Self-Publishing Interesting read.

[Jake E]

‘Golden age’ of self-publishing for indie authors ‘no longer strictly choosing one route or the other’ ‘Golden age’ of self-publishing for indie authors ‘no longer strictly choosing one route or the other’

 

[RedSquiggle]

‘Golden age’ of self-publishing for indie authors ‘no longer strictly choosing one route or the other’ ‘Golden age’ of self-publishing for indie authors ‘no longer strictly choosing one route or the other’

Hot Q: is the relationship between tradpub and indie publishing is analogous to, "Make your song go viral on TikTok and get a million followers; then I'll stoop down to grant you a record deal"?

Because markets CAN prove an artist before a deal is struck, it makes a great deal of business sense to let them. Never take on more risk as a business than you need to.

 

[Jake E]

Hot Q: is the relationship between tradpub and indie publishing is analogous to, "Make your song go viral on TikTok and get a million followers; then I'll stoop down to grant you a record deal"?

Because markets CAN prove an artist before a deal is struck, it makes a great deal of business sense to let them. Never take on more risk as a business than you need to.

Yes, i believe that is a good analogy.
Prove your books can make money and we'll take a chance on you.

 

[Pamela Jo]

I think the article says that was the past analogy. Colleen Hoover and Mcfadden being two recent examples, but trad published writers not happy with the pittance they make are beginning to change the parameters. Trad publishing has believed they controlled everything because they controlled writers-but they are smelling the air. The smoke of burnt ships and revolution is wafting their way. They aren't as good as they think they are-which has been pointed out by agents as well as disappointed writers.

This is what Monique Charlesworth, who founded Moth Books in order to publish her own (and now others’) books, wanted to do with its launch title, her book Mother Country: “I published four titles traditionally, and I worked with marvellous people, but they didn’t care like I did about the cover, about the quotes. They weren’t necessarily great at communication and publicity.”

 

[RedSquiggle]

Yes, that stuff is in there about dissatisfied trad published authors going indie. But my question is about how tradpub survives this new landscape long term. The existence of a vital indie pub scape must be leveraged in their favor. That is how businesses adapt.

Like I said, companies do not take on more risk than they must. Letting markets prove authors before offering them deals or representation could be a profitable strategy alongside accepting unpublished manuscripts.

Indie publishing is hard. It's hard to get noticed and it's hard to sell. Many would gladly put themselves in the slow and impersonal tradpub pipeline if they don't have to put out newsletters and pay for ads and pay for line editing and be on social, and, and, and. The margins are much higher on indie pub, but trad pub has bookstores, big marketing budgets, relationships with critics. If you really don't like the business side, even the prospect of making the same net profit off your projects as you did being indie could be attractive enough to switch. ‍

 

[JohnBertel]

Many would gladly put themselves in the slow and impersonal tradpub pipeline if they don't have to put out newsletters and pay for ads and pay for line editing and be on social, and, and, and.

I don't know if it's true, but I keep hearing that traditionally published authors have to do a lot of marketing themselves. Including buying ads on Amazon.

 

[Jake E]

I don't know if it's true, but I keep hearing that traditionally published authors have to do a lot of marketing themselves. Including buying ads on Amazon.

Yeah, this is becoming the norm unless you're a big name.
Mid-listers are finding that they are doing just as much work as Indies for a fraction of the royalties

 

[RedSquiggle]

I don't know if it's true, but I keep hearing that traditionally published authors have to do a lot of marketing themselves. Including buying ads on Amazon.

If that's true, it's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. They need to negotiate a better deal with a more reputable publisher.

 

[Jake E]

If that's true, it's the dumbest thing I've ever heard. They need to negotiate a better deal with a more reputable publisher.

Yes. But all publishers offer the same deal unfortunately. Not much wriggle room for negotiation

 

[RedSquiggle]

Yes. But all publishers offer the same deal unfortunately. Not much wriggle room for negotiation

I know you're expected to do interviews and push on social and stuff, but buying your own ads on Amazon for tradpub? Pardon my incredulity. Perhaps it was a hybrid publishing deal?

 

[Jake E]

but buying your own ads on Amazon for tradpub?

You get very little of the 'marketing budget' if you are not a big name. I doubt they expect you to pay for your own ads, but if you want to get anywhere it's probably the thing to do.
Loads of authors left their publishers and went indie because of this.

 

[Pamela Jo]

Yes, that stuff is in there about dissatisfied trad published authors going indie. But my question is about how tradpub survives this new landscape long term. The existence of a vital indie pub scape must be leveraged in their favor. That is how businesses adapt.

Like I said, companies do not take on more risk than they must. Letting markets prove authors before offering them deals or representation could be a profitable strategy alongside accepting unpublished manuscripts.

Indie publishing is hard. It's hard to get noticed and it's hard to sell. Many would gladly put themselves in the slow and impersonal tradpub pipeline if they don't have to put out newsletters and pay for ads and pay for line editing and be on social, and, and, and. The margins are much higher on indie pub, but trad pub has bookstores, big marketing budgets, relationships with critics. If you really don't like the business side, even the prospect of making the same net profit off your projects as you did being indie could be attractive enough to switch. ‍

Some predictions are trad publishing doesnt really survive. With Biden out of office, trustbusting is no longer on the radar. Tho rechnically 5 publishers still exist, Simon and Schuster will be swallowed up by some big media concern in the near future and then there will be 4.
In the end the Highlander rules apply. There can only be one. Shareholders demand efficiency. Competition is inefficient.
What do agents do in a future where publishers use AI or a few chosen authors to write only what is commissioned? That and other topics are discussed in Huddle.

And tho there may still be some improvement with trad publishing over going it alone, you will still be writing blogs, sending out newsletters, running a Tick Tock/Instagram/You tube account as well as getting on every radio/TV show you can sell yourself to.

 

[Hannah F]

If you're with a small publisher, they don't have the budget for big marketing campaigns which is why you need to find the money and the means somehow to help yourself. However, at least you won't have to pay the pre-publication costs: editing, cover design, production, distribution. You will also learn while being involved in the process. Anyone I've met who moved from trad to self-publishing has told me they're glad they started as trad because the amount they learnt has really helped them in their present self-publisher role.