Pump Up Your Book Blog Tour Guest Post: The Economics of Change by Mac Fallows

Hello  fellow readers!

Today I'm welcoming Mac Fallows, author of Wondertown to Melissa's Midnight Musings as a part of the book tour hosted by Pump Up Your Book. He's here to share his thoughts on the economics of change and how that affects the publishing world. Read on to find out what he has to say and to learn about his book.

The Economics of Change

Mac Fallows

Some economic models just don’t work. Lots of products that make sense for the consumer are derailed by the associated costs- the cost of production, the cost of delivery, even the cost of building awareness- in which case, the product simply never gets made. But sometimes, when demand is sufficient, the broken economics can actually lead to a change in the way things are done.

As it turns out, there was sufficient demand for books that didn’t make economic sense for traditional publishers and agents to spark a change in the publishing industry, for example. New genres and art forms, not to mention new voices, have found ways around the upside down economics of the traditional publishing world to the reader.  These days, more and more authorsare shouldering the risk and reaping the rewards without the usual business partners. And perhaps even more importantly, they’re evolving their art form much more quickly than traditional publishing ever could- or even wanted to.

Musical stories are just one example of a genre that traditional publishers have been unable to seriously consider, given the economics, and would likely never develop on their own. Publishers have long since acknowledged that interest for a musical book by J.K Rowling and Adele, for example, would no doubt be sky high; however, on the whole, the risk attached to such a book would outweigh the potential rewards. Traditional publishers don’t know anything about music, and there are a lot more costs involved in producing a musical book than there are producing the regular kind. Add to the mix that we’re talking about a market that is completely unproven and you end up with a genre that will never see the light of day… unless artists themselves develop it.

Fortunately for the reading public, that’s exactly what’s happening in this case- and many others. Where this takes us is anybody’s guess but one thing is for sure: readers are going to play more of a role than ever before in the evolution of the book industry.

And that’s a good thing.

About Wondertown:

Genre: Fantasy

Published: October 1, 2012

Publisher: Self Published

Synopsis:

Wondertown is a full-length fantasy novel from Mac Fallows that includes twelve original songs—each one an extension of the story sung by the characters themselves- and seventeen illustrations from acclaimed illustrator, Emrah Elmasli.

The story centres around Neil Abbott, an undersized, introverted eleven-year old boy with the ability to tell about people by touching their possessions. He doesn’t fit in either at home or at school and rarely speaks to anyone, with the exception of his grandmother, who has a secret talent of her own. 

One day, after a particularly difficult week, Neil asks his grandmother if she thinks he’s normal, and she responds by telling him the remarkable story of an unlikely hero, who long ago crossed the five parts of the world to free his only friend from a demon lord. Filled with hidden meaning, vivid images, and songs that bring the characters to life, Wondertown is an unforgettable journey to a place inside each of us few of us dare to go.

More details can be found at http://www.wondertownproject.com/