What Happens to Book Publishing in 2009?
Post #11–Two Women Business–Kendra Bonnett and Matilda Butler
Serendipity Books III by dweekly on Flickr
Earlier today I read a post by Hugh McGuire, entitled “What If the Book Business Collapses?” McGuire started out lamenting the presence of the big box store, the power of stockholders over the book business and the many changes and closings we can expect. I have to admit that my irritation grew with each sentence and woe. Not because I applaud declines in readership or the disappearance of quirky independent booksellers and musty secondhand book shops. Actually I love both. In fact, I met a boyfriend years ago in Santa Barbara through the secondhand book shop. I bought and sold a lot of books in my grad-school days and always put my name inside. This one man kept buying my books. He became so enamored of our similar tastes in history and literature that he tracked me down to my new home in San Francisco. But that’s another story.
My impatience with McGuire’s article was with the author’s apparent myopic view. He seemed to suggest that evolution, increased competition and changing tastes shouldn’t apply to the book business. That the iconic Ye Olde Book Shoppe of Charles Dickens’ day was the only acceptable model for books.
In reality, authors never need fear that book sales will dry up. There will be a voracious readership for information, knowledge and entertainment as long as civilization prevails. But like most things, it is bound to change. Competing sources of entertainment, new technologies, greater mobility, global pressures, and increasing demands on our most precious commodity (time), to name a few, are game changers. Online sales, big box bookstores, and discount outlets for books are a few of the results. Will many independent booksellers be hurt? Yes, and possibly as severely as whip makers at the turn of the last century.
Will publishers perish? Yes, particularly the largest conglomerates with the most overhead and greatest investment in traditional publishing models.
My annoyance with McGuire’s apparent disregard for the obvious evolution of the book business almost led me to toss the article aside. But I pushed on and finished the article. Surprise. He writes: “Imagine: what would happen if every publisher in the world went out of business tomorrow? If every book store closed it’s doors?” Okay, I was ready for the hearts and flowers. But no. McGuire won me over with his response: “Lamentable? Maybe. Or maybe this is a fabulous opportunity for something new.”
And I agree. The dramatic, sometimes painful changes we’ll experience in 2009 and into 2010 will give rise to new innovations and more efficient, lower-overhead models. I too am optimistic. Nostalgia has it’s place. I’ll continue to savor trips to independent booksellers, but I’ll apply the best of new technologies to the production, publishing, marketing and sales of our books and those of our clients.
What do you want from a publisher in 2009?
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{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
NPR has been running stories on the decline of the publishing industry, and I understand that one conglomerate we all know and have supported is no longer accepting manuscripts. The agents I have talked to this year seem to be working harder with less success than in the glory days before the internet. And I for one am sick of the celebrity memoir formula. Who wants to read Eminem’s memoir? All of which is to say best to both of you, keep on writing about this and wish me luck finding a publisher in ‘09!
I do wish you luck Mary, but the real truth is that the luck/power/control resides with you. Find an independent publisher who gives you good terms and whom you feel comfortable working with. Then develop your own marketing/sales strategy. Recently Matilda and I did a sales campaign to promote Rosie’s Daughters. We sold more almost 600 copies in a week! We also received leads that will result in several similar sales campaigns in 2009. You don’t need a major publisher to do this.
Thank you for reporting on this article. Like you, I’m cheered by the optimistic twist at the end. I’ve been thinking long and hard about this situation myself lately and come to the conclusion that it’s for the best, and my personal experience bears this out. I have had two books published commercially by an independent press, and it has been an exciting and rewarding experience, especially when the first book went into a second edition after four years. But I doubt I’ll go that route again. I want more control, and it’s there for the taking.
Last year I used Lulu.com to publish copies of a memoir of my preschool years. I handled every aspect myself, including creating a gorgeous cover. The book looks totally professional in every respect — except for the lack of a barcode. I had no interest in publishing it commercially — I just wanted it for my grandchildren and as a test drive of Lulu. It’s available as a free ebook download on both the Lulu site and my own if anyone wants to take a look. Besides doing my own book, I’ve coached students through the process. One man made his available in both hard cover and paperback. Anyone can do this, though the results will only be as good as your layout skills, without investing a single cent in additional software.
When I do another book, I will switch to Amazon’s no-investment CreateSpace service, which is very similar to Lulu, but links more directly into Amazon. My next book will be for profit.
More recently I’ve been exploring the MobiPocket Creator software for converting manuscripts to Kindle format. I have not yet completed a manuscript, but it looks easy enough to master.
The upshot of all of this is that even with traditional publishers, most books are sold through the efforts of authors. With the advent of POD, self-publishing has become not only acceptable, but the rage. And now we can do our own Kindle books. Why on earth, if we have to sell our own books anyway, and we can do it with no cash investment at all (assuming strong skills), does anyone need or want a traditional publisher?
For those who lack strong editing and layout skills, a cottage industry is already springing up to provide services to fill the gaps in both editing and layout. Pick your level of need and pay for only the assistance you require.
Life will go on after the publishing industry implodes. Books will always be with us, but the delivery system is obviously changing, and none too soon!
Thanks for your good points, Sharon. Matilda & I have gone much the same route. We’ve published through an independent publisher, and won an IPPY book award. We’ve managed our sales and marketing, and the book is still going strong. But because we wanted both the control and the ability to be reviewed (some reviewers won’t touch self-published…that too will change) we have launched our own independent publishing venture. Riparian Press, and we already have a few books slated to come out in 2009. Next task is to create the website!
The tools are available to make anyone a professional book producer/publisher. Since we have to do the marketing ourselves (if we want successful sales), we might as well have the money too!
Yes, we are speaking the same language and looking at the same North Star, but to avoid any confusion, when I said my first two books were published by an independent press, I must make it clear that they were not self-published. Lighthouse Point Press is a traditional publisher, albeit a very small one (in contrast to the big houses in NYC). Since the publishing business is an adjunct of a PR firm, they actually have been unusually helpful in promotion, but that still leaves a large burden on my shoulders as well as creating a sense of obligation to them that I would not have with the investment free POD and Kindle options.
Your point about reviews is well-taken. Surely that will also change. For example, Story Circle Network now accepts reviews of self-published books, specifically POD books, if they are available on Amazon. Perhaps they are the leaders in this parade.
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