On 11/21/06, [EMAIL PROTECTED] <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
On Mon, Nov 20, 2006 at 10:49:21PM -0800, Tracy R Reed wrote:
> > But *now*, authors do *not* irrevocably give the printers their copyrights.
>
> Musicians do. As do screenwriters. Do most book authors not?
In another email I mentioned how an author told me until you have one or more
successful books you have no negotiating power with publishers. So in effect
I'd answer your question by saying looks like authors get the shaft as well.
The situation is very similar to a job hunt. Other things being equal,
someone with a history of good employment, or of publishing a readable
book, is going to be more desirable to work with than someone with no
verifiable previous accomplishments. This means that a newcomer might
not getting be paid as much as they would have, had they already
written a book or worked several years in the field. But it doesn't
mean that the inexperienced author or the entry-level employee is
"getting the shaft." It just means they haven't yet earned the extra
consideration that comes with a solid track record.
It sounds like your author friend is frustrated because he didn't get
as much money as he felt he deserved for his first book. I would take
his generalizations about the industry with a very large grain of
salt.
_The Forest For The Trees_, by Betsy Lerner, is a good, thorough
editor's-eye view of the publishing industry. She addresses these
issues and talks about what editors and publishers look for in a book,
if you're interested.
--Rachel
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