Mindful on Midlist:
So this article #436 about how being a midlist author (not a superstar, not a complete washout) has been making the rounds lately. It contains all the usual grievences– that editors don’t edit anymore, that no one tells the author anything and that ultimately, you are responsible for the marketing and destiny of your book. Esteemed literary webloggers from Terry Treachout, MJ Rose, and a fellow named Duncan Merrell whom I wasn’t familiar with have weighed in with much more reasoned arguments than I could surmount.
Articles like this make me nervous and angry at the same time. For one, I can’t deal with writers seeing themselves as helpless victims in the publishing process. It’s self-indulgent, distructive and a gross misperception. When artists learn to empower themselves, to believe they belong because they say so out loud, we’ll hopefully be done with our own imagined martryrdom forever.
On the other hand, I will probably be a midlist author for the remainder of my career. I don’t imagine my books taking off in a way that assures me fame and fortune. I will probably always have to yank on my hustling pants, throw my megaphone over my shoulder and promote the heck out of my stuff. I can do it now (am looking forward to doing it now) because I am young, in good health, have no kids, and have a girlfriend who is understanding and has her own friends.
This will not always be the case. I won’t always have the energy nor the time to hype my books the way they will need to be hyped. I probably won’t always have family and friends who will want to listen to a song and dance every two years when another book comes out. Is this what it will take, forever? Most likely. I just if I’ll be able to for that long.
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8 Replies to “Mindful on Midlist:”
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The most interesting aspect is how writers have become the indentured servants of the publishing industry – putting in a lot of work for very little money. (Besides that, the article is mostly part of the “What? You mean publishing is a business?” mentality that Kevin has been decrying for a while.)
The most interesting aspect is how writers have become the indentured servants of the publishing industry – putting in a lot of work for very little money. (Besides that, the article is mostly part of the “What? You mean publishing is a business?” mentality that Kevin has been decrying for a while.)
This article seems so familiar– either authors are whining too much or whiny author articles get more attention from the press. Shouldn’t we be changing the subject to “My publisher promised me something that hasn’t happened” or “authors have to support one another more”?
But if this article is a springboard for those discussions, all the better.
And Kevin, I’m looking forward to your “bullhorn tour.”
This article seems so familiar– either authors are whining too much or whiny author articles get more attention from the press. Shouldn’t we be changing the subject to “My publisher promised me something that hasn’t happened” or “authors have to support one another more”?
But if this article is a springboard for those discussions, all the better.
And Kevin, I’m looking forward to your “bullhorn tour.”
Had a couple more thoughts…
If you read into it a little, the article seems to saying that publishing houses are acting irrationally – that is, contrary to their own interests. They are, for no apparent reason, giving advances for and publishing books they have no interest in making successful. Either publishers are foolish (possible), they are buying books just to keep their competitors from having them (improbable – the costs would be far greater than potential losses; though, on a tangent, I do believe that the Fox network does this with promising TV series), or they are making money doing business this way. I’d guess they are only able make money on mid-list books by keeping costs on them to a bare minimum. If they had to give every book they publish the royal treatment, then they would be publishing a lot fewer titles. As it is, they’re publishing a lot of books, probably making a small profit or only breaking even on most of them, and making their money on the 1% of books that actually do become big sellers.
Had a couple more thoughts…
If you read into it a little, the article seems to saying that publishing houses are acting irrationally – that is, contrary to their own interests. They are, for no apparent reason, giving advances for and publishing books they have no interest in making successful. Either publishers are foolish (possible), they are buying books just to keep their competitors from having them (improbable – the costs would be far greater than potential losses; though, on a tangent, I do believe that the Fox network does this with promising TV series), or they are making money doing business this way. I’d guess they are only able make money on mid-list books by keeping costs on them to a bare minimum. If they had to give every book they publish the royal treatment, then they would be publishing a lot fewer titles. As it is, they’re publishing a lot of books, probably making a small profit or only breaking even on most of them, and making their money on the 1% of books that actually do become big sellers.
Excatly right Jer. It’s a model taken straight from Hollywood and assumes that “The Divinci Code” and “Spiderman 2” are the same. BTW, the model hasn’t worked that well for Hollywood either which is why we have the Independent Film Channel, the Landmark Theatre Chain, Sundance and all its offshoots.
People don’t read like they watch movies. A new hardcover costs double what a movie ticket does and takes several times longer to consume. It’s a different animal.
Excatly right Jer. It’s a model taken straight from Hollywood and assumes that “The Divinci Code” and “Spiderman 2” are the same. BTW, the model hasn’t worked that well for Hollywood either which is why we have the Independent Film Channel, the Landmark Theatre Chain, Sundance and all its offshoots.
People don’t read like they watch movies. A new hardcover costs double what a movie ticket does and takes several times longer to consume. It’s a different animal.