posted
Amazon is starting to act as a direct publisher, signing established authors and personalities (Penny Marshall just inked an $800k deal with Amazon for her memoir). Publishers are freaking out, apparently.
Is this old news or new news? What ramifications does it have for us as up and coming authors? Do you think it will affect the self-publication model Amazon has going now?
Oh, and sorry I don't know how to make a nice, neat linky. Anyone willing to give a brief tutorial?
posted
Hey, from my point of view more potential buyers can only be a good thing.
Pretty links:
start with [ url = ] Remove the spaces and put the actual url after the = sign. Put the text you want to be seen after the closing bracket. Close with [ / url ], again, removing the extra spaces.
quote:Ha ha! Just listen to those whiners. "Now we can't exploit writers any more! It ain't fair!"
Personally, I wouldn't trust Amazon, over the long term, to not "exploit" writers either. While I obviously can't speak for DWS, I'm sure his advice would be that no one will look after your best interests like yourself. Amazon signing up established authors and personalities sounds pretty much like what a lot of people complained about before.
Amazon opens up the model somewhat and the publishing paradigm is changing, but I personally suspect that the new model will resemble the old in many ways. More freedom for authors, but I don't think it will get any easier to "make it" and those who do will have worked just as hard as they might have under the old model (I also believe that the way forward for myself is a combination of legacy/traditional publishing and self-publishing).
posted
What are both of your thoughts on small publishers vs self publishing? With e-books having such a massive popularity now I know a lot of people are having chance to sell their stories that didn't before. Most people think its a choice between the big 6 or doing it all by yourself, but there are other options that are in between. Do you think it's worth giving a percentage of the money your book sales by going with a small publisher that specialises in digital sales and will pay for all the editing, coverart, publicising and etc? I figure letting others handle all that gives you more time to write, more to sell, and therefore more money for you to live the dream on. What is everyone's take on that, is having to only write worth giving someone a percentage of your sales or not?
Posts: 91 | Registered: Oct 2011
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posted
Amazon's move is just another spasm of the publishing industry. They risk the publishers not playing in their sandbox.
I don't mind it as long as the field remains level for self-publishers.
I do think all of this upheaval isn't over and I do think that lower-cost publishers that specialize in e-books and don't take so much of a cut is inevitable. It's already happening, if you care to do a little googling. Smashwords doesn't publish, but does the distribution, there are a bunch of conversion folks out there, but that part of the industry hasn't yet coalesced.
posted
I'm starting up my own publishing company, mostly for people around my area that aren't internet or bussiness savy and just love to focus on writing. If i never get my own novel wrote hopefully I'll atleast be able to help others get their work into the hands of as many as possible.
Posts: 91 | Registered: Oct 2011
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posted
I'm not surprised that Amazon is going that route, and of course the traditional publishers are going to panic. It's another nail in the coffin.
The part of the article that interested me the most was about Kiana Davenport, whose book deal with Penguin ended up on ice after she self-published an e-book collection of short stories. That sort of thing is happening a lot nowadays. Writers are putting up their back titles as fast as they can. The article doesn't say this, but I suspect Davenport might have signed a contract that said she wasn't allowed to publish anything except through Penguin. If that's the case (and I'm not saying it is), it's a cautionary tale for being careful what you sign. She should have been regular reader of The Business Rusch.
posted
Used to be, in the olden days when records were still on 45s and LPs, nearly every big independent record store had its own record label, that it could put out something to sell in its own stores (and sometimes others). It worked out okay, often enough.
I don't see why a major book retailer shouldn't publish its own books---though the position of Amazon-dot-com in the market, and the dollar amounts involved, do make for interesting times ahead in the book industry. (Barnes & Noble just pulled a bunch of DC graphic novels from their retail stores because DC signed an e-deal with somebody else.)
(By the way, I think Penguin might have trouble proving in court that e-publishing Kiana Davenport's collection would damage sales of a print edition of something else...according to the update at the bottom, they haven't yet filed suit...)
posted
Perhaps there was a clause in her contract stating they had options on her next set of works? That is pretty common.
Posts: 91 | Registered: Oct 2011
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quote:By the way, I think Penguin might have trouble proving in court that e-publishing Kiana Davenport's collection would damage sales of a print edition of something else...according to the update at the bottom, they haven't yet filed suit...)
Eh. To be really safe, she probably should have talked to her agent about it and they probably should have let the publisher know of her plans. Still, I think Penguin is overreacting a bit.
posted
Davenport's predicament sounds like a breach of contract case. I hope she hires a good lawyer. Her situation also highlights the importance of hiring an entertainment lawyer to help you understand the publishing contract before signing.
Edited to add: I just finished reading what Davenport had to say about this fiasco on her blog. I find it highly suspicious that Penguin, after discovering she self-published on Amazon, requested she guarantee in writing she would not self-publish any e-book of her backlog of works. It sounds like this particular clause wasn't in the original contract. This is definitely an interesting case worth following.
[This message has been edited by redux (edited October 19, 2011).]
posted
The publisher of my wife's first two books is Penguin-Putnam. Her agent's been duking it out with them over the digital rights for a while now. The books aren't up, and she can't put them up.
So, no one is making any money from them.
However, that didn't stop P-P from putting them up initially and offering 0 royalties. So far, her agent has only managed to get them removed.
posted
Axe, do you mean you're not putting up your wife's books that were previously published? Or do you mean the two of you aren't trying to self publish anything by yourself?
Posts: 91 | Registered: Oct 2011
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quote:Still, I think Penguin is overreacting a bit.
quote:So, no one is making any money from them.
However, that didn't stop P-P from putting them up initially and offering 0 royalties. So far, her agent has only managed to get them removed.
This sort of reaction by publishers is so self defeating. The war last year between Amazon and another publisher had this going for it - many of the authors were on the publisher's side. This looks like it is the publishers turning on the authors somewhat. If that gains traction, then they have lost the war. Tell me it isn't so.
quote:This sort of reaction by publishers is so self defeating. The war last year between Amazon and another publisher had this going for it - many of the authors were on the publisher's side. This looks like it is the publishers turning on the authors somewhat. If that gains traction, then they have lost the war. Tell me it isn't so.
Do you get David Farland's Daily Kick? According to him, the publishers are turning on the authors. We all hope it's not as bad as he paints it, but I've seen enough stories lately, especially around e-pubbing rights, to think there's something to it.
posted
GreatNovus, I meant that we won't be putting her old ones up. As soon as she's done with her current contract, she may self pub. She enjoys writing, but hates the machine.
Her publisher didn't turn on her, but after the 0 royalties didn't fly they pressed for the same royalty rate for e-book that they had for paper. Figuring she would only gain by their hard work. (making a .mobi file - once.)
posted
Thanks for clearing that up, what are the both of you gunning for as far as e-royalty percentage?
Posts: 91 | Registered: Oct 2011
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posted
@GreatNovus, I wouldn't personally go with a small press. Not in this market, with these options available to me where I can get 70% on my ebooks and something close to 2-5$ per print book if I ever get off my butt and do the Print on Demand versions... (super low priority for me.)
A NY publishing house could bring sales boost, national name recognition, a big marketing push (or they could just publish a book and let it lie, remaindering it off the shelves after a month or two like happens to a ton of books.) I'm on the fence but mostly epubbing my own work these days. Thinking about querying NY editors on my epub'd work, though. What's the worst that can happen? They say no they're not interested. And the best is they offer me a million dollars on my existing or future books. Hmm...
But a small press these days, unless in a specialty area (non-fiction for the most part) doesn't offer any benefits. I can do my own covers and/or have my awesome friend who does covers do them. I can create the epub and mobi files for amazon and Barnes and Noble and Smashwords. I can do a close edit/hire someone/ask friends to help me identify mistakes. While it'd be nice to have someone else do that work, it's really not a lot of time. And marketing? I can be writing my next book, which is the best marketing of all...
As for Amazon doing it's own publishing, it's going to be interesting, but there will be a lot of people who don't want to limit to one ebook reading platform. The Kobo/Diesel/Apple iBooks markets are HUGE and GLOBAL (and there turn out to be tons of English speakers all over the world.) Amazon has deep reach and will do a lot of interesting, innovative, and slightly sketchy things I think, but I'm still publishing on all platforms because I don't want to limit my market.
I see what you're saying and think for a lot of people that is probably true. Like you said yourself though, the best marketing for your writing IS your writing, if you had someone else dealing with all the other stuff that frees up your time you could be writign even more to promote your backlist and add new titles bringing you revenue. Of course, if you have a friend that is excellent at coverart that simplifies having to shop around for a cover.
I'm glad to see you're not completely writing off PoD. They are not to important right now, but just a few years ago Self-Publishing and ebooks and what have you were in the same boat and considered by most as a waste of time. I have a feeling in the distant future PoD is going to be pretty big. I don't think the major publishers are going to last, but there is alw2ays going to be a demand for print books. Nowhere near as big as what used to be, but there will be a market for it still, and I think PoD will become very useful in supplying to that market.
Speaking of Amazon publishing and not wanting to limit your market. . . How many people have a PS3 and an XBOX 360 and a Wii, or some combination of the three? Does anyone think e-readers will get the same way as they keep dropping in price and the companies that run their distribution network "signs" certain authors? Will it end up with people buying a Kindle for 59 dollars because that is the only read Stephen King deals with, and then going back out and buying a Nook so they can read some Grisham?
posted
I wouldn't normally trust them as far as I could throw them, despite publishing on Kindle with them. But if they offered me what amounts to nearly half a million pounds, then I might extend a little trust for as long as it took to cash the cheque.
Posts: 778 | Registered: Aug 2010
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posted
I don't see a big deal with it. Its just another publisher out there.
The thing is people can not expect anything better from Amazon then any other publisher. Publishers are looking out for their bottom line. Only you can look out for your bottom line.
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