Blogger: Janet Kobobel Grant
Location: Books & Such Main Office, Santa Rosa, Calif.
My #2 wish for the publishing industry (after #1 that overwork and stress could be reduced) is that publishers would not overbuy titles, resulting in many (most?) projects receiving inadequate marketing and publicity.Publishers remind me of Wall Street, taking profligate gambles without a sense that someone must pay the price if the risk doesn’t pay off–and unfortunately, overbuying usually results in the author paying the price. Why is it many publishers have lost sight of one of the unique contributions they bring to the publishing table, the ability to get the word out about a book and to give word-of-mouth a chance to start?
Instead of recognizing this important contribution the publisher can make to the success of a book, publishers for at least a decade have communicated, “We expect the author to be part of the ‘team’ with us in promoting the book.” Translated, that means, “We expect the author to do the lion’s share of the promotion.”
That has resulted in creating fertile ground for self-publishing, either in e-book format or as a physical book. After all, as authors realized the promotion onus was on them, they undertook the task with gusto. Many of them have learned to effectively develop promotion for their titles and can move significant numbers of books. Now those authors are saying, “Tell me again why I need a royalty-paying publishing house when I can make more money per book by self-publishing–especially since I’m shouldering so many tasks that used to belong to the publisher.”
All this leads me to proclaim, “Publishers, wake up and smell the coffee; you’re working really hard to make yourselves obsolete.” Hence my wish, not only for the sake of authors but also for the sake of publishing as we know it, that publishers buy only the number of titles they can really pay attention to and aggressively promote.
Make sense? Tell me what you think.
Excellent!
(Can’t wait to see what your next wish is.)
Ouch! I have been caught in this one. But as a former librarian I worry about how we will find the books worth purchasing when the reviews are all by the author’s circle of friends. We need the publishing industry!
I can definitely see the connection. If the role of a publishing house is simply “Line edits and puts words on bound pages,” then POD is not much different. Marketing and publicity are among the major benefits traditional publishers used to offer. Writers have traditionally been willing to settle for a percentage of sales because they understood those benefits and that the publisher was assuming the majority of the risks.
Even though I am currently unpublished, I think I’d prefer fewer truly excellent titles with good publicity. It would be harder to break in to print, but with more likelihood of breaking out.
“Why is it many publishers have lost sight of one of the unique contributions they bring to the publishing table, the ability to get the word out about a book and to give word-of-mouth a chance to start?”
This past year I read two books in a series which were excellent. Number three should’ve followed but the publisher pulled the plug. Way too early. Word of mouth on either of the first two novels hadn’t even begun to roll. This author could write, and both books took a unique look at a time period with an intriguing heroine in an unlikely occupation. I read (and write) enough to know these books deserved far better than they got.
Some books are difficult to market well, but who better than professionals who are paid to know how? If the onus is on the author, why not custom-publish?
How is it you can read my mind?! This blog is so timely.
I’m wrestling with these issues now.
What I’d like from a publisher is to help me with final editing, and obviously the marketing/promoting.
But if they aren’t going to focus on my work and give it the attention it needs for the price I would be paying for it, then perhaps I really should consider doing it myself.
It’s certainly a dilemma.
Will be reading here to find out more as more post!
Right on, Janet.
“Hence my wish, not only for the sake of authors but also for the sake of publishing as we know it, that publishers buy only the number of titles they can really pay attention to and aggressively promote.”
These are most helpful insights.
Which publishers, in your opinion, Janet, are doing what you are recommending here? What would aggressive promotion from one of these publishers look like, in your opinion?
Sincerely, Ed Hird+
http://www.battleforthesoulofcanada.blogspot.com
Nicole, when a publisher chooses to produce a book, part of the decision is whether the marketing department believes it can help to sell copies. So if a book is difficult to promote, that should have been calculated and discussed before a contract was proffered; it’s part of the responsibility the publisher is taking on.
Ed, it’s hard to name a publisher who consistently does well with the promoting of every title. What generally happens in some titles are lavished with attention while others get a “standard,” i.e., minimal marketing plan. Every successful publisher knows how to promote; it’s a matter of fewer titles being produced for each one gets the benefit of what the marketing/publicity people do best.
Aggressive promotion would be all-encompassing–reaching retailers, libraries, and social media as well as traditional media. It would be a blitz campaign that left no potential sales channel unaware of the book. And many channels exposed to the book again and again.
Did the author go ahead and self-publish & promote the 3rd?
(oops I hit ‘reply’ to Nicole’s post but it ended up as a dangling participle after several others.)
It seems that publishers need to ramp up their staff and level of promotion too. If they really want to sell books, they need to put some “oomf” behind their professionals, as you say. They contract some of that out too, I expect. I have yet to see a really good book promotion package that goes beyond blog tours. Where does one advertise to reach readers? That is the “million dollar question”, and one I am trying to figure out.
(KC, to the best of my knowledge the third book is written but not produced. Just as the first book released the author lost her husband, only in their 30s. I know this will give away to some who the author and publisher are, but it’s such a shame that this series was cut off.)
I completely agree. I’ve been thinking for some time that there has been a tremendous glut of books on the market. Too many words! Too many pages… I get overwhelmed in big department stores with all the choices and typically end up just walking out. The same has happened to my interest in buying books. I imagine other folks have the same reaction. And I’m an author!!! This does not bode well for my future 🙂
I’m hoping that this crisis in the publishing industry–in our economy–will cause the publishers to rethink their plans and head toward quality releases versus quantity. Even if it means fewer of my projects ever come to fruition. Janet–you have a strong, wise and seasoned voice. I hope they’re listening!