Kindles, Advances, and Self-Publishing Questions

I've been out on the Left Coast, enjoying some sunshine and renting a house, but neglecting my little corner of the blogosphere. (Hey -- we've now had more than a half-million people check out this blog. Pretty cool, considering I have very little actual "talent" for anything.) Some of the questions that have come in lately...

Andrew asked, "Why does everyone in publishing prefer the Sony Reader to the Amazon Kindle, when it seems like the marketplace prefers the Kindle?"

It's true. The publishing houses all got Sony Readers for their editors. In this age of green thinking, editors no longer have to lug home a big sack of dead trees. Instead, they download everything to a Sony Reader, and can take home all those bad proposal ideas in one small tool. But why the Sony over the Amazon Kindle? Three reasons, I think... (1) Price: the Sony is $299, though you can find them on sale for $250 fairly easily. The Kindle is $359, with no discount, ever. (2) Design. The Sony looks and feels like a book. It has a nice cover to it, and the device is metal. The Kindle is plastic and ugly. It feels like a toy. Thank God they got rid of the stupid plastic cover, since all they did was break off. (3) Formats. The Sony will give you Word documents, PDF's, RSS feeds, and  blogs for free. The Kindle will charge you for each of those. (Though they will give you that bastion of ignorance Wikipedia for free! Barf.) So publishers went with the Sony.

The Kindle has two big advantages to it... (1) Wireless technology. Since it works like a cell phone, you don't have to hook the device up to your laptop, log on, and download book as you do with the Sony. Great advantage. (2) Marketing. Amazon has spent millons selling everyone  on the advantages of the Kindle. I like them both, though I use the Sony. It's been said that the Kindle is basically a portable bookstore, whereas the Sony is more of practical a tool for readers. I don't think you'll go wrong with either.

Laura wrote to ask, "Are advances on the way out? I read that publishers are going to stop giving author advances."

To say that book advances are out is an overstatement. This crappy economy has certainly affected the world of books. Publishers have trimmed their lists, are taking fewer risks, making fewer deals, and offering less money. In addition, we're seeing a few imprints try to change the way they're doing business, so we're seeing things like non-returnable books and no-advance deals happen as a way to find some successful strategies to spread the risk. This is a time of change in publishing -- we saw the distribution patterns for books change significantly over the past six or seven years, and now we're seeing the production and economic patterns change as well. That's to be expected. My guess is that we'll see more no-advance deals in the future. But no, publishers have not stopped the practice of offering a writer an advance-against-royalties as any sort of widespread policy.

Carol sent this: "If someone chooses a 'no advance' deal, does the publisher refrain from pushing sales as they would with a book that had a healthy advance?"

Here is a perfect example of the way publishing economics have changed. Traditionally, I would dissuade an author from taking on a no-advance deal. In a situation like that, the publisher had very little at stake. They had their hard costs (ink/paper/binding) and overhead (editorial salaries, etc), but there was no advance to earn back, and therefore no real motivation to push the book very hard. After just a few thousand copies, the basic costs are covered and the publisher is earning money. While I realize most publishers will deny this, I've seen it happen where publishers would basically refuse to put any marketing efforts into a book like that. As my former boss Rick Christian at Alive Communications liked to put it, "There's nothing keeping the publisher awake at night, wondering what he's got to do in order to make a profit." When a publisher has taken a risk, he or she HAS to work overtime in order to make the book successful and have the risk pay off.

Yeah, that may be overstated a bit, but the basic truth is that I think it's hard to find a no-advance deal that has received a lot of marketing and sales effort aside from bestselling authors who felt they didn't need an advance. (One publisher I know used to crow to prospective about his bestselling author never asking for an advance, which basically glossed over the fact that the author already had a loyal readership and had earned hundreds of thousands from previous books, so "paying the light bill" wasn't exactly an issue for her.) Again, an advance is an investment the publisher makes in your book. In my experience, the smaller the investment, the greater the tendency for there to be less commitment to making the book succeed.  

Gwen wants to know, "What do you think of authors sending proposals to online-only book publishers, rather than traditional book publishers?"

I haven't been a fan up to this point, since I don't see any of the online-only book publishers having much success. However, I expect that to change. The dwindling number of slots with regular publishers, combined with the growing interest in e-books, means that we'll probably see some online-only book publishers find some success in the next few years. But no, I don't know who that will be yet.

