Traditional Publishers Released Fewer Books in 2005
Why This is Good For Unpublished Writers
By Mark Levine
Faced with declining sales and rising paper costs, traditional publishers
released 18,000 fewer books in 2005 than in 2004 and there is no indication
that the trend will reverse itself anytime soon.
As a new or unpublished author, you might wonder how this can be good for
you. Most new authors are under the illusion that if they keep sending their
work to publishers and agents, eventually they'll be discovered and get a
lucrative publishing contract. What the numbers in the preceding paragraph
should tell you is that this illusion is now more like a fantasy.
We all want validation for our work, so you will send out query letters to
agents and publishers. Do yourself a favor and don't waste a lot of time
or money doing it. With fewer titles coming out, publishers are only looking
for the sure thing, the easy buck. And, gambling on newbie writers isn't
where publishers will be spending their money. Even if you are lucky enough
to get signed by a traditional publisher, that publisher will still expect
you to handle most of the marketing of your book on your own. The publisher
might spend a few thousand dollars on the marketing of your book. So, even
if you get lucky and get signed by a publisher, the only thing you'll have
for sure is bragging rights. (“I just signed a book deal with....”).
On top of that you'll be paying for the marketing of your book out of your
pocket and be getting a royalty percentage of maybe eight percent. You'll
be doing all the work, spending all your money, and if successful, you'll
be making someone else all the money.
That's why this decline in books is great for you. Take it as a sign that
it's time to explore publishing on your own. You'll pay money up front for
book cover designs, formatting and editing, but you'll keep most of the money.
The publishing world today is beginning to mirror the music industry in
that the talent (musicians and writers) realize that they don't need agents
and publishers like they did before. There are hundreds of self-publishing
companies that provide all the necessary elements of getting your book from
your computer to the virtual shelves of Amazon.com. For between $300-$2,000
you can have your book formatted, get an original cover, and have your book
for sale on all the major online retailers.
You can also publish your book on your own, but what I tell authors is to
start by sticking their toe in the proverbial publishing pond. If things
start to work and you get the hang of marketing, etc., then you can always
dump the self-publishing (assuming you picked a good one) and publish on
your own.
Whether you choose one of the self-publishing companies out there or publish
on your own and start your own self-publishing company, if you can effectively
market your book and actually garner some sales, you will then have the option
of approaching agents and traditional publishers, who will be much more interested
in hearing from you. At that point, you might not even need them, but it's
always nice to be invited to the dance.
I've published books through a small traditional publisher and through my
own company. My second novel, Saturn Return, a coming of age story
was just released by my company. We are using it as a test case to prove
that many of the traditional book promotion tactics, like sending your book
to tons of reviewers who won't ever read it, mailing press releases to everyone
under the sun, and begging bookstores to carry a few copies, is a waste of
time. Instead, we are treating my book like we treat the other 19 ecommerce
websites we own. We are engaging in pay-per-click advertising on Google,
Yahoo, and MSN. Harnessing the power of the huge online networking sites,
like Myspace.com and Friendster, are quickly allowing me to develop an eager
fan base. There are many other out-of-box marketing tactics we are developing
to cost-effectively sell books. Ultimately, that's what it's all about.
Our company was founded to empower entrepreneurs, writers, musicians, and
artists. We continually strive to find ways to do that. For any writer considering
self-publishing, I suggest you download a free copy of the Author's Bill
of Rights. This is the new ethics
code I developed for the self-publishing companies. When you visit the site,
you can learn much more about which self-publishing companies are the most
author-friendly.
The next few articles will cover what qualities a good self-publishing company
will have. Then, we'll cover such important topics as whether you should
choose a self-publishing company or self-publish on your own. Finally, we'll
track the success of Saturn Return through our marketing efforts and discuss
how some of these marketing tactics might work for you as well. •
© Mark Levine 2006
 About the Author | More by Mark Levine
Mark Levine is the author of The Fine Print of Self-Publishing, which analyzes and ranks the contracts and services of 48 major self-publishing companies. The Fine Print has helped thousands of authors choose the right publishing company. For more information visit book-publishers-compared.com.
06/01/06
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