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Grand Sorcerer
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The guardian: Self-publishers are...
http://www.theguardian.com/world/201...elf-publishing
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Maria Schneider
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Part of that is that agents already know what a particular set of editors like. I know an author who has been published several times who wants to change genres. But the agent won't even send out some of the material written. Either doesn't know an editor who is interested or insists that it's the wrong genre--not popular right now. And this is common. VERY COMMON. In the past, the only way to get work out there was to have an agent who knew editors. The editors trust the agents to vet the work and only send them what they want to see.
It's not to say that every indie is a great writer, but there are proven writers out there STILL struggling to even get their stuff in front of an editor. Many of us do have editors--and by that I mean more than one. We've learned as we go along which ones are good, which ones help us get better and which ones are affordable. It's really a great time to be a writer. |
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Grand Sorcerer
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The thing to look out for is the newcomers who skip the whole agent tradpub merry-go-round to take their chances in the indie world. Which could lead to things like this: http://the-digital-reader.com/2014/1.../#.VGD93-rD_MI |
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Maria Schneider
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Yes, I have suspected that trend because some of the indies who have signed deals had sold THOUSANDS of copies--and I mean 100,000 or more copies already. And the publishers still have to get the word out to buyers who are harder to reach (those not online or who buy more often from bookstores. Or those who buy 10 or less books per year). And those same publishers are not any better than they were about getting that word out. The indie authors have already DONE what they can so when they get a print deal or other deal, they can't necessarily expand to a different audience. It's hard to find an audience. And it can be fleeting. Some of it is timing, some luck and some of it chance. I think the publishers thought picking up a popular indie was a shortcut. But I also think that PR was still needed. Work to get the word out was still required. And another book to follow those that succeeded... |
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Feral Underclass
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That would be the only reason I can see why anyone who is already successful on their own would want a publisher. Even a print only deal, with the writer keeping ebook control, would be pointless if all they can do is sell it on Amazon at inflated prices.
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#6 |
Grand Sorcerer
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And the problem is *nobody* can reliably deliver that regularly.
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Maria Schneider
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An example is that a lot of cozy readers just want a simple, happy mystery. They go through them like ... 99 cent bargains. That same reader might not pay 2.99 or 9.99 for even a favorite author. We had patrons at the library who came in and checked out 15 romance books at a time. They just wanted quick, light happy reads. This type of patron is not going to pay 5.99 for every single quick light read. They go through them one a day--they buy them/check them out partly because they are 99 or free or 1.99. Everyone has a price range and what is successful at 99 cents may not be successful at 12.99. I think publishers are figuring that out. These authors are popular, but price did play a part in it and the publishers aren't willing (or able) to necessarily offer that same product for the low price. They may not be willing (or able) to FIND an audience for that same book at a higher price. There are books I've read for free and enjoyed. But that doesn't mean I enjoyed them enough to spend 5 dollars on the next. There are books I've read and enjoyed and HAPPILY spend 4.99 on the next. Consumers are much more complicated than publishers would like. ![]() |
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Grand Sorcerer
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#9 |
temp. out of service
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I think the best part of indie uprising is the overcoming of the "not popular right now" trad pub showstopper because said books can still be "excellent in the genre they belong to" - how many books of superb quality just gathered dust in their authors drawers instead of being offered to the topics' clientele just because said topic just happened not to be en vogue at the given moment?
btw. same goes for translations not being done because of the time lag (no current top seller genre in time that would be required for translation) |
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Grand Sorcerer
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(Unlike the occasional litfic ironic deconstruction ala SUPER FOLKS.) There's a *lot* of those and a lot are real good, too. And at current comic book prices, the indie novels are a great deal. If there is one genre the establishment sneers at more than romance it is superheroes but in indie-land it is the reader who decides what it worthy. For this alone, the openess to genre, sub-genre, cross-genre, and outright mutation the indie revolution will endure. There's a lot of unmet demand out there that tradpub never bothered to even try meeting because their focus is on the next Patterson or King, not the next 25k midlister selling pre-dynastic egypt murder mysteries or romances. (Both of which I hear are pretty hot--we might start seeing some me-too releases from the big boys in a year or two.) |
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#11 | |
Maria Schneider
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If you look at which ads are the most expensive right now, it's mystery/thriller by a LARGE margin. That is what is selling, especially in indie-world. Now, that doesn't mean that is what is being written, but from what I can see, it's not skewed as much to romance as in the past. I've also noticed (and read) the superhero genre. ![]() |
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#12 | |
Maria Schneider
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That's not to say romance isn't being written, but most of the queries I get for editing lean to fantasy and mystery pretty heavily. When I do free short story giveaways on my blog periodically (from various writers) I have only ever had one romance writer participate. I've also taken ads at the blog a few times and none have been for romance. It could be a reflection of my own blog readership though. |
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#13 |
Grand Sorcerer
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It could also be other genres catching up to romance and SF/fantasy.
Romance got a jumpstart because it is the largest commercial genre and a lot of authors had extensive reverted backlists and a lot of prolific Harlequin veterans were pumping content into a receptive market. As the indie revolution moves on authors in other genres are catching on that the water is fine for diving in. Who goes indie and what they put out is going to evolve as more and more people become receptive to indie titles. Even litfic authors will catch on that there already is a market for them in indie-land. There's room for everybody. Last edited by fjtorres; 11-11-2014 at 11:32 AM. |
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#14 |
Maria Schneider
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There is room for everyone. Although from ad prices, litfic still doesn't sell all that well or people aren't looking for it online at places that take ads!
Maybe romance has fallen off in popularity because so many other genres are now also available for a low price. It's hard to say. I read a lot of romance when I was younger, but it doesn't hold much appeal for me these days. I love HEA stories, but I always leaned towards romances with at least a small degree of mystery and the like. I don't read nearly as much "thriller" as I used to either. But with indie works I can find just about anything for under 5 dollars. |
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#15 |
Grand Sorcerer
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