1st Turning Point

Posted By Robert W. Walker on July 29, 2010

Robert W. Walker, Mystery-Suspense-Thriller Author (MSTA)--MUSTA READ!

by Robert W. Walker
1st Turning Point Columnist
Copyright © 2010 Robert W. Walker

Following up on some of the glaring differences between traditional and non-traditional publishing discussed in Part 1, allow me to add some other hard-won lessons to the list.

The traditional publisher determines design matters such as single or multiple volumes or a series, and in ebook publishing, the author has control over such issues as series, stand-alone, or three volumes in one.

These differences are due in large part to the medium.  The medium is the message.  What I can add is that with traditional publishing comes “traditional” notions of prestige, as in “real book publication,” which grants a writer a certain prestige among readers, critics, and other writers.  However, a new attitude is being seen, an attitude among readers and writers that says the text is of tantamount importance, not the way a book is delivered.  While this notion and ebook publishing have been around for approximately thirty to forty years, young people, new generations, are embracing it completely.  The idea that a book delivered in sixty seconds on a Kindle reader is as viable a piece of writing as if it is delivered between the covers of a hardbound book—this is something of a radical shift—not in publishing but in readers.

Many traditional publishers either do not get this or simply wish to fight for the old standards of ‘proper’ format and delivery of books.  In the past and now, many people believe that a book showing up in hardcover is a better book, better vetted, better edited, and certainly written better.  However, we have all encountered hardbound books riddled with problems from grammar to concept.  More and more, readers are learning about the struggle that goes on behind the writing of a novel, the research, the rewrites, the editing, vetting, and more rewrites that go into the creation of an ebook by a writer, and while some ebooks display a lack of talent, nowadays more and more display genius “outside the bun,” or in this case, “outside the covers.”  “Never judge a book by its cover” takes on a whole new meaning, despite the fact ebook cover graphics has spawned a whole new industry as has ebook digital platform and editing services.

Publishing with a major traditional publisher certainly can win one respect and sometimes critical acclaim, neither of which are automatically going to increase sales, but awards and accolades are a wonderful thing.  However, the drawbacks can be many for the author, not the least being a far smaller percentage (12 vs. 70).  Notably, traditional publishers, since the state-of-the-art Kindle device has skyrocketed in sales, are suddenly insisting contractually that authors turn over their electronic rights to the publisher.  Some authors have been savvy to maintain their ebook rights regardless.  However, traditional publishers holding your ebook rights—especially the majors—as a rule will set your ebook price far too high to the detriment of ebook sales.

E-readers are savvy and will turn away in droves if an ebook is priced too high.  Several of my books are saddled with this problem as the publisher set the price, while ebooks priced by me are selling a thousand books a month nowadays.  In short, the e-reading public will seldom to never purchase an e-novel or ebook priced at the same or nearly the same as the paper or hardbound book.  Not to mention that an author will always make more money putting his ebook rights to work on his own rather than through a publisher.

Working directly with Amazon.com, the author is basically given—at no charge—the opportunity to become a franchise.  Most traditionally published midlist authors are given no advertising budget, no coop monies, nothing, as any ad dollars go for the stars alone.  With Amazon/Kindle and other ebook publishers, every ebook an author places on digital platform gains instant distribution (distribution with traditional publishers presents both publisher and author with stripped, returned books, a nightmare in bookkeeping, and a sure path to remainders).  Reading a royalty statement from a traditional publisher is always a guessing game; reading the daily ‘ticker’ on each ebook with your name on it is as easy as reading the stock market and about as addictive.

Going back to ebook distribution—In the ebook world, distribution = advertising & promotion, and advertising and promotion = distribution, as having one’s book automatically on Amazon.com/Kindle’s bookshelf (without need of trucks and unloading trucks) is online distribution.  You have a place to send to anyone and everyone at the click of a key and wink of an eye.  Whispernet allows the reader to have the ebook in hand within sixty seconds!  And that kind of distribution is at no cost to the author and a great service to the reader.  With Kindle ads going out on national TV and Kindles being used as props in major motion pictures, the author can only benefit more.

There are no doubt many other comparison points between traditional and non-traditional publishing, but you know what?  Non-traditional modes of publication are getting to be part of the mainstream and hardly ‘non’ anymore.  Many authors are going the Indie Author/Publisher route as it makes perfect economical sense to do so.  This is especially true for authors with large backlists of otherwise dead books known as out of prints.  Already edited and vetted books that have seen returns, remainder days, used bookstore days—all of which pulls money from the pocket of authors.  Now, such lost titles are working for authors to the tune of thousands going back into the author’s pocket.

I hope my compare/contrast articles have been of help to you personally, if not professionally.  Hope to see you on Facebook, Twitter, and elsewhere online.

Children of Salem, Killer Instinct, Cutting Edge, and soon at a Kindle near you, Titanic 2012 Free: first 14 chapters of Titanic 2012 available here Children of Salem by Robert W. Walker Author & ebook publisher Publisher: Amazon Kindle An eccumenical spy, Jere Wakely returns to Salem Village Parish where it has become obvious to church athorities that this parish is in serious trouble. Wakely works for Increase Mahter. But he is reluctant for many reasons, not the least being that his heart is broken and returning to his boyhood home means he will inevitably run into Serena Nurse Jere assumes that Serena is by now married with children. He had left her without saying goodbye to go off and make something of himself. He has no their love would be rekindled, but it parallels a greater fire—one of terror amid the infamous Salem Witch Trials. A witch hunt in this important election year of 1692 is backdrop to a romance filled with intrigue and mystery; the history is accurate, and the truth is disturbing yet fascinating.

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