Is this how it really works in commercial publishing?
"I’ve used this example before, but it’s instructive: Traditional publishers would rather have a book that sells 100,000 copies in its first month and then sells no more copies than a book that sells 15,000 copies per month for one year. Why? Because the second book will not earn back its investment by the six-month window even though that book will outsell the other book in the course of a year. "
This is part of an April 6 blog post from Kristine Kathryn Rusch found here:
http://kriswrites.com/2011/04/06/the-business-rusch-promotion/
She thinks new writers should mostly go the "indie" (self pub) route.
I don't know how "traditional" commercial publishing really works. Is this 6-month window true? Is that how a book is judged to be publishable? Is it true for just hardcovers or also true for books that only appear as paperback, either trade or mass market size?
And I guess if your book is considered a failure because it doesn't earn out within 6 months, then your chance of getting another one pubbed shrinks.
Honestly, it's hard to know who to believe ... my head hurts trying to understand the new wave of publishing.
"I’ve used this example before, but it’s instructive: Traditional publishers would rather have a book that sells 100,000 copies in its first month and then sells no more copies than a book that sells 15,000 copies per month for one year. Why? Because the second book will not earn back its investment by the six-month window even though that book will outsell the other book in the course of a year. "
This is part of an April 6 blog post from Kristine Kathryn Rusch found here:
http://kriswrites.com/2011/04/06/the-business-rusch-promotion/
She thinks new writers should mostly go the "indie" (self pub) route.
I don't know how "traditional" commercial publishing really works. Is this 6-month window true? Is that how a book is judged to be publishable? Is it true for just hardcovers or also true for books that only appear as paperback, either trade or mass market size?
And I guess if your book is considered a failure because it doesn't earn out within 6 months, then your chance of getting another one pubbed shrinks.
Honestly, it's hard to know who to believe ... my head hurts trying to understand the new wave of publishing.