Publishers Releasing Fewer Books in 2006

It doesn't look good at all. The problem is that spending is being taken away from education as a whole around the world and reading is becoming less popular. Companies prefer to focus on mediums that bring on going revenue, like TV advertising.

So...does publishing less mean rejecting more, or publishing later? I don't think they would pass on something they think has potential, just to publish fewer new titles.

eldragon said:

And, they are cutting back on history, biography, technology and religion. Obviously they aren't cutting back on bad fiction.

Click to expand...

Then I don't have to worry!

Celia Cyanide said:

Then I don't have to worry!

Click to expand...

Ditto. There'll always be a market for bad fiction.

Yes, because I write bad fiction.

eldragon said:

And that's good news?

Click to expand...

No, just self-deprecating humour.

That's OK, El. I hate memoirs and non-fiction.

how many $10,000 advances could little brown have offered to launch the careers of talented firsttime novelists for the money they sunk into that dirty little whore kaavya?


*the answer: 50

How much of the cost of publishing a book is the advance to the author, though?

While it may make it harder for us to get published in the first place, this kind of move might make it easier to maintain a career.

*desperately looking for silver lining*

eldragon said:

Why is she a whore?

Click to expand...

whore ([font=verdana, sans-serif] P [/font]) Pronunciation Key (hôr, h r)
n.

1. A prostitute.
2. A person considered sexually promiscuous.
3. A person considered as having compromised principles for personal gain.

slow down with the wailing and gnashing of teeth - I'm still seeing lots of books on the shelves every time I visit my local bookstore and new ones coming out every month.

just because it's not what *you* want to sell or read doesn't mean that the world is collapsing - it's just the usual cycle of life. I heard recently that "chic lit" was heading for a downswing because the market's saturated with it. Doesn't mean it won't make a comeback in a few more years.

there's still plenty of books being published in a variety of fields.

as a great man would say - "Don't Panic!"

William Haskins said:

whore ([font=verdana, sans-serif] P [/font]) Pronunciation Key (hôr, h

r)
n.

1. A prostitute.
2. A person considered sexually promiscuous.
3. A person considered as having compromised principles for personal gain.

Click to expand...

But why is she of diminutive stature while not having bathed...?

dirt·y ([font=verdana, sans-serif] P [/font]) Pronunciation Key (dûr

t

)
adj. dirt·i·er, dirt·i·est

1. 1. Soiled, as with dirt; unclean. <LI type=a>Spreading dirt; polluting: The air near the foundry was always dirty. <LI type=a>Apt to soil with dirt or grime: a dirty job at the garage.
   2. Contaminated with bacteria or other infectious microorganisms.
2. Squalid or filthy; run-down: dirty slums.
3. 
   
   1. Obscene or indecent: dirty movies; a dirty joke.
   2. Malicious or scandalous: a dirty lie.
4. 
   
   1. Unethical or corrupt; sordid: dirty politics.
   2. Not sportsmanlike: dirty players; a dirty fighter.
   3. Acquired by illicit or improper means: dirty money.
   4. Slang. Possessing or using illegal drugs.

lit·tle ([font=verdana, sans-serif] P [/font]) Pronunciation Key (l t l)
adj. lit·tler, or less (l s) also less·er (l s r) lit·tlest or least (l st)

1. Small in size: a little dining room. See Synonyms at small.
2. Short in extent or duration; brief: There is little time left.
3. Small in quantity or degree: little money.
4. Unimportant; trivial: a little matter.
5. Narrow; petty: mean little comments; a little mind consumed with trivia.
6. Without much power or influence; of minor status.

A sexually promiscuous narrow person contaminated with bacteria?

I think they're cutting mostly nonfiction. I think it's good to be more selective. I mean, how about darn Da Vinci Code "companion" knock-offs or books on Christianity or Islam do we need?

Fiction will always be competitive. Out of the number of books published every year, I believe only less than 5000 are fiction, and even fewer are debut novels, and 56% are romance. It's a tough market no matter what.

robeiae said:

A sexually promiscuous narrow person contaminated with bacteria?

Click to expand...

Describes me to a T.

I wonder what counts as a 'book' in those figures. The mention of New York is suggestive. Maybe that small difference is made up by POD, e's and small presses?

There will always be enough money for celebrities, politicians and felons (pardon the redundancy) who blurt out: