The elephant in the room—publishers and e-books
Two years ago, Nate Anderson wrote this on ars technica:
The book business, though far older than the recorded music business, is still lucky enough to have time on its side: no e-book reader currently offers a better reading experience than paper.
That’s what makes Apple’s iPad announcement so important. Books will now face stiff competition from e-books as the e-book experience improves.
Elephant in the room // flickr: mobilestreetlife
Meanwhile, the publishing industry (with the notable exception of O’Reilly Media) is desperately trying to avoid the inevitable. (For a slighty happier take, see BusinessWeek.)
Publishers are supposed to filter, edit, produce, distribute, and market content. pre-Internet, all of these things were difficult and required significant financial resources. Today, many are easy and all are cheap.
There’s only one other thing.
Content.
But the revenue split between publishers and authors does not—yet—reflect the division of labor. The business relationships are still built on the idea that authors can’t exist without publishers. In fact, it’s the reverse that’s true.
Only the big publishers can get your book into every bookstore in the country. However, I’ve got news for you: Unless your name is on an elite shortlist with the likes of Dan Brown, John Grisham, Nora Roberts, and J.K. Rowling, it probably doesn’t matter.
If you know your audience, you can reach them at least as well as a big publisher can. And you need to reach a lot fewer people to succeed as an independent. The general rule of thumb is a 10-to-1 ratio. You’ll make the same amount selling 10,000 books through a traditional publisher as 1,000 books on your own.
It’s not so difficult to hire freelancers (especially in this economy) to edit and produce your book, if that’s not your cup of tea. Distribution is doable—Amazon is easy, bookstores a little more challenging. This is where e-books will accelerate the change—the challenges of shelf space and returns simply disappear.
And even if you have a publisher, they will expect you to do most of the marketing.
So, what will successful publishers look like in 2020?
- They will provide editorial and production support for writers who do not want to deal with technical issues.
- They will support authors in marketing by helping them with blogging platforms and other social media efforts.
- They will get a much smaller cut of revenues than they currently do.
Actually, that looks a lot like Lulu.
About the author
Ellis Pratt
There’s a very good explanation of the competing publsihing supply chain models by author Charles Stross. See http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2010/01/amazon-macmillan-an-outsiders.html
Amanda French
It may be true (it probably is) that “You’ll make the same amount selling 10,000 books through a traditional publisher as 1,000 books on your own,” but surely many authors would rather reach more people than make more money. Authors don’t write only for money — if they did, there’d be an echoing emptiness in the blogosphere. If you’re a cynic, you could say that many authors just want to be famous; if you want to put more nicely, you could say that many authors just want their work to be read.
So, for me, the question is whether someone can reach as many or more people by publishing on Lulu as they could by publishing with a traditional publisher. Your thoughts?
Sarah O'Keefe
@Ellis: Thanks. Interesting information, although I’m not sure I agree.
@Amanda: Setting aside for a moment the issue of quality (!), the quantity of books sold depends on the marketing reach of the author. A niche author with a lot of really good marketing can do quite well on Lulu. Some midlist authors (that is, NOT the really famous people) are moving to self-publishing because they have an established fan base and know how to reach it.
But I think the more important issue that is your odds of getting a book contract are somewhere between tiny and zero. But you *can* publish yourself and reach your 1,000 readers even if you can’t get to the 10,000 via the mass market.
mick davidson
As someone currently a long way into my first novel, I find this fascinating and informative, thank you. Although I will go down the traditional route and try and get a publisher, if that doesn’t work, I’ll take a look at DIY. I’m going to be publishing my first book of poems and short stories in the next few weeks, so it’ll be interesting to see how that sells. And I can use the experience of that to determine what I do with my other writing in the future.
One thing I’d take issue with is dealing with Amazon. I haven’t tried, so have no real idea what this is like, but they hold all the cards when it comes to negotiations. I’m not sure ordinary mortals are equipped to deal with them effectively. I’d be fascinated to know about anyone’s experience with them, or any suggestions you have on the matter.
Cheers,
mick davidson
Another reason for trying to get a ‘proper’ publisher is because there is the chance (ok, slight) of getting an advance. A woman from Australia recently signed a deal for $1million US for her novel (her first I think), who isn’t tempted by that?
Although Amanda is probably correct about a lot of authors being happy to get their books read, some of us actually want to do it for a living. Which is different to becoming rich (or famous). I’d be happy to swap my current job and become a professional fiction writer for the same sort of salary. I would then at least be in control of when and where I work. At the moment, I have to work for someone else, pretty much on their terms and during office hours. To lose that burden would be a freedom I’d gladly have. And yes, I know all about self-discipline, still having to work all day writing, but the burden is one I’d actually chose, not one I’m forced in to.
Alan Pringle
Mick,
Re: dealing with Amazon. You need to work with a partner (such as Lulu.com or Amazon’s CreateSpace) that has channels for selling your content on Amazon. You don’t deal with Amazon yourself: the partner does.
mick davidson
Alan, thanks. My book of poetry is with Lulu, so I’ll look at them. Cheers,
Richard Hamilton
Sarah,
You just described the publishing model that I’m using at XML Press (http://xmlpress.net). Authors share revenue, with a percentage that beats the big publishers, we handle editorial, production, distribution, and a share of the marketing (you’re right that authors need to actively market their books, but given the revenue split, it’s worth my time to be actively engaged in marketing, so I am).
I think in the end the trade-off for authors in the “long tail” is between taking the time and expense to take your book through the editorial and production phases alone or working with a publisher who will do that work for a share of the revenue.
Finally, a good publisher adds value through their selection and editorial processes (i.e., there is value in having your book selected, edited, and produced by a publisher with a reputation for quality).
Sarah O'Keefe
@mick: The odds of getting a contract and *any* advance are itty-bitty. I have seen some reports of people self-publishing, having some success and getting good reviews, and then getting a contract from a traditional publisher.
@Richard: (hi!) I actually mentioned XML Press in my first draft of this post, but it got cut because the first version was MUCH too long. I think that niche publishers who understand their specific markets, like XML Press, will do well in the new publishing economy. On the fiction side, the romance publishers (!) seem to get it.