A great response from a publisher regarding the self=publishing post from Jeff Gerke... This is from Dennis Hillaman, publisher at Kregel:

A publisher adding his two-cents worth here, hopefully without arrogance! Jeff is correct: a motivated author with a platform can get all the services a traditional publisher used to offer—editing, marketing, design, printing—on a fee-for-service basis and keep the profits. Of course that author is putting up his or her own money and time to make it happen. And for some, that will work for the market/audience they want to reach. But they are probably not authors who earn a living from writing. For them, it's an avocation, not a profession, or it's a secondary activity to their primary speaking or ministry activities. What needs to be factored into the discussion is the market the author wants to reach. Will self-publishing allow an author to move into the larger general market of stores and e-sellers or the more defined CBA Christian store market? Maybe, but most often not. The Shack began as a self-pubbed book. What happened when it began to take off? The author turned to a traditional, very, very large corporate publisher because the logistics of handling a best-seller are beyond the capabilities of 99% of authors. The broader the market, the more need there is for specific expertise. In the end it's not an either/or proposition. Some folks will do modestly well self-publishing. Some will be gratified to see their work in print and have appreciate readers. Other writers want to reach a very broad audience with their work. Publishers are going to to continue to serve authors, even though the nature of publishing is going to change radically. What constitutes a "book" and what constitutes "publishing" in a digital book era is up for redefinition. But nimble, tech-savy publishers will survive and continue to connect authors with an audience—because that's their business. One final thought: the real threat to traditional publishers is not the small, niche publisher or self-publishing. It's the disintermediation (I know—big word but an important one) that is taking place as two or three huge corporate entities replace the traditional chain of author-publisher-distributor-bookstore/online seller. What if the new world of publishing is author-online seller for commercially-viable books/ebooks? That's what keeps publishers like myself awake at night.

Comments

[patriciazell]

I agree with Mr. Hillaman, and I'll be honest that, as a writer, I have asked myself if it would make sense to deal directly with an online seller rather than a publisher. However, that question is not going to stop me from giving my best effort in locating an agent and a publisher. If God opens those doors, I'm walking through. If not, then we'll see.

[Dan Walsh]

Well said, Mr. Hillaman. Would love it if you'd spend a few more moments elaborating on what you ended with. That great big scary word that keeps you up at night.

[Stephanie Reed]

There's a typo with his name--it's Dennis Hillman, and he's my publisher. I think the big scary word means getting rid of the middleman, in this case everyone listed above between author and online seller, so authors would sell (e?)books directly to the consumer. I think. :-)

[Jeff Gerke]

I'd like to reply to Dennis (who gave an excellent response characterized by wisdom and great humility) and to some of the other comments to my original post.

Dennis is correct to emphasize that when you self-publish you are putting the money up yourself. I should've stressed that more because it's an important point.

A couple of people talked about wanting to try to go with a traditional publisher first. I think that's a good plan. Publishers still offer a wider reach than self-publishing can usually give you. Besides, it's better to be paid than to pay. But if you find, as many folks who write Christian SF and fantasy find, that traditional publishers are not interested in what you write, going another route is now not only a viable option but may quickly be becoming superior.

Someone mentioned that self-publishing will result in lots of terrible work being released into the world. Well, that's certainly true. That's why I said that people will come to realize that a professional edit and a great cover and typeset (all of which I can do for you, by the way [he said, giving a shameless plug]) will help set your book apart. Those things used to be the domain of traditional publishing houses only, but publishers have laid off so many staff members that those same editors and designers are now accessible to the individual author. Self-publishing doesn't have to mean inferior quality.

Dennis made a distinction between people who write as an avocation and those who make a living from their writing. Well, I come from mainly the world of Christian fiction, and I can say that of the 300+ multi-published Christian novelists I know, probably only 4 of them make a living off their writing. And they all published with traditional Christian houses. Of course we'd all love to make a living from our writing, but that is simply not going to happen for most people. The other 99% of us aren't, even if we get published by large houses (as I have been). Just because you go with a traditional house doesn't mean you'll make a living as an author. I know Dennis didn't mean to imply that. I'm just clarifying that point.

Dennis asked: "Will self-publishing allow an author to move into the larger general market of stores and e-sellers or the more defined CBA Christian store market?" As I mentioned in my post, this is becoming less important as brick and mortar stores--even the large chains--are dying. And self-published books can certainly get in with the e-sellers. All you have to do is register with Amazon and Sony and have your books available in the formats they need, and you're good. As for getting into Christian stores, that's also becoming less of an issue as those stores (regrettably) are in decline. And for some books, like Christian SF and fantasy, being in a Christian bookstore is not a desireable thing, as people who shop there are not looking for stories about mutant alien vampires. [grin]

A couple of people mentioned the dreck that will be released if everyone is a publisher. I agree. I mentioned the YouTube model in my first post. How do you find anything good on YouTube? Mainly by word of mouth. That's what will happen with self-publishing, as well. But I think there's room for a ratings service--both for YouTube and self-publishing--that charges a small fee to give you access to the reviews and rankings their editors have given after doing the dreck-wading for you.

Dennis's final comment about what keeps publishers awake at night is a great summary of my point. If the author can get directly to the audience, or at least to the seller, without needing a publisher or distributor to do so, we're back to my original question: who needs a publisher?

[Dennis Hillman]

Thanks to Stephanie for providing a good description of the "big word." It's what happens when all the intermediators are removed from the supply chain in an industry (ex: what if there's only one or two really "big things" out there, the mega company that acquires, edits, typesets, markets, sells, and distributes product? The supply chain is simply: AUTHOR--BIG THING--BUYER. More about that below.

Excellent volley, Jeff, and I agree with your points. Some genres aren't going to make into the Christian trade, which is a loss for Christians. How can we celebrate Narnia yet think somehow that fantasy is a "suspect" category? And why don't Christians appreciate graphic novels? [sound of head scratching].

Lots of great editors are available now as freelancers (sadly). Self-published authors should be encouraged to use skillful wordsmiths to shape their stories or message. Any Christian communication--whatever it's source--should reflect excellence as a testimony to our Creator. Books, however, are not like butter--the best don't rise to the top like magic. Sorting out the dreck will be a major challenge.

I agree that brick-and-mortar is highly challenged. It's taking a beating at the hands of click-it-and-get-it (if I just coined that phrase, can I get trademark rights??). But something has to drive sales even with Amazon. In traditional publishing, it's the publisher's marketing money, spent on pop-ups and other promotions. But Jeff is right--word of mouth is still probably the number one determiner of why someone picks up a book. So someone has to work at creating that word of mouth--if the product is truly worthy of being mouthed.

As far as my nightmares--certainly one part of it is self-interest. We'd all like to keep working in an industry we love. But it's not just that authors will thumb their noses at publishers and control their own destinies--anyone with time and money can do that today. What happens, however, to the many mission-driven companies and their commitment to a cause beyond making a profit? Will XYZ Media Consolidated give a hoot about whether what they publish makes a difference for the Kingdom? Or that that a quaint little publishing house, how defunct, chose NOT to publish a book that ill-served the Kingdom?

Hey, thanks, Chip for the great discussion!

[BookWhirl]

Great stuff here. If the writer's goal is to be traditionally published, then i think he or she will likely succeed against odds and challenges. But we all know that it takes way lot of motivation and presence to finally get a publisher.