Everyone’s clamoring about the rise of the Indie author. Editors, designers, publicists, printers and even sales people can be hired. Real ones. Good ones. Often the very same ones you’d have worked with in house.
Couple that with blended printing and distribution channels, like LightningSource, who’ll spank out print on demand books so fast, they’ll let your book remain listed as in-stock online, and you’ve got a recipe for Indie author world domination, right?
Not so fast…
There are still a few major missing pieces of the puzzle.
1. Distribution.
It’s true, more and more sales are being funneled through online channels and ebooks are fast growing into the real elements of the bookselling mix. But, traditional publishing is still the fastest and easiest way to get your book on the shelves of the big box stores. And, those shelves, revered or reviled, still sell a ton of books every year.
Not that it’s impossible to get books there yourself. Build a strong enough platform to push your book to the top of amazon and bn.com for a few weeks or months and fuel an endless sea of people to badger local managers enough, you’re very likely going to end up on the shelves. Slowly, but surely. It’s doable. Witness Peter Bowerman and his still indie, yet widely distributed and always stocked Well-Fed Writer series.
2. Mega-Filters.
Here’s where one of the real value propositions of traditional Publishing is right now. It may not be there tomorrow, but for now, a book that’s out from a major publisher AND is on brick and mortar shelves is assumed to have been vetted and filtered. Meaning, it’s worth the read.
Is that assumption always true? Not a chance.
But, in a world where we’re constantly bombarded by millions of bits and bytes of shiny new units of information and entertainment, filters have value. And, a lot of it. If something comes out from one of the bigs, we’re often more inclined to pony up our precious minutes and dollars.
But, here’s the thing about filters. Used to be, the houses themselves were the ultimate filter and the major newspaper book section and occasional magazine served as second-level vetting engines. But, nowadays, the filtering function is becoming massively diluted by websites and bloggers.
And, here’s my prediction, as more and more great authors go indie, the most powerful people in publishing will be the marketing-minded authors and filters. Because, properly armed, authors can build an army of evangelists, hire a production team and the right filters can help drive enough buzz and sales to allow you to back your way into brick and mortar distribution.
3. Pay to Play.
This is still a major benefit for a lot of authors. With traditional publishing, you get your money on the front end, instead of the back end. Publishers have essentially become joint venture partners. Authors create the product, publishers fund the venture, pay along the way for development and roll-out, then have a substantial say in the the way the product is packaged and brought to market.
For a lot of authors, there is still a lot of value there. The vast majority of authors I know would still opt for an advance, even when $40 large is the new $75 large. Because they’re not venture-minded. They’re fundamentally risk averse.
But, with an estimated 70-80% fail rate, you’ve gotta ask why publishers keep on funding so many projects by authors who want only to write, then walk away. Name me one VC who’ll write a check to a start-up when the team launching the business openly proclaims wanting nothing to do with the business after the product has launched.
Yes, I get that most authors just want to write and cringe at the thought of platform building or marketing. I want to live in 3,000 square foot photo loft in the West Village for $600 a month. Doesn’t mean I can. The world is changing in a profound way. Publishers are struggling to find their place in the new book economy and will very likely have to endure huge, painful change.
But, it’s not all about the publishers.
Authors, yes, we who love nothing more than to craft great stories and change the world, need to own up to a new writing economy, too. We need to do what’s necessary to own not only our craft, but our businesses and lives. Because, rare will be the 21st century hermetic author who lives beyond the life of an ascetic scribe.
Truth is, nobody in the world of books and publishing has all the answers right now, save one.
Those who bury their heads in the sand will surely end up buried.
Question is, how far down the Indie rabbit hole are you ready to go?
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{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
Great blog on this topic, Jonathan. In fact, I just blogged about it as well [click on my name for the link or go to whatnottodotheblog dot com]. You make a great point about the distribution channel issue. But what about the speed issue I speak about in my blog? If you go the traditional route it will take a lot longer. In the same amount of time you can crank out 3-4 books. You can work on your platform. You can blog. You can speak. In the time it takes to woo one publisher and get one book out the door, you can talk to a ton of potential customers!
Not sure I get your comment about filters. You seem to be saying that, in the future, influential authors will be the best filters. Is that correct? If so, the publishing power will then be distributed amongst a larger base of people who have the permission to speak about other author’s offerings. I guess that’s better than what we have today. If so, I think you and I should get acquainted!
