Original article from NY Times...
http://nymag.com/news/media/50279/
I'm not one to read the NYT but a fellow writer sent the link to me. I had to leave my comments by the time I was done reading a 9 page article and 5 pages of comments.
It's very intersting for those looking for agents and publishers. Thought I'd share!
My comment to the article:(You'll get the idea of the article without having to read it all)
I am a newly published author within romance, to a very small publishing company. By small, I mean I was the third published book, and the fifth. After only a few months of looking for what he thinks are good unique writers, he has over a dozen, and growing constantly.
I believe the future will be a balance of electronic and printed book, whether electronic be e-book, Kindle or iPod...or the next product that enters the market (the future of iPhones). The feel of a book in your hand will not go out of style for many bibliophiles, though the way they receive them may. Bookstores could easily give away to online sources.
I would also like to add that someone before me mentioned that POD are full of errors. Hate to tell you the big boys do that too. I found five typos in the last romance I read, three in the last thriller, and I don't want to discuss "a silencer on a revolver" moment. All three of the above being some of the top selling writers of their genre. And, even with the number of hands my novels have weaved their way through, I will never say there is not a typo in one. More than likely, there is . . . Sorry!
If the big boys in publishing do not fix their habits, they will die out to the smaller publishers. Most writers, including myself, would be happy with no or little advance to have major pull in stores and in advertising. Instead, we go the way of small companies, self-publishing, and self-advertising. With the money they spend on one author for a flop at $8 million, they could have 800 mid and possibly high earning authors at $10k (normal for first time authors). Personally, I'd take the 800 possibilities in finding the next great author, than one recreating a hit.
Not to say that every time a book does well the next one will, nor one that flops so will the next, but with every bestseller comes more expectation that the next will do better. At some point a maximum is always reached. An author can do ten books of all the same quality but that does not mean they will all sell the same, even within the same subject. People tire of the same concept, or an over done concept as quickly as they do grammatical errors and typos.
Authors must write for the readers and the publishing companies must listen. Most small or new companies do put some part of the book on the Internet for free. If not the company then the author, who still keep the right to do so. I encourage everyone interested in finding good new books to search the author, most have personal pages if not blogs that include portions of their novels.
Suzette Vaughn
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Comments: 10
I looked up Second Wind Publishing and bookmarked it for future reference. Thanks for mentioning it in your article.
Ouch! And this is from a wanna-be-published writer? Ouch.
I love holding a book in my hand and no, that desire isn't going to go away, nor are printed books in any danger of disappearing anytime soon, but e-publication is here to stay and a far cry from Vanity press publications of yesteryear. Granted, smaller publishers don't have the budget to spend on an author like many of the traditional publishers have, and so must rely on their authors to actively market themselves, their books and build a readership base, and their publisher. The advances may not be as large, but there are those e-publishers that do offer advances, plus a cut on each book sold.
Jim, you made some good points.
Thank you Suzette for sharing.
More and more authors are trying the independent or small publisher route and not even bothering with the traditional houses. How long do they think they can survive on established names that get older every year?
My best guess on this subject is that it'll be all of the above: ebooks, PDFs, new media, old media. I see new authors as having to be more involved with every aspect of promoting their work, and the thing that will go away are the types of authors who want to "just write," and can't or won't do much promotion.
Also liked A.F. Stewart's VERY pertinent comment: "More and more authors are trying the independent or small publisher route and not even bothering with the traditional houses. How long do they think they can survive on established names that get older every year?"