Alan Moore - advice to unpublished authors

Is he right, Veeky Forums? It does seem like the publishing world has become more and more commercial, with success having little to do with the actual art

youtube.com/watch?v=CuaWu2uhmRQ

It is not wrong that publishing is about commercial success and not art, it is wrong to think that publishing has ever been about anything else.

Gutenberg printed bibles because he knew they would sell.

its always been this way. hawthorne famously lamented that the best selling books of his time were sentimental trash churned out by a "damned mob of scribbling women," melville died believing he was a failure, kafka too (most of his work was pulished posthumously). just a few examples.

Pretty sound advice. I'd also add something like, "make sure you have interests outside of writing" as well.

Gutenberg was actually a terrible businessman. He went bankrupt shortly after he started printing books.

Yeah thats good advice, I don't agree with his recommendation of self publishing though

I like his advice and I think it has merits, but Moore comes across as a man who has never been hungry telling a starving man not to worry so much about food.

Moore has been published and been published extensively. He's achieved critical and commercial success. There are plenty of writers who will die obscure and hungry (or at least unfulfilled) because they are unable to break into the system he is able to both work within and, if he chooses, circumvent.

How would this advice sound if was just some git who sold 12 copies of his "magnum opus" to friends and family members?

Well, that's because the only real and truly helpful advice, when it comes to writing, is: don't.
Author don't want to hear that, and so you give them what you think might help them the most.

>I like his advice and I think it has merits, but Moore comes across as a man who has never been hungry telling a starving man not to worry so much about food.
A guy from a council estate who worked in a tannery and as a toilet cleaner never starved you reckon? Holy... I want more..

It's just serving as a metaphor for the part about literature, you fucking imbecile

Again: Holy... I want more...

You don't write so goodly m80

That's stupid. "Don't" is not helpful advice for writing, it's helpful advice for not writing.

Which is what you should if you are considering writing as a career: don't.

He's still write though.

You should don't? You certainly should don't. Telling someone that there's a practically nil chance of fame or fortune to be found writing is correct, but "don't" is not helpful advice for actually writing.

Which is what I originally said. Since they won't listen to the only sound advice that can be given on the subject, you have to come up with something. And that something is what Moore said in the video.

I think there's a distinction that you're not grasping between "advice for writing" and "advice for people who want to be famous authors" but whatever.

user do you have autism? Because if you do then I understand why you wouldn't understand that the contradictions are what makes his advice legitimate.

I got his point, but it doesn't really seem valid to me.
"Change your mind", is advice for people who want to be famous authors. It's not the kind of advice you'd want, but it's still valid advice.

wroiter

>you fucking imbecile

holy...

...

Your metaphor is shit and doesn't apply to this situation. In fact, you are using a cliche/simile, not a metaphor. Do you think Alan Moore was born a critical and commercial success? He's saying you should not think of your writing in terms of commercial success. The opinions of publishers and critics have no bearing on the quality of your writing.

A better "metaphor" would be, Moore comes across as a sober man telling a bunch of drunks that there are more important things to focus on than alcohol.

>fucking imbecile

source on the hawthorne quote?

It's more like an AA dude telling a bunch of alcoholics that there's nothing wrong with a few drinks.

That's not true, he declared bankruptcy shortly before printing the bibles but only as a fiscal maneuver.

Alan Moore is wrong about everything, that's his defining feature and why people love him.

Nice harambe there senpai

>Tried to become the next Ditko
>Fails and switches to trying to become the next Crowley
>Failed even harder
>Channels the spirit of Joyce and writes his own Finnegan's Wake
>People forget the book even exists
Probably not the best person to ask for advice.

>People forget the book even exists
Not likely desu, there's some thread about it every couple of days

>People forget the book even exists
It's between Shakespeare and Beckett on Veeky Forums's new top 100 pic...