borders is trying to lease four store spaces out and close those stores. Not very encouraging.)