Traditional v. Self-Publishing: A Suggested Partnership

How long will this dumb debate go on? Independent publishing is here to stay. Accept it graciously and move on. Start seeing independent publishing for all the possibilities it offers — and by that I do not mean a plethora of unedited, unreadable, indigestible books. I do mean a mature partnership between publishers and authors, one very different from the decidedly imbalanced adult-child relationship we now have.

As many of you know, I’ve been self-published, traditionally published, and independently published: I first self-published Harlem Redux; then sold the book to Simon & Schuster (which had originally rejected it); then set up my own publishing imprint and independently published Darkness and the Devil Behind Me. So I feel comfortable with both traditional and independent publishing. I suppose this is why I find the anger and fury directed toward self-publishing to be so … well, amazing. And amazingly short-sighted.

Instead of being pitted against one another, loyalists on both sides should take a step back and see what how they can work together. Perhaps we should first take a look at the difficulties besetting both means of bringing a book to print.

The Traditional Method and Its Problems

We all know the drill: The writer seeks an agent (faces repeated rejection); the agent sells the manuscript (facing repeated rejection); the publisher prints and distributes the book (promising booksellers all kinds of discounts); booksellers end up with too much stock and return the books; the books are pulped and everyone (including the trees) lose out. This method of bringing books to market is wasteful, costly and time-consuming. For the writer, it often means a loss of creative control over the work and lack of transparency in sales