Gene wrote this: "So help me out... I can send in my manuscript to a regular publisher, wait 12-to-18 months, and have it release from a publisher who just axed his marketing staff. Or I can finish my manuscript, get a decent-looking copy self-published at Lulu, and have it for sale on Amazon in a couple weeks. Can you convince me to be patient and go the traditional route?"

Here's my response: Most self-publshed books fail to make the author any money because the author doesn't know how to market and sell what he or she wrote. You may be an expert in crime scene investigations, and able to put your experience into an interesting manuscript, but if you can't get word out to prospective buyers, all that expertise will not get noticed and will go to waste. (And, in my view, simply posting another book to Amazon's list of more than three million titles doesn't qualify as "marketing.") The issue usually isn't with the book itself, but in the marketing and distribution of the book that causes it to fail.

On the other hand, if you have a big online following, or you regularly speak to large groups of people, or you have media opportunities like a daily radio or television show, then you might be able to self-pub and do fine. However, that's not usually the case. Instead what happens is that an author talks to publishers about his sure-fire idea, but gets rejected. He then turns to agents and tries to sell them on his wowzer manuscript, but gets rejected. He shows up at conferences to pitch editors directly on his wonderful project, but gets rejected. So... he assumes that everybody in the industry is wrong, that his idea and writing is too brilliant for the average fenderhead working in publishing to recognize, and he self-publishes. He turns in a manuscript, the vanity press up-sells him to hardcover, and one happy day he receives 1000 copies of his book to place in his garage. After giving away 25 copies to relatives, and selling 15 to friends at church, he then waits for the stampede of readers to purchase the remaining 960 copies. He chats it up, maybe buys some ads, and does what he can to move all those books he paid for. Three years later, he wonders what he'll do with the 922 copies still collecting dust, since the cover and tone of the book is beginning to get dated. They get donated to garage sales, offered as free giveaways, and eventually turned over to a recycler to be turned into pulp.

I've noted on here that I have successfully self-published a few books. But I only did so when I knew exactly how I was going to sell them. The huge majority of self-pubbed titles lose money for the author. Sometimes large quantities of money. And then the word doesn't get out anyway. That's why you may want to consider sticking with a publisher who knows how to market and sell books.

In a similar vein, Caroline wrote, "What if I'm doing a book on a very current subject and don't want to wait two years to see it in print? Let's say I'm dealing with a political situation or a new technology -- something that's actually NEW and not a re-hash of old ideas andI don't want an agent querying and showing it to others. Should I consider self-publishing?"

In my view, the same rules apply as my previous answer. If you have a very current subject (let's say you want to do an instant book on Rush Limbaugh's speech to the RNC, or you're planning to do a handbook on "how to get the most out of your Kindle"), you might ask yourself if a book is the best way to get the word out. Would an article on the web be better? What if you created some sort of handbook and sold it on your site? Publishers can handle the occasional drop-in book, but there has to be a reason they're going to surprise bookstores with that sort of title. You can do the book yourself, but again, if you can't reach the buying public with effective marketing of your title, then it doesn't matter how good your manuscript is.

As for the implied concern you've got about secrecy, my experience is that those concerns are usually overblown by authors. I've had writers ask me to sign confidentiality agreements before showing me their manuscript (I declined) and tell me things like, "You've never seen anything like this before" when in fact they've just created a novel that turns the Book of Revelation into a novel. Whoopie. If I've got a good idea, I'm probably going to sell it. I work with good authors, so I don't lose much sleep over the worry that somebody else is going to steal the idea.

Before I go, let me point you to a couple things you should check out. Lisa Delay's blog at lifeasprayer.wordpress.com gave me much to think about as I've been reading it lately. I always seem to learn something when I go to Rachelle Mee-Chapman's magpie-girl.com. And the latest words from both Jenny B Jones blog and Jon Acuff at Stuff Christians Like (links for both can be found to the right) made me snort coffee through my nose. 

The Dumb Stuff:

1. So I had two letters this week that started with the words, "After taking hours to research agents, I came to the conclusion I needed to send this to you..."  And they are both children's books. We don't represent children's books. We state clearly on our website (which you can link to here: www.macgregorliterary.com) that we don't do children's books.  Are people really so dumb as to think I'll believe they took hours to research this?

