What do writers really want, anyway? If you ask Mark Coker, founder of e-book distributor Smashwords, he’ll give you a pretty good list: acceptance, validation, respect, the printing press, distribution, royalties, readers, and fame. He’ll tell you that a traditional publisher can provide you with these things, but that bestsellers are their priority; that agents and book deals are elusive, that advances are declining, and that most authors don’t earn out their advances. He’ll tell you that most books from traditional publishers go out of print way too quickly and that authors shoulder most of their own promotion, anyway—all the while losing rights to their own work. And now, independent booksellers and even the big ones, like Borders, are disappearing.
He’s right. What can a publisher do for you that you can’t do for yourself? Especially now that with e-books, the printing press is virtual and free, distribution has been democratized, and you can publish your book in just minutes—and earn 60 to 70 percent majority revenue instead of 5 to 15 percent minority royalties. Thanks to the recent financial successes of self-published authors, particularly in the e-book market, the stigma surrounding self-publishing (and e-books, for that matter) is declining. More and more, we hear about authors who are considering self-publishing instead of working with agents and publishers. Of course, the idea that self-publication is a black mark is a relatively new idea, brought on by the democratization of the press. In fact, there is a rich heritage of self-publication within literary circles: Walt Whitman published his own work.
So… Self-publishing is the way to go, right?
Did we forget something? Anything?
How about editing?
When authors do self-publish, they forego the services of editors and copy editors—unless they hire their own; it can be costly, though. For example, I recently received an inquiry from someone who has a 185-page (single-spaced) manuscript that needs an edit. English is her second language and so there are some basic issues with grammar throughout. I gave this potential client an estimate that I felt was low—a few thousand dollars. Even at minimum wage, the estimate would have been at least $1,000 for the edit. Needless to say, the potential client balked because that’s a lot of money to spend on a manuscript that hasn’t even found a publisher.
Is there middle ground?
Perhaps editors should consider becoming publishers for e-books and for print-on-demand books. There are opportunities for editors to collaborate with writers and to share the risks and rewards that go along with publishing books, with little or no cost related to publishing, distribution, and sales.
When editors become publishers, writers benefit because books become high-quality products, not simply manifestations of vanity. Of course, for editors, the financial benefits aren’t guaranteed; they must see books as investments that might pay off in book sales for years to come.
I believe more editors will become publishers. An editor can start a literary press without the overhead of a physical business address, a printing press, or a physical distribution system; and if the editor is comfortable editing in a word processor and using Internet-based communications, there is no cost for paper—except maybe for those contracts that need signatures.
Of course, writers need to be careful. They must find credible, experienced editors who also have the technical skills to publish e-books. Confronted with flashy websites and marketing pitches, most writers will be tempted to give over their work to big corporations, the ones who will hire editors in India and China to plow through manuscripts and spit out e-books. More thoughtful writers, however, will seek out editors whom they can collaborate with, whom they can share risks and rewards with, and who are willing to negotiate rights and royalties.
Of course, one of the questions in the new world of e-books is “How do you promote them?” The web is teaming with blogs, videos, and social networking sites, and so there are as many answers to this question as there are ideas. However, the real question is whether the writer and editor are willing and able to put in the time to come up with or discover ideas and then execute on them. Successful e-book promotion is a moving target; you need to be flexible and quick on the draw.
The future is bright for writers, editors, and small publishers; I’m confident this is true. The most successful people will be those who build relationships, which is the hallmark of our youngest generations, for whom social networking is as much a part of life as air and water.
Ryan C. Christiansen, guest blog writer, is the publisher for Knuckledown Press, a Midwestern small literary press that publishes literary fiction and creative nonfiction titles in English for worldwide distribution in electronic formats. He is the writer and editor behind The Write Talent, which provides professional services for the written word. Ryan is a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing program candidate at Minnesota State University Moorhead and the author of Publish and Sell Books: Using print on-demand self-publishing technology and the World Wide Web for book publishing success. He received the Certificate in Publishing from MSUM in December 2010 and led the developmental edit for the forthcoming novel Downriver People (New Rivers Press, 2011). He can be reached at norsepower@yahoo.com.
Tagged: Editing, Knuckledown Press, Publishing, Self-publishing
