Mark Coker of Smashwords got me thinking about the future of publishing. Many people have written about the end of the year, end of the decade, predictions for the future, but Mark’s prediction kindled a flame of thought. I try to hold on to these moments because my work schedule has become so crazy I don’t always know if I’ve captured same thought. In the middle of a very tight schedule I had to think about what he said. You can read all five of his points on his blog. I’ll just repeat the last two:
“4. Most authors will be indie authors”
“5. Successful publishing companies will be those that put the most total profit in the author’s pocket. No, not the highest per-unit royalty percentage.”
It’s no new thought that the United States influences other cultures. Americans have been doing that since they settled in the foreign wilderness to take their chances with Native Americans and Nature rather than submit to an “un-G-dly” power. Rebellion is always fueled by the knowledge that an entire country was founded out of rebellion against its colonizing parent country. Horatio Alger wannabees, astronauts, freedom riders, strikers, protesters of all kinds take strength from knowing that the Independent spirit lives on, a whole nation of independents.
So when Mark predicts “most authors will be indie authors”, he’s got good solid footing for that statement. Traditional publishing depends on large teams of people from previewing, reading the manuscript through the production, distribution, and sales. Today that team is not needed. It is possible for an author to hire every single person on that chain, topnotch professional editors, readers, book designers, book cover designers, printers, distributors, and salespeople. The author can get these services for a fraction of the cost of a traditional publisher, there is no infrastructure overhead to account for. At this time authors already have to hire publicists to sell their books. What’s keeping them from hiring the whole team?
Imagine, I, Ms Author, write a book. I can’t get an advance from a publisher because no publisher has any money. So I support myself for the months it takes to write. Then I hire a great editor. Maybe even an editor from a well-known publisher. Why can I do that? Because the editor just found him/herself out of a job because the publishing company went under. Then I hire a designer for the interior and cover of the book. Granted, I’m footing the bill here myself. It means I need a nest egg of about $500. At this point I run out of money, so I use Print on Demand technology to print and distribute the book. I only pay the setup fees and shipping cost of that first book. Once the book is available I get out into the Social Media scene and I start to market my book.
A writer must be in the Business of writing today, just to survive. Tomorrow it will be so “rule of thumb” that I’ll do it because I get the greatest return on my investment by doing it myself, braving nature myself, pulling myself up by my own bootstraps.
And that’s what makes number 5 a reality. I learn that I can produce my own works, get them out there, and pocket the majority of the proceeds.
I think you're on the mark here — and that the process is starting already. I'm seeing a large percentage of my work these days not from only major publishers, but by authors engaged in putting their own book into print, hiring an editor/proof reader to make the corrections and suggest changes, hiring me to create their cover, and then going on to have the book printed (usually print-on-demand). From there they go about promoting their publication. The system works well and isn't much more complicated than going through a mainstream publisher (in fact, probably easier considering the submission/rejection fiasco is avoided).
–Duncan
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Freelance illustrator for HarperCollins, PS Publishing, Pocket Books, Solomon Press, American Media, Fort Ross, Asimov's Science Fiction, and many other publishers. See my illustrations at: http://DuncanLong.com/art.html
I think you're on the mark here — and that the process is starting already. I'm seeing a large percentage of my work these days not from only major publishers, but by authors engaged in putting their own book into print, hiring an editor/proof reader to make the corrections and suggest changes, hiring me to create their cover, and then going on to have the book printed (usually print-on-demand). From there they go about promoting their publication. The system works well and isn't much more complicated than going through a mainstream publisher (in fact, probably easier considering the submission/rejection fiasco is avoided).
–Duncan
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Freelance illustrator for HarperCollins, PS Publishing, Pocket Books, Solomon Press, American Media, Fort Ross, Asimov's Science Fiction, and many other publishers. See my illustrations at: http://DuncanLong.com/art.html
Thanks Duncan. It does feel a little like David and Goliath. Today an author either needs to be a project manager (of his/her own project) or needs to hire one. The traditional publishers have always acted in that role, but it’s like the difference between managing a home refurbishing project or hiring a general contractor to manage the project. Once the team is in place there is no difference between indie publishing and traditional publishing except that the author gets more royalties from an indie.