According to the Association of American Publishers (AAP), in 2011 e-book sales rose 117%, generating revenue of $969.9 million, while sales in all trade print segments fell, with mass-market paperbacks plunging by nearly 36%. As a result of this, insiders worry that traditional publishers will focus on hardbacks and publish fewer paperbacks.
The article argues that most readers buy books, not because Simon & Schuster or Berkeley published it, but because they want a good read, be it from a big publisher or from an individual author. They also buy a book based on the cover, the back cover blurb, and the author's name. So indie authors have to make sure they have a professional looking cover and an enticing blurb, as well as a good book. And they have to promote. Promote, promote, promote.
Indie authors can make money, if their product is good, of course:
At $2.99 a pop, authors earn nearly $2.00 on every eBook sale. Even at 99¢, with average royalties of 33¢ to 60¢, earnings on a hot-selling book can quickly out-pace the meager advance offered to all but the superstars by a traditional house.I don't think self-publishing has the stigma it used to have. I personally know traditionally published authors who don't consider indie authors to be "real" authors, but with more and more writers going the indie route, I think readers will become their own judges and gatekeepers. They will try new indie authors because the price is low and they will like what they read and then buy more by that author - or they will try someone else. And they will be able to do that without spending $25 for a hardback. For that amount, they could have bought 8 indie books, and hopefully found 8 authors they like. And those authors would have earned more than if they'd been published in hardback by a major house.
Still a stigma, especially from our 'chain' bookshops, but attitudes in the UK are slowly changing, thank goodness.
ReplyDeleteHalf of the books on my iPad are self-published and quite a few of them are as good if not better than any put out by the big publishers. I also won't pay over ten bucks for an eBook, which eliminates a lot of the big publishers' books.
ReplyDeleteThere are several big name traditionally published authors that my husband follows. He'll buy their ebooks even at the higher price. I don't think having non-traditionally published authors putting their books out for sale online in any way diminishes the traditionally published authors.
ReplyDeleteI think John Locke proved the stigma is dying.
ReplyDeleteI think the sales alone show that people are interested in a good read no matter where it comes from. There seems to be an us and them mentality between authors who have published traditionally though. Nearly every author interview I've attended, the author has spoken negatively about independent publishing. But let's face it we've all read some awful books that a well known publisher thought were worth publishing. One author at the mystery writers' panel last Saturday said that the problem was there was no gatekeeper and books published independently were not well written. I think that the publishers have missed many a gem by turning down manuscripts that I've thought were wonderful and I'm personally glad these great authors have another avenue. To answer your question, I think the stigma remains within the publishing industry and not the readers.
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There is most definitely still a stigma, but I encounter it mostly from the aspiring author who believes in earnest that those who've gone indie MUST have done so because they weren't good enough to make the cut--but that when the time comes for THEM to begin querying, they'll be snapped up right away by an agent.
ReplyDeleteI've watched those attitudes change among the writers I know over the past nine months. I've watched quite a few go from "Oh, I'm prepared to query hundreds of agents before I rethink my strategy" to "Oh! You're selling HOW many books? Gee, all these rejections from agents sure are getting me down. Maybe *I'll* try it, too."
Those are just my observations, but either way, times are changing FAST.
It would be wise for writers to support one another in whatever direction they decide to experiment. That's all life ever is, after all! People would be smart not to judge one another for their career decisions.
I'm still querying for Troll Or Derby, but only a select few. I'm sure I'll end up publishing it myself, and it'll be great to get the reader feedback. I'd LOVE to be a best-selling author like my heros, and have all kinds of dough rolling in, but it seems SALES are the thing that really attract agents and authors. And it's not the case anymore that you can't have sales without the gatekeeper. You can circumvent the gatekeeper, and why not? There's no fence!
The stigma is changing. People have always wanted a good read and now they have more to choose from. The best selling feature will always be word of mouth..."I read a great book..." Doesn't matter how it gets there.
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W.S. Gager on Writing
I guess we include journalism in the "legacy publishing" mix. I find the national newspapers to be hopelessly behind-the-times when it comes to self-publishing views and opinions. Why are they still asking the stigma question? So outdated one simply can't call in "news".
ReplyDeleteIMO, whether you self-publish or go through a big or small publisher, your are an author. And your book, like any book, should be judged on its content, not on the method of publishing.
ReplyDeleteI certainly think there is less stigma, especially when you consider the number of authors with "hybrid" careers -- who publish both traditionally and self. The barrier is still brick and mortar bookstores, which is understandable -- they simply can't carry every book published. The main perception problem that self-publishing has, IMO, is the lack of filter. Yes, there are good books being self-published (and bad books published the traditional route). But with absolutely no quality control, there will always be a barrier to universal acceptance. I am not sure how this should be addressed, because one of the great things about self=publishing is the freedom of it. But for every gem that is self-published, I'll go out on a limb and say that there are many times that number of unedited, unreadable works.
ReplyDeletep.s. I really hate the terms "legacy" and "indie" in this context. The former is loaded, and the second is inaccurate. There's nothing wrong with calling it what it is: self-publishing. I say this as a traditionally published author who would like to try some self-publishing myself.
I've bought a lot of self pubbed books over the last year or so. Some of them aren't very good - but for the most part, they're very enjoyable reads. I think the stigma is lessening.
ReplyDeleteYet another reason to finish writing my damned book...
ReplyDeleteThe question of stigma misses the point, Hel. The word "stigma" implies that the opinions of strangers matter. The point is that now agents can be made irrelevant to those of us who have struggled to publish. Yeah, some of us turn out junk, and some of us don't. The only strangers I want to please are potential direct customers. They don't care who published the novel. They just want to know if it's any good, and an anonymous Amazon review is often sufficient endorsement. They'll still realize they're taking a $2.99 chance, but that's a small risk. Stigma? My stigma comes in the mail from Amazon in the form of a monthly check.
ReplyDeleteI haven;t bought or downloaded a mainstream book with the exception of Lee Child's latest book. And that one I paid less than a dollar for at a garage sale. Yep, they have all been self published or indie published and I'm enjoying them very much.
ReplyDeleteBlogger just ate my comment. LOL
ReplyDeleteI think the traditional publishers are the ones trying to keep the "stigma" alive, mostly to bail out their sinking ship. Do some indie published books stink? Yes. So do a number of trad published books. The readers are the new gatekeepers.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this article! I just did a post on this today on my own blog, and as a Social Media Strategist and SEO Copywriter, I know first-hand how much effort is needed to execute a kick-butt author campaign, and it isn't for the faint of heart!
ReplyDeleteLate coming in on this Helen - - busy week as you know. Thanks for the viewpoint....I do believe it's an accurate take on the changes we are all aware of...It's what's on the horizon that I wish I could see.
ReplyDeletekcf
When I purchase an e-book, I don't look to see who the publisher is. I read the book summary, an excerpt, if provided, and the reviews.
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