2. This week's hot book concept came from a guy who wants me to represent his "cross between Stolike and Schmerna." Um... I have no idea who Stolike and Schmerna are. None. Polish authors, perhaps?

3. And you'll be happy to know that creative packaging still works. Somebody sent me a chick-lit novel in a Jimmy Choo shoe box. The novel didn't work, but I loved having the box to hand to my wife. (And no, I won't send it back.)

Comments

[Cheryl Barker]

Chip, always appreciate the great insight you offer on your blog. Also like to hear your recommendations. Loved the post over on Jon's Stuff Christians Like blog :)

[Mary]

Jenny B Jones and Jon's Stuff Christian's Like blogs make me laugh out loud a lot.
As for the Jimmy Choo's box -- love the idea and would love a pair of the shoes. I'm off to come up with a great marketing idea for my book.... maybe little mini travel bags.

[chip]

And I failed to mention the fact that any self-published book stands a chance of being awful if you don't work with an editor, an interior designer, and a good cover designer. Self-pubbed books have a reputation for being awful because they have frequently lacked professionals working on them.

[Timothy Fish]

I’m not very nervous about telling publishing industry professionals about ideas I have, since most know it’s best to leave writing to the writers. I have, however, seen writers who had no qualms about taking someone else’s idea and calling it their own. One such writer wrote a novel in which the storyline was that of a television show. He even went so far as to use the show’s trailer as his book trailer. It made me wonder if someone like him might snatch a good story idea from an author and have it out there before the author had a chance to complete the manuscript.

[Linda M Au]

Sorry, Chip, but I have to disagree about the Kindle. I've owned mine (first generation) for a few months now, having fiddled with a Sony in the local Target and found its controls awkward.

I've got a lovely leather cover for my Kindle, and I don't find the plastic "ugly" at all. And, I've put Word docs, PDFs and other types of files onto my Kindle--for free--many times. Yes, they currently charge for blogs, but I use my netbook for all my online work.

I also like the Kindle's automatic lookup feature while reading (dictionary built into the device, NOT [shudder] Wikipedia!).

For what it's worth, I got my Kindle for $309 when everyone was offered an "Oprah" discount when she hawked it.

I suppose it's "to each his own" in this case, but honestly, you can stop dissin' the Kindle now. It's not a bookstore. (Most of the books on mine are free public domain classics.) It's an e-reader just as the Sony is--with a few more features. ;-)

[Linda M Au]

Oops, and P.S. Amazon's customer service with these devices has been stellar. Amazingly so.

[Praise and Coffee]

Thanks again for your insight. I just found out that you will be at the conference in Grand Rapids, MI this June. I am planning on attending.

Sue

[Eva Marie Everson]

Hey Chip (et al)

I'd like to share something about the "waiting game" we authors go through with publishers. Personally, I cannot say this enough: if it's worth the wait ... it's worth the wait!

The Potluck Club series (of which there are a total of 7 books when it is all said and done) was conceived years ago by Linda Evans Shepherd. She graciously brought me in to her little web of fictional friendships, we worked on the plotline, the character descriptions, the proposal and then we ... you know ... proposed. And then we waited. And waited. And waited. We waited about a year and a half before Baker/Revell made us an offer we couldn't refuse (okay, we COULD have refused, but how dumb would that have been?). Now, mind you, this was for ONE book. We wrote, we sent in a polished ms., we sent it in, and we waited.

I still have our editor's email, which began: bravo, Bravo, BRAVO!!!!!! Revell loved it so much, they offered us two more book contracts, then three more, then a final book contract, which is actually a cookbook and not a novel.

These books have sold VERY well. In fact, in 2007, when I was in Israel researching another book (which ... if you don't mind my saying ... is a finalist for a Gold Medallion), I "ran into" some American friends. Yup! There they were! Some introductions were made to the group she was traveling with. As the group was getting back on their bus, one broke away and said to me, "I LOVE the Potluck Club."

That's been my claim to fame. "Because of the Potluck Club, I was recognized internationally." LOL

Truth is, patience led to not one but seven book contracts. Not just seven book contracts, but seven contracts with an AWESOME book publisher. My relationship with the editors has since led to two other contracts for my new line of Southern Fiction (Things Left Unspoken will release in May) and we're negotiating for another series.

Patience, people. Patience.

Besides, it's a virtue. (Or so I hear...)

