Publishing Isn’t Broken, It’s Changing
By Jerry D. Simmons | August 25th, 2009 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
We’ve all read about the demise of publishing and the possibility of a world void of printed books. In my opinion, there will always be printed books, just not published the same way they have been for the past half century. The bookstore experience will not go away, it might look more like a coffee shop or café than bookstore but printed books will line shelves, just not all over the store.
The business of publishing books is changing, for the better. Certainly publishers are still too focused on celebrity books and what they consider the “sure thing.” Of course those of us who have worked inside New York know there is no such animal as the “sure thing.” Quality self-publishing is still fighting the negative perceptions but is finally starting to come of age and gain a small amount of respect for certain titles. The digital revolution for the eBook and downloads is really in its infancy and we are experiencing the dawn of a new era.
Writers trying to land an agent and a contract should start examining their options. If you wait for the inevitable it may never come. The business is much harder to break in than even one year ago and there are no signs things will get easier. It’s not good enough to write a great story anymore, you really have to leverage your contacts and network to get your manuscript in the right hands.
If you’ve invested time, I mean tons of valuable time, writing your manuscript, at the very minimum you need to understand your publishing options. Sometimes you have to prove that your writing has an audience before anyone will take notice. Are books following in the footsteps of music? Quite possibly, however there is no radio for books and live concerts don’t exist. Authors are going to be forced to find their own platform or stage on which they can announce to a global audience they have a book for sale.
Learn to market yourself as well as your writing, it’s the only way.
Tags: Book Marketing, Book Sales, Hybrid Publishing Model, Self-Published Author
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