I know there are plenty of threads on the industry generally but I have specific questions for the publishers here and indeed, the writers seeking deals with a lot of knowledge on the process of distribution and the complex relationships with stores/buyers, returns and discounts etc.
I've noticed a lot of suspicion and even scorn here when it comes to small press publishers. There's a thread dedicated to background checks and bewares and this is excellent in principal, especially considering the scams and sharks out there.
However, I am surprised at how dismissive many members (published and unpublished) are about small start-up publishers, who are trying to get books to market. I understand the debate about distribution and returns/discount policies but are the writers who dismiss small publishers being realistic in their expectations of what a big publisher will give them in earnings from their first book?
How much are you expecting to earn from your first book, does anyone have any numbers on debuts from authors with the big houses?
Some members are not interested in going with a small publisher because they liken it to picking up change from the street as opposed to a perception that they will make big bucks by signing with a big house. I'm not denying that on paper, the numbers game and excellent distribution with a big house gives an author a better chance of making money but with book one, is it not a realistic strategy to expect that through hard work with a small publisher, that you will make a name for yourself and pave the way for a better deal for books two and three?
Are members who aim only for the stars being unrealistic?
I have a simple strategy, and that is to put a book out with expectations that I won't be giving up my day job based on its royalties. I expect to work hard for hundreds of sales rather than thousands. However, my objective is for the book to become a calling card. I want to generate interest, put my name out there. I want to prove that I can write and build a small but loyal readership. I don't think vanity press or POD is the answer.
If an agent takes my subsequent MS to a publisher together with a modest track-record as a published author, does it not give my MS a better chance of being picked up?
Or does it have no better chance of being picked up than a debut MS?
What about getting a well-respected agent in the first place... I think we all agree that you have a much better chance of getting picked-up by a publisher if you are solicited via an agent rather than coming off the slush... so we all submit to agents, right? Do I have a better chance finding representation when I have already had a book out with a small press?
I've noticed a lot of suspicion and even scorn here when it comes to small press publishers. There's a thread dedicated to background checks and bewares and this is excellent in principal, especially considering the scams and sharks out there.
However, I am surprised at how dismissive many members (published and unpublished) are about small start-up publishers, who are trying to get books to market. I understand the debate about distribution and returns/discount policies but are the writers who dismiss small publishers being realistic in their expectations of what a big publisher will give them in earnings from their first book?
How much are you expecting to earn from your first book, does anyone have any numbers on debuts from authors with the big houses?
Some members are not interested in going with a small publisher because they liken it to picking up change from the street as opposed to a perception that they will make big bucks by signing with a big house. I'm not denying that on paper, the numbers game and excellent distribution with a big house gives an author a better chance of making money but with book one, is it not a realistic strategy to expect that through hard work with a small publisher, that you will make a name for yourself and pave the way for a better deal for books two and three?
Are members who aim only for the stars being unrealistic?
I have a simple strategy, and that is to put a book out with expectations that I won't be giving up my day job based on its royalties. I expect to work hard for hundreds of sales rather than thousands. However, my objective is for the book to become a calling card. I want to generate interest, put my name out there. I want to prove that I can write and build a small but loyal readership. I don't think vanity press or POD is the answer.
If an agent takes my subsequent MS to a publisher together with a modest track-record as a published author, does it not give my MS a better chance of being picked up?
Or does it have no better chance of being picked up than a debut MS?
What about getting a well-respected agent in the first place... I think we all agree that you have a much better chance of getting picked-up by a publisher if you are solicited via an agent rather than coming off the slush... so we all submit to agents, right? Do I have a better chance finding representation when I have already had a book out with a small press?