Best Seller Authors

Book Marketing, Publishing, Author Resources

Author Sylvia Day: Traditional Publishers Disadvantages

publishers disadvantages
“I would not recommend authors go to traditional publisher for ebooks” says Sylvia Day

Sylvia Day was interviewed by Digital Book World about authors opportunities and publishers disadvantages

When it came to getting a book published and distributed to a wide audience, it used to be that publishing houses with editorial, production, marketing and distribution operations were in the driver’s seat. All but a select few authors could dictate where the relationship went, how fast and under what terms.

With the emergence of self-publishing as a viable option for wide distribution of books, things have changed. The number of authors who can plan their own route has increased and many authors who may have been at the mercy of agents and publishers had they been working decades ago are now selling hundreds of thousands of books on their own and making headlines with unprecedented publishing deals.

Publishers Disadvantages

“I don’t think publishers have any advantage whatsoever for ebooks. They’re at a huge disadvantage. They overcharge. They have complicated distribution agreements which limit them for offering ebooks in sertain areas. We have issues with ebooks being available to libraries. I honestly cannot say that it would be a wise decision for an author to sell a digital edition to a publisher unless they have some different terms in the contract to limit the disadvantages.”

See full story on digitalbookworld.com

What to Do When Your Manuscript Gets Rejected

dealing with rejection

Dealing with rejection by a publisher. Some say it’s an author’s worst nightmare. But it happens to thousands of manuscripts by thousands of authors every week of the year. An author pours his heart into a story and is convinced it’s going to appeal to everyone who reads it. Then he gets rejected by not one, not two, but five or more publishers. Are the publishers crazy? Or is his work truly awful? His manuscript probably wasn’t rejected for either of those reasons, but it still stings nonetheless.

If you submit a manuscript to publishers and it gets rejected, what are you to do? The first step is to revise your work and try to improve it. There are many ways to do this. Sometimes the publisher will tell you why your work was rejected and give you a place to start, but usually not. You can also seek the constructive criticism of trusted friends and fellow authors, and you can take an honest look at your work yourself. After you’ve revised, you resubmit. But what if this only results in more rejection letters? Is there anything else you can do?

Dealing with Rejection: The Self-Publishing Solution

You don’t need the backing of a major publisher to successfully sell your book. What you do need is drive and motivation. If you have the time and are willing to put forth the effort, you can self-publish. Self-publishing opens the door for many authors, and lots of them achieve great success and profit through self-publishing. Beyond self-publishing, there is a specific method that makes things even more possible for more authors: print on demand (POD). Print on demand is a way to self-publish without requiring a significant amount of money up front to purchase hundreds of copies of your book. It’s a way to self-publish in which your book is only printed when someone buys it. It’s that simple.

Why POD?
With POD you’re assuming a much less significant risk in self-publishing. If no one wants to buy your book, you aren’t out all of the upfront costs of offset publishing and left with a huge inventory taking up room in your basement. It helps you maximize your profits. POD publishers will also help you get your book listed on Amazon and available through brick-and-mortar bookstores. Best of all, most POD publishers won’t judge your book or reject it. They’ll print it for you, but it’s up to you to do the necessary marketing. If you don’t succeed, POD publishers don’t lose anything. There are lots of great POD publishers out there. Two of the major players are Lightning Source and CreateSpace. Rather than hoping that a major publisher picks you, with POD you have the luxury of choosing your publisher and creating your own book deal.

It’s very disheartening when your manuscript is continually rejected, but don’t forget that you have other options. You don’t necessarily need the backing of a major publisher or an agent to get your book out there and turn a profit. If you’re tired of getting rejected and are ready to just get on with things, self-publishing through print on demand may be just the thing for you.

After you’ve used a grammar checker, Life Coach Ben Sharp recommends you overcome the sting of a publisher’s rejection by publishing your book on your own. Once you outgrow print on demand, check out Associated Printing Productions, Inc.

The Illusion of Patronage

The following is an excerpt from Seth Godin’s The Domino Project If you are not subscribed, I suggest you do so right away. This is the future of publishing.

Here, Seth answers the question of what a publisher will do to help you

Many successful, serious authors are in love with the notion that they get to be serious and successful merely by writing.

There was a brief interlude, perhaps 50 years in all post-Gutenberg, in which it was possible for a talented writer to be chosen, anointed, edited, promoted and paid for her work. Where the ‘work’ refers to the writing.

This idea that JD Salinger could hide out in his cabin, write, and periodically cash royalty checks is now dying.

Authors of the future are small enterprises, just one person or perhaps two or three. But they include fan engagement specialists, licensors, new media development managers, public speakers, endorsement and biz dev VPs, and more.

No one has your back.

Sad but true. The author of today (and tomorrow) is either going to build and maintain and work with his tribe or someone is going to take it away.

Seth Godin is the founder of The Domino Project and has written twelve books that have been translated into more than thirty languages. Every one has been a bestseller. He writes about the post-industrial revolution, the way ideas spread, marketing, quitting, leadership and most of all, changing everything.

Seth Godin Learns that Publishing is Dead

tribes

Authors need to have a tribe to read what they write.

Publishers don’t build tribes, they print and distribute books.  This business model has served them well in the past when there were limits on ways authors could reach readers.  All authors and publishers would do well to study Tribes

Seth announced his intentions on his blog

Authors need publishers because they need a customer. Readers have been separated from authors by many levels–stores, distributors, media outlets, printers, publishers–there were lots of layers for many generations, and the editor with a checkbook made the process palatable to the writer. For ten years, I had a publisher as a client (with some fun self-published adventures along the way). Twelve bestsellers later, I’ve thought hard about what it means to have a traditional publisher.

Traditional book publishers use techniques perfected a hundred years ago to help authors reach unknown readers, using a stable technology (books) and an antique and expensive distribution system.

The thing is–now I know who my readers are. Adding layers or faux scarcity doesn’t help me or you. As the medium changes, publishers are on the defensive…. I honestly can’t think of a single traditional book publisher who has led the development of a successful marketplace/marketing innovation in the last decade. The question asked by the corporate suits always seems to be, “how is this change in the marketplace going to hurt our core business?” To be succinct: I’m not sure that I serve my audience (you) by worrying about how a new approach is going to help or hurt Barnes & Noble.

We know that publisher can still serve an author. If you have build a two way dialog with your tribe (say, you are on TV but have never blogged) then a large check from someone betting on your title to click with their distribution is a no-brainer.

Seth has been teaching us to build a tribe for years. Now he’s broke ties with the old model that used to serve him. No doubt he’ll do well.

What’s your strategy to build a two way dialog with your readers?