Last week BEA, the biggest annual book expo, descended on New York City. I spent an afternoon walking around the Javits Center, and I’m happy to report the publishing world seemed more energized than it has in the past few years.
There were some interesting flags planted in the publishing sand: Amazon had a larger booth than many of the major publishers. Penguin’s new book community, BookCountry (http://www.bookcountry.com/) had a presence helmed by @Colleen Lindsay. And there were literal flags hanging from the high ceilings to herald the arrival of the summer’s biggest books, such as Anne Patchett’s new novel State of Wonder (I was lucky enough to get an advance copy and it’s amazing!!) But for me, the most interesting part of the BEA experience was a conversation I had with a woman at the RWA booth.
RWA, as usual, did a great service to writers by providing a space to sign books. Even authors published by big companies are usually excluded from hosted signings unless they are already big sellers. I went to a few signings and spoke to the ladies working at the booth. I asked one of them what she thought about the explosion of ebook/self-publishing in romance, and her answer surprised me: she was concerned. She told me that writers don’t realize or forget about the fact that some of the biggest, bestselling authors in romance today were once passed over by agents and publishers – many times. Without the option of self-publishing, these writers persisted in honing their craft until their work finally broke through. When they were published, the books were gems. Today, this woman said to me, “Some writers get one or two rejections from agents and they say forget it, and just put their work online,” she said. “This is bad for the writer, and it’s bad for the reader.” Her reasoning was this: most writers need editorial guidance. Most writers get better with time. If a writer rushes to the marketplace, they risk establishing a bad track record. And worse, she said, was that if the romance arena is flooded with underdeveloped or poorly executed material, new readers will be turned off. This new do-it-yourself frontier, she concluded, is, in short, bad for business.
Of course, writers are artists, and artists have a deep-seeded need to have their work read. Business means little when that artists is screaming to be heard.
In the end, it was a provocative conversation. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
There were some interesting flags planted in the publishing sand: Amazon had a larger booth than many of the major publishers. Penguin’s new book community, BookCountry (http://www.bookcountry.com/) had a presence helmed by @Colleen Lindsay. And there were literal flags hanging from the high ceilings to herald the arrival of the summer’s biggest books, such as Anne Patchett’s new novel State of Wonder (I was lucky enough to get an advance copy and it’s amazing!!) But for me, the most interesting part of the BEA experience was a conversation I had with a woman at the RWA booth.
RWA, as usual, did a great service to writers by providing a space to sign books. Even authors published by big companies are usually excluded from hosted signings unless they are already big sellers. I went to a few signings and spoke to the ladies working at the booth. I asked one of them what she thought about the explosion of ebook/self-publishing in romance, and her answer surprised me: she was concerned. She told me that writers don’t realize or forget about the fact that some of the biggest, bestselling authors in romance today were once passed over by agents and publishers – many times. Without the option of self-publishing, these writers persisted in honing their craft until their work finally broke through. When they were published, the books were gems. Today, this woman said to me, “Some writers get one or two rejections from agents and they say forget it, and just put their work online,” she said. “This is bad for the writer, and it’s bad for the reader.” Her reasoning was this: most writers need editorial guidance. Most writers get better with time. If a writer rushes to the marketplace, they risk establishing a bad track record. And worse, she said, was that if the romance arena is flooded with underdeveloped or poorly executed material, new readers will be turned off. This new do-it-yourself frontier, she concluded, is, in short, bad for business.
Of course, writers are artists, and artists have a deep-seeded need to have their work read. Business means little when that artists is screaming to be heard.
In the end, it was a provocative conversation. I’d love to hear your thoughts.
8 comments:
Okay, I'll agree with all of her points and counter with some of my own.
Yes, a first novel with a fistful of rejections isn't a good candidate for publishing, even self-publishing. Chances are the writer didn't bother to hone his/ her craft and the book isn't as good as it could possibly be.
HOWEVER plenty of excellent stories are getting passed over because they haven't found that kismet connection. An agent who believes in them and is willing to read the whole book, an editor that sees a diamond in the rough and wants to polish it and make it sparkle. Or even if this is the case, a market that is unable to sustain a story because it's too different from the gold standard.
I agree, there is a major issue of quality control here, with both new and established writers. Editing is still required and some of the self published covers out there are simply dreadful.
But look at the benefits to a writer who invests in decent editing and a quality cover. A book that costs less, meaning the readers are more willing to take a risk on an unknown author. And seventy percent of the total price as opposed to anywhere from seven to forty percent of net sales, depending on the publisher.
Money needs to flow to the author and if that's not happening, we as writers have other options. Personally I like the idea of making more money while giving my readers the same entertainment for less.
I agree that quality control is a legitimate concern. As easy as it is to self-publish an e-book, I think that some writers get tempted and put something out there that's not ready. A second (or third, or fourth) opinion is invaluable. I wouldn't feel comfortable just putting my work out there on my own without professional editing. However, I think that self-publishing could work out pretty well if 1) The story is good in the first place and 2) The author hires a skilled, professional editor to help them get it ready for publication.
I am an author who believes the best of my work has been unearthed during the editing process.
I also think most discussions related to self publishing over complicate the issue. Truth is, bad books don't sell. The writers who don't do bother to put their projects through grueling edits and professional formatting aren't going to get the numbers. Their babies will sink into obscurity with scarcely a whimper. End of story!
Certain genres and niche markets lend themselves well to self publishing. I have a considerable body of fiction that seeks only to explore the psyche of persons with autism and those who love them. The work has had a few loving rejections, full of praise but tempered by the fact that such stories will only appeal to a certain demographic. I believe I'm uniquley qualified to tap into that demographic....but I would never insult potential consumers with an unedited end product.
What an interesting discussion! Thanks for getting us thinking, Logan.
Hmmm--seems like self-publishing is definitely a hot topic of late. Quality control is definitely a problem with a lot of the work I'm reading; however, that said, there are just some really well done pieces of art that do not have mass appeal, (say, a romance without a happily ever after, of a genre-busting novelette) and then self-publishing is a viable option, especially since readers taste can change so quickly.
Hey, Logan. It makes sense to me that authors are turning to self publishing more and more. For established authors, it's a great way to keep their fanbase happy without having to wait months or years between releases in the publisher's schedule.
But you're right, it's dangerous for someone without the backup of at least a good crit partner or two to look at the piece with fresh eyes before pubbing it.
A good example of a self pubbed success would be Courtney Milan's Unlocked, which just came out last week. All the reviewers are raving about it, and I'm glad to see her helping to shore up the self pubbed ranks with such an awesome offering.
I agree that the self-publishing explosion can turn out some real crap, particularly for authors who are new and untried. But many very good books might not fit the parameters of what traditional or e-publishing companies require.
With more than twenty professionally published romances under my belt, I ventured into self-publishing with a book that didn't fit the mold because the hero and heroine didn't meet until chapter three.
That book, Game of Smoke and Mirrors is currently my biggest selling book and was just picked as a recommended read form All Romance EBooks.
There's too much variety out there to make a blanket generalization.
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