[Lynn Rush]

Great post, as always. The waiting game...yeah, I just don't think you're in the right industry if you're looking for a quick publish.

Seriously.

Sure, I'm not pubbed yet, so my thoughts might mean very little, but one thing I've learned is patience.

It's God's time frame, not ours. And maybe I won't ever get published, I accept that reality.

But for me to take control because I don't want to wait around for reputable agents and editors to take on my work through a fine-toothed comb...Well, then I'm following my time frame, not God's.

Nothing good has ever come from that in my experience.

I'll be interested to see what others think on this.

[Steven Till]

What is your advice to unpublished authors seeking first-time representation in this economic climate? Should they continue to submit to agents/publishers as usual, or is it better to wait until the economy picks back up before trying to pitch their manuscripts? It just seems, from the outside looking in, that traditional publishers would be less willing at this time to take a chance on an unknown author.

[David Todd]

Chip:

I'm now very confused about publishing house marketing/publicity. I have come to believe, from reading all the agent/editor/publisher blogs I can (and some books by the same), that the publishing house does zero-zip-nada marketing/publicity for the new author, other than putting the book in their catalogue and hawking it to bookstores that may or may not take it. Given this, my assumption has been that the new author has to do ALL his own marketing/publicity even when published by a royalty publisher--that there is no difference between royalty and vanity publishers in what the new author must do to market. You imply something different in your post.

What exactly DOES a publishing house do for a new author to promote sales of a first-time author's book? Is it really that much more than a self-publisher that the sales are that much more, or that the author's need to market is reduced?

DAT

[chip]

Steven, in a tough economic time, I'm fairly certain an experienced agent is going to have a better chance of getting you a book deal then if you try on your own. It's true that it's not easy... but when has making a living at writing ever been easy?

David, a good publisher will get you into places you can't get yourself (such as Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, Borders, Costco, Sam's Club, etc). What I've said is that an author needs to take charge of his or her marketing, show appreciation for anything the publisher does, but plan to do all the marketing he or she can. If an author waits on the publisher to do all the marketing, it's likely to fail. (Sorry, but that's the truth.)

[Randy Ingermanson]

Hi Chip:

I just got one of the new Kindle 2.0 machines a couple of weeks ago and have played with it some. A couple of comments:

1) The cheap plasticky feel of the Kindle 1.0 is gone. The 2.0 device is quite nice. It's not as ultracool as an iPod, but it's significantly slimmer than 1.0 and has a good fit and finish.

2) As for reading PDFs and Doc files on a Kindle, you can email them to your free Kindle email address and get them back by email almost instantly at no charge. The reason it's free is that you don't get it wirelessly over the Sprint network, you get it on your computer and then have to transfer it via the USB link to the Kindle. If you want the wireless link, you have to pay the 10 cents charge.

I rather like the Kindle. I find it extremely nice for reading Word docs sent to me to be read by fellow authors. (Also manuscripts for endorsement are easier to read on a Kindle than to print out myself, in those cases where I don't receive a printed copy from the author or publisher.) There are plenty of free classics that can be read on a Kindle, and this is a lot cheaper than buying them on paper.

I think that e-books will not eliminate paper books; instead, they'll coexist peacefully for a long time, with e-books gradually taking more market share. Haven't tried the Sony e-book reader. It looks like a nice machine too. Hard to say which will win the most market share. The Kindle has the nice advantage of the transparent hookup to the Amazon store. Makes it very easy to try, buy, and read.

Welcome back to Left Coast Land!

[Cathy S.]

Chip,

This relates to the no-advance idea. I recently queried a publisher because I had heard from a national bookseller that their books of historical photos were selling well. I had a unique angle for such a book.

The acquisitions editor phoned the next day, explained there is no advance and sent me a proposal to fill out which is heavy on media and marketing contacts, which I have. If accepted, the first print run would be 1,200 and the royalties are about 8%.

Do you feel having no advance is always a mistake, whether fiction or nonfiction?

Thanks.

Cathy

[lisa]

Thanks Chip!

[Darin Shaw]

Chip, thanks for the couple of recent posts regarding the Sony Reader and Kindle. I'm leaning the Sony way, myself. Thanks also for the query clips. I chuckle--and I learn. Blessings.

[Nicole O'Dell]

Thanks for the great post!

I quoted part of your "Worst Proposal" segment on my blog. I hope that's okay.