A shedload has happened since our last Goings On update, a veritable whirlwind of publishing-related activities…
Asymmetrical People
Since moving our HQ to Zootown back in February, we’ve brought on board nearly 40 interns, all of whom have diverse backgrounds and different skill sets: editors, translators, PR people, social media managers, community managers, podcasters, designers, developers, an author manager, a retail strategist, and even a “sonic brander” who’s doing all the cool music/sounds for everything audio-wise at Asym.
Discover more about these folks (photos, bios, links) on our Asymmetrical People page.
We’re currently looking for talented book-cover designers, videographers, and developers (let us know if that sounds like you).
Three-Legged Table
We didn’t get into the publishing business to be a traditional publisher. That’s not our thing. Rather, we want to share our expertise with the world and, ultimately, show you that you too can successfully publish a high-quality indie book that’s indistinguishable from the Big Six publishers.
As the publishing industry evolves, so must publishers. Thus, our business model looks something like a three-legged table:
Community: The Asym Community gives you a voice, as well as access to shared resources that’ll help you on your publishing journey. (If you haven’t been there in a while, check it out. Plenty of people are sharing valuable … Read More »
The worldwide population of indie authors is a massive, scattered club.
Part of what we wanted to accomplish with Asym was to establish a touchpoint for indies to use — a place to go and hang out, meet other people who are working toward similar goals, and share what they’ve learned along the way with each other.
The Asym Community has served as a foundation for that touchpoint. But we’ve realized along the way that when you’re enthusiastic about the work you do — and the group that you run with — sometimes you want to wear that affiliation on your sleeve. Josh, Ryan, and I wanted to do this literally, so I mocked up some shirts for us to wear, and they went over pretty well. We started getting asked about them at during book tour talks and when we were just ambling about town.
As a result, we’ve taken some of these designs and made them available as print-on-demand shirts and stickers. We’re also reformatting some of them for use as posters, greeting cards, you name it.
I want to make very clear that you don’t need to buy anything from us — it would be hilariously hypocritical for a company run … Read More »
In 1998, Oakland-based hip-hop group The Coup released their third album, titled Steal This Album.[1] Its Compact Disc’s cover featured the duo trapped behind the bars of a computer-enhanced barcode, the two men ostensibly attempting to escape the tyranny of copyright.
As far has 90′s West Coast rap music goes (viz. Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, E-40, Ras Kass, et al.), Steal This Album was a fairly unremarkable effort. But its title still interests me today, 15 years later, because it seems to be the perfect synecdoche for copyright in the digital age, and in one swift proclamation it pretty much captures my general feelings toward DRM (digital rights management).
As writers, artists, and creative types, many of us gravitate naturally toward copyright, toward don’t steal my words, toward I want full control, toward me me me—this is my work damnit!
But why?
Perhaps, first, we should ask ourselves a simple question: why do we create? That is, why do we write or paint or embark on any creative journey? The answer (for me at least) is: I write to be read; I write to express my worldview and to communicate with others.
Why, then, would I want to stifle my ability to express myself, to asphyxiate my means of communication by extraneous copyright protection? … Read More »
