The more I read about traditional publishing and royalty statements, the more it firms my resolve to be in charge of my own career as a writer.
A traditional publisher currently still holds the prestige of having someone choose your work to be published. I say currently because there have been so many changes lately, it's hard to know what it will look like tomorrow or next week or next year.
Let's imagine that we treat the book business like we treat the music business or the movie business. The editor is someone we follow like a producer or director. (Great link, sadly not my idea.) We have household names like Steven Spielberg and Christopher Columbus. How many people can name a single editor if you're not in the book business or know one personally? But an editor as a brand gives us something to follow to say, hey, I might like this book, too.
Even agents could leave a trail of different books to read. Someone has to have similar tastes. Yet it's all on the author's name and effort. It leaves all the writers struggling to be individually known.
No wonder they're starving artists. The royalty statements (from the first link above) can be as messed up as you please, and if each writer goes against them individually they can only go so far. Some publishers will do what they can to fix things. Others will try to screw everyone over in the hope that no one will call them on it.
Self publishing might be the only way. And that's why I'm sitting at my computer in the late evenings, editing. I want to get it the best I can manage before I send it to a professional editor. Cover design and formatting the book will cost me, too, but at least then I know what I owe and when I break even.
When did things get so crazy? Are there other options?
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Erotica is often viewed as taboo and not discussed. I'd love to see that changed, and other than chatting with my friends (a very open group) how does one spread the word?
1 comment:
First, your statements link is broken. Can you fix that? I'm interested in the article.
Second, you make a great analogy to the film industry. I can see how, since the author's identity is what matters, self-publishing is a viable option. Even in film, YouTube has de-regulated (if you will) the industry such that random nobodies can go viral and become somebodies overnight without Spielbergs and such.
Still, what the big-name publishers (and movie studios) still offer is clout - a sort of implied quality that consumers trust. They also offer proven resources that help make a quality finished product. You may be able to get your own editor, illustrator, printer, etc. etc., but the big companies have tried vendors and weeded out the junk.
Pros and cons. I feel like the entertainment industries (including books) are heading toward more artist-driven successes, because we have so many more resources at our fingertips than ever before. And that's going to put some giants out of business. With that in mind, self-publishing might be the BEST option... IF you're good, IF you can find the right resources, IF you have the capital to hire those resources and promote your work, and IF people buy it.
A lot of uncertainty.
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