Thanks for the great stuff.
tom
@ Tom – Speed can definitely be a factor. A few more thoughts on that. Most people don’t know it, but if your book is time/news relevant, it can be “crashed,” meaning the publisher will greatly expedite the publication. And publishers like Wiley now regularly have a contract to publication cycle that is a fraction of certain other big pubs (generally months, not years). Still, let’s say it takes you 12 months going traditional, in that time, you may indeed be able to write 2 books instead of one. But, 3 or 4? Full length? Beautifully designed? And, still have them be “traditional” level quality. Not likely.
I write insanely quickly and, whether you lean on your publisher’s editors or hire your own, the polish they add to your final product can be a tremendous advantage, but that editorial back and forth takes time. And, that time should be allowed for, because it’s so worth it (provided your editor rocks). So, let’s say you may be able to put out 2 books instead of one. There, we’re in agreement, depending on the author and their bigger business plan, there may be a decided advantage.
And, regardless of whether you go self-publishing or traditional, there’s still plenty of time to build your own platform IF THAT’S YOUR PRIORITY. Wooing publishers doesn’t take that much out of you. At least, it didn’t for me.
Last thing, yes, my thoughts on filters is that the power has the potential to shift strongly over to the author and a much bigger group of trusted online filters, again, if they make a concerted effort to make it happen.
In the end, I’m not arguing for traditional publishing, just exploring some of the claims and misconceptions out there about both worlds in an effort to help authors make the most informed decision possible.
Got it. Great followup. Thanks.
I’m sure that, once you have been published by a traditional author at least once, your statements are absolutely correct. Not sure this is the same situation for a first-time author like me who has never been published. In this case the speed factor may be a little more exaggerated.
Agree completely about the editing comments. Could be a great advantage!
It is true that a great platform can help get a book published. But it may also be true that a great book, independently published, can help form the base for a great platform. I also know of some authors who independently published their first book as a way to establish credibility with traditional publishers for subsequent works.
Thanks again.
@Tom – No doubt, in fact, most people dont’ realize that Tim Ferris, author of the Four Hour Workweek phenomenon, wasn’t really a blogger before the book launched. He had a smallish, cobbled together blog before that, but launched a new one to coincide with the book and, together, they helped to build his now giant platform.
This has some good points. One of the things that I think is very much a gap simply in publishing terms is the continued usage of the term “self-published” instead of the term “independently published.”
I hope at some point we all use the term independently published because it is the most apt and correct terminology to apply for the present and the future. I know of several authors who have independently published through iUniverse.com and have both the brick and mortar and click and mortar distribution with that service. (And no, I”m not an affiliate of iUniverse.com!)
I do think it’s sad that authors today have to hustle for readers and that the most successful writers may then be the most successful marketers, not necessarily the best or most creative writers.
The other thing that makes me sad is that many small authors realise the need to set up a website and be involved in a web campaign but as they have lower funds they tend to end up with a crappy site that will actively turn most readers away.
I want to set up a specialised web design service for authors and guarantee them an effective website for a reasonable price. That’s fair and it sucks seeing people being ripped off because they don’t understand the web and apparently many web designers don’t either:)
@ Nettie – agreed, I’m trying to get into the habit of saying Indie, myself, but it’ll take time, lol
@ Annabel – Actually, I see the other side of the coin, truth is authors have always had to hustle audiences, but now technology has made it so much more affordable and accessible, we can take control with far greater ease. And, there are are already a bunch of super cheap or free ways to launch great looking websites and blogs if you know where to look and who to ask. I’m about to have a whole lot more to say and offer around that topic in the very near future, i.e., January 2010. So, stay tuned!
Johathan,
Nice post, thanks for that. We are definitely in uncharted waters and it’s likely to get a good deal more chaotic before any calm arrives. So much of the decision whether to publish indie or try to get a contract from a traditional publisher relies on the individual author, as you point out, and his or her predilections. And there’s a big divide between fiction and nonfiction. Indie publishing has been a viable option for niche nonfiction authors for a very long time, and often a more profitable one. But the point you make about distribution is also valid: few indie publishers can really match the reach of traditional publishers.
The clients I’ve had who have done the best on the indie route are motivated marketers who take the time and trouble to assemble a professional team to create and launch their book, and who have access to a population of people who will support the publication. For them, it works well.