Good Day Sunshine for Writers
Long-time editor and publishing insider Alan Rinzler says writers have the upper hand today.
Excerpts:
This is the best time ever to be a writer.
Especially for those in the vanguard: the self-publishing writers at the cutting edge of the brave new turbulent world of literary art and commerce.
I say that with some authority. As a worker bee from deep within the trenches of the book publishing industry, I can tell you from the inside that we’re living in an era of topsy turvy shifts in the balance of power and major changes in the core business of the book publishing industry.
. . . .
Publishers confess they’ve goofed
Here’s why: Book publishers have been very slow to realize this but gradually began to admit that they really didn’t know all that well what they’re doing.
Seriously. They don’t. And they know it. Did you know that nearly all published books – conservative estimates range between 80-90 percent – lose money? These books don’t earn out their advances, don’t have second printings, they sell in the low four digits at best, are returned from the retail accounts and pulped or recycled.
The rest have to make up for it, and often don’t. What kind of a business is that?
So as book publishers have begun to admit to themselves and even publicly that they can’t really predict what will sell or not, they’ve also realized that the old methods of selling, of marketing a book have stopped working.
That $50K space ad in the New York Times? Forget it. It’s only for the author’s mother. The twenty-city bookstore tour with first class airplanes, limousines, and hotel suites? A waste of money.
Not even an appearance on the Today Show can guarantee more than a brief spike in sales. And Oprah, bless her heart, isn’t around anymore to guarantee sales for the very small number of titles she once had as her book club picks.
The old ways don’t work, and smart people in book publishing know that and say it openly now.
. . . .
Authors today can reach their market without an intermediary. Not through the publisher, not through advertising or the mass media. Authors now have the technology to connect directly with interest groups, book bloggers, websites, to use Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and other social networking channels to reach precisely the readers who might be interested in knowing about their work, whether it’s fiction or non-fiction, whether it’s an ambitious literary novel or genre romance, sci-fi and mystery, paranormal or super-wholesome faith-based inspirational stories.
. . . .
Why more authors are self-publishing
So now publishers expect all authors they acquire to be the bedrock of the work’s marketing plans. It’s often in the contract: the author must be available, willing to spend time and energy, willing to figure out the skills of self-marketing.
And that’s why more authors are asking: If publishers don’t know what they’re doing and rely on the author to sell their own books, why should authors endure the long, frustrating, seemingly impossible job of finding a literary agent and selling your book to a commercial book publisher?
Link to the rest at The Book Deal
Make sure you read Alan’s Three Myths about Self-Publishing at the link.
Interesting article – thanks PG!
My pennies …
Mr. R gives us great insight into the haze of confusion in which many TRADPUBBED execs are living.
Being a devout student of the Tao of Dean Wesley Smith, I do contend with parts of two of his 3 myths about SELFPUBBING:
#2 – Agents won’t represent an author who self-publishes – Mr. R writes, “They’re representing translation and film rights for these self-published titles, and they’re selling self-published books to traditional publishers, if that’s what the author wants.”
g: A SELFPUBBER would be better off getting an IP attorney (I think you’d agree) for contract negotiations (pay a feww vs. royalties). As for shopping to TRADPUB … at this point, I’d suggest that SELFPUBBERS just wait for TRADPUB to come knocking on their doors. Is that pie-in-the-sky? It is, however, if a SELFPUBBER sells north of 5,000 widgets (Mr. R points out 5K as the test-marketing breakwater), they will be in a much better negotiating position and will deal DIRECTLY with the TRADPUB house (no need for the Agent then). If under 5,000 sold, you know what – chances are even if you did attract a TRADPUB house to sign you, you won’t earn back even a paltry advance.
“Agents are also beginning to help self-publishing authors to get professional outside developmental and copy-editing, a great jacket designer, set up their website and learn how to social network, make a video for YouTube, get on Facebook, and learn how to strategically blog and tweet.”
g: It’s sheer nonsense to me that a SELFPUBBER would turn to an Agent (in the capacity of an Agent) for these things. All of them can be accomplished by the SELFPUBBER themselves (no laziness allowed) or by finding/hiring these 3rd-parties directly.
“So agents are becoming managers and coaches in the career development of self-published authors. Not all agents, but more and more of the hipper, younger ones who understand how to do this.”
g: Is that what a SELFPUBBER wants … Agents that are managers & coaches? Not this one! How about this – if I want a manager, I’ll hire one that actually knows something about managing and calls themselves a manager (with an accompanying ‘manager’s contract’ that would have to show their skin in the game) As for coaches … lol … sorry, I’m from Brooklyn, coaches are for little league baseball players. Coaches … lol
#3 It’s easy to succeed as a self-published author
Mr. R: “Successful writers I know – whether they’re published commercially or self-published – need to write and rewrite their books many times, usually with the support of a developmental editor, not someone who does spelling and punctuation but a creative partner who is able to identify and solve problems with the story, structure, characterization, dialogue, visual description, literary style, pacing, the narrative arc – with a first, second, and third act that engages the reader and reaches some kind of epiphany or denouement that entertains, illuminates and provides emotional satisfaction for the reader.”
g: I have respect for Mr. R, however … this is spoken like a true editor. Let me be clear – editor’s are ESSENTIAL to publishing quality literary works! Nevertheless, I am NOT a supporter of the notion (Mr. R definitely gave me the implication) that, in order to become a successful author, one must write, rewrite and re-rewrite with the help of an editor who now reshapes the author’s work creatively! Could you imagine Leonardo Da Vinci letting his employee touch up the Mona Lisa … or Shakespeare allowing a stage hand change a few lines of one of his plays … you know, so that the stagehand could “identify and solve problems with the story, structure, characterization, dialogue, visual description, literary style, pacing, the narrative arc …”?
To me that is the very core … the essence of the ART of writing. If someone is doing those things, they should have co-writing credit, in my humble opinion.
If a writer can’t do those things on their own, then they shouldn’t be a writer. That’s my opinion and I’m sticking to it!
Keep up the great work, PG … much appreciated!
Thanks, Gerard. It sounds like you and PG drank the same Kool-Aid.
I’m tired after all that refrigerator moving so all I can say is…good article. Oh, and I think that while Leonardo may not have used his employees to touch up his pieces/paintings, I’m pretty sure Michael Angelo did. As did a bunch of those Renaissance painters.
And Gerard has a great name. Really sexy. As you can tell, I’ve been spending too much time driving and lifting and now I’ve decided Scotch is in order.
Julia – Nothing like a good day moving to make you decide you’re never selling your house.
No effin’ shit.
That’s freaky. Scotch makes Julia talk like me. Heh.
[...] I was doing my Saturday reading of favourite blogs and found a link to Alan Rinzler, a Consulting Editor, on Passive Guy’s blog. [...]
That’s a great article too, and while I’m not 100% sure of what makes it different from most of the “The World’s Changing in Publishing!” articles, it’s one of my new faves. Cheers for that.
Judd – Agreed. It’s a good variation on the theme of “The World’s Changing” and comes from a long-time publishing insider.