As co-author of a newly released novel, WAKING GOD I would like to offer several opinions on the current state of the book publishing industry. This industry is controlled by the few at the expense of the many. It is filled with layer upon layer barbed wire fences and ‘keep out’ signs that would deter all but the bravest at heart. If determination and persistence are not one of your personality traits, be prepared for an experience of maximum frustration.
Most aspiring writers think that if they can actually finish their literary masterpiece, the literary world will be beating down the doors with huge advance offers and contracts. Once published, the novel will be reviewed by the Times or Post, the movie offers will arrive, signings and tours scheduled and you can sit back and watch the royalties pour into your bank account. Nice dream but what I just wrote is fantasy.
For new authors, the literary world soon becomes a nightmare. Having just bought your copy, and wasted your money, of books listing publishers, you soon realize that publishers will not accept unsolicited queries. In other words, if you have not been published and are not related to a publisher, they will not accept your manuscript. Catch 22? You now realize that your masterpiece must generally be submitted by a literary agent. You now waste more money buying a book listing literary agents. Once again you discover that most agents will not accept unsolicited manuscripts. Catch 22 once again. Every one should read Joseph Heller’s book if you have not already done so.
You may discover that a few agents will accept a letter, sample chapters, an outline and your book marketing plan. Wait, book marketing plan? Yes, you have to sell you idea to the agent by providing a plan as to how you intend to market your book and what market exists for your novel. But you thought that was the job of the agent of the publisher. Think again! During this entire process you are bombarded with offers to have your book edited, for a fee, since this is required to even think of getting it into the hands of a publisher. But don’t publishers have editors? Yes, but only for those who have already been published. Catch 22.
You now discover that the money you spent on books of agents and publishers were a waste of money. The moment they are printed, the information is out of date. Being brave you decide to send out query letters, only to be informed that, “We will not be accepting new submissions until the New Millennium.” And there is always, ‘we don’t feel that your novel meets our current needs, but good luck in your efforts.” This is from an agency that has advertised it is seeking manuscripts that are a perfect match for your novel.
You now discover that all of the information that you bought is readily available at no cost on the internet. Once again you peruse the lists and bang out more queries. All the while on the right and left side of the computer you see a multitude of ads that say, “Publish Now, Seeking Manuscripts, We Will Have Your Book Published in Three Months, Writers Wanted, etc.” The temptation grows as letters of ‘no thanks’ begin to pile up in you mail and email. Then you get a letter that say, “We are interested in you manuscript. Please send $$$ to cover the cost of a professional edit and we will get your book to market.” Could this be real? Is someone really interested? Not really. Because now you have finally stumbled upon a web site called ‘Predators and Editors’ and all of the soliciting scams for new writers are exposed. Even though your heart sinks, you also find a list that rates small publishers who are truly seeking new authors. The hunt now restarts in earnest.
A new world has now emerged. You learn that there is an entire sub-literary culture that thrives, for many, beneath the unapproachable barrier of the fortress of ‘bestsellers.’ New technology has allowed small presses to produce that easily equal of their large counterparts. Keep in mind that I am not talking about ‘vanity presses.’ In my mind these are only good for selling family members copies of Aunt Sue’s recipes or for local fundraisers. I have found two legitimate types of small presses; those that charge no fees and those that charge a set up fee to cover the cost of cover designs and editing. They are both POD (print on demand) publishers. All that means is that books are printed as ordered and not stored in a warehouse. The Big Guys like to put these publishers down but, even large mainstream presses are now using POD. It is still wise to check around and find the best of the small presses and ask them for author references. If they will not let you contact there authors, one might want to steer clear.
In addition to this new horizon in publishing there also exists a truly vast network of new author support groups. The list is too large to repeat but groups like Authors Coalition, Authors Den, OnceWritten and hundreds more exist to help promote, advise and encourage the new author. Then there are the hundreds of author chat rooms and forums, search Yahoo groups or Google and you will discover a universe of support and encouragement. For the public at large, this sub-culture goes unnoticed. Even though the books of this culture can be found on bookstore shelves and from places like Amazon.com, the reading public is unaware of what it has taken to get an unknown author’s book into their hands. Small presses do not have large promotion budgets. And let’s dispel an illusion; even if a book is published by a larger house, the likelihood of success is minimal. The book is printed and sent to some stores but there is little or no promotion. Walk into any bookstore and one can see how few of the books on the shelf have seen the light of real promotional efforts.
Keep in mind that once approved, a large publisher may take 12 to 18 months to actually produce a book. The small press is usually around six months, any faster and the quality is suspect. Now comes the real challenge for the new author. The book is printed but how does the public know that it exists? The small press will have the book listed in both on-line book systems and in the systems of the retail stores but this does not get the book into the store. This sub-culture demands constant and active participation of the author. While a publicist can be hired, efforts may be hampered by expense and there are many not so ethical firms that will take advantage of the naïve and unsuspecting author. Diligence is a must. Small press authors must now promote their own work. They must write press releases, pitch their books to independent bookstores, lobby the large chains to stock at least one copy of the book, mail to interested groups, arrange book signings, prepare flyers, try to get on small radio talk shows or internet radio and anything else the author can dream up to let the public know that the book exists. This is a daunting task that only the truly committed author can accomplish.
This article is not meant to be a ‘how to’ as far as book publishing is concerned. It is meant to show how little people know about the books that they buy and the process it takes to get the book on the shelf of a bookstore. According to Parapublishing.com, six large publishers, four of which are foreign owned, accounted for 80% of all book sales in 2002. However, small presses sold around $30Billion worth of books in that same year. There were around 86,000small presses in 2002. There is no question that what the public reads is still controlled by the few, but there is also no question that small presses are growing and taking a high dollar volume share of the book publishing industry. My generation coined the phrase, “Small is Beautiful.” In order to ensure that the public has unfettered access to new ideas and concepts, it would make sense to support struggling authors and small presses. If not, what is to say that what you read may one day be up to those few large conglomerates that still dominate the literary world?
