By Mark Garcia-Prats
In today’s feature article, Anna Lewis discusses the rise of “author-entrepreneur”: an author who not only writes and publishes their own book but successfully markets it using popular social networking tool. Anna goes on to say that publishers can benefit from this growing trend: whether that be by authors realizing the invaluable benefit that publishing companies can provide, or by publishing companies studying the successful techniques that the “author-entrepreneurs” are using. Do you agree with Anna? Can publishers learn from the success of author-entrepreneurs? Or will publishing companies benefit by acquiring authors, who after the hard work of writing, self-publishing and self promotion, realize the benefit a publisher can provide?
Let us know what you think in the comments.
6 Comments
Yes, she is so right. And also, if the author has successfully test-marketed the book, especially eBooks, publishers are more like to purchase and exploit the other rights such as the print rights.
Don’t you mean “How can publishers benefit from authors doing their jobs for them?”–other than by taking authors’ money (until authors wise up and strike out on their own), perhaps?
I am inclined to agree with Kerry’s comment. And I wonder what publishers (big, small, indie) are doing to meet the authors half-way in this process?
The reality is that publishers need to start finding new techniques that author Entrepreneur use because they have no money — basically more grass roots work that costs little in money and more in time. Most publishers are cutting marketing dollars but they have to still promote – a book without promotion will go nowhere – they just need to be more “creative” in the initatives they put forth.
As a self-published author who had had experience in traditional publishing and advertising I have known where my priorities were when I embarked to publish my books myself. Before I could not even get an agent for one book. Now I have published twelve. One of them is my latest work, “Principles of Self-Publishing: How to Publish and Market A Book or Ebook On a Shoestring Budget” in its 2nd edition. I approach all my projects with the same rigorous attention to detail and quality the traditional publishers do, and my books are even listed with Amazon. I could not have been able to do all this without proberty and discipline. The traditional publishers would benefit from self-publishers because competition stimulates innovation and economy of scale. No longer can they rest complacent with their current model.
As a part-time author who worked on a novel for years and then couldn’t find an agent or publisher even prepared to read it, I followed the self-publishing ( actually a joint-venture company) route. The book has been published and is starting to sell, but I must be honest and admit that my main motivation in taking this route was that I want to establish some credibility as a writer in the hopes that my next book will at least secure me a hearing with an agent or traditional publisher. With a limited budget, both in terms of time and money, having to do all the marketing and promotion oneself is absolutely exhausting and at times, depressing.I look forward to the day when I can safely leave all the mechanics of book promotion to “my agent and publisher”. Self-publishing is great if you like that kind of thing, but for my money, the ultimate combination is a motivated publisher, who is, by definition, an expert in their field and a writer willing to work alongside a marketing and promotional team.
Tristan de Chalain
Author of “Wolf’s Paw”