Rachel Garrett wrote:
On 11/23/06, James E. Henderson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Todd Walton wrote:
<snip>
> Why is it a shaft for a publisher to give you what you're worth to
them?
Because they do almost nothing to enhance the value of the product. If
you have to do all of the publicity yourself and the product is out
there for only six months, you're often better off doing the publishing
yourself, too.
Why then do the warhorse authors continue to go back to publishers?
These are people who have what it takes to "break free", if publishers
were all about taking advantage of authors. Patricia Cornwell, Stephen
King, Tom Clancy, et al. have enough star power to publicize their own
books, and the capital to self-publish.
Because it's easier, once you have a name, to continue working with a
publisher you've used before.
Let's look at an author with a little less star power, Richard Lederer,
who recently retired from the KPBS radio show he founded, "A Way with
Words". When Richard wrote his first book, he would sell copies at the
back of the room after giving a lecture. He was then self-published,
having copies of the book printed in batches of a few hundred to a few
thousand. He made his money teaching and lecturing, with the book sales
being just a small part of his income. His book was popular, so he wrote
a sequel, which he also sold at lectures. Eventually he became
well-enough known to get an agent and sign a contract with a publishing
concern, but even now he sells copies of the thirty-some books he has
written at the back of the room after a lecture ... because he enjoys
doing it. He doesn't need to write another word or sell another book
himself: his kids, Howard Lederer and Annie Duke, have seen to that. But
he no longer self-publishes. It got him started cheaply, but he now has
the luxury of having somebody else do a lot of the work for him. His
publisher and several book clubs provide him all of the publicity he
needs because he has name recognition now. For a long time he didn't.
An author isn't enslaved by a publisher. Likewise, publishers aren't
"all about taking advantage of authors" -- they just can't be bothered
with babysitting __unknown__ authors.
James
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James E. Henderson
SIP 1.747.618.5207 1-775-369-7682 UK 0-207-043-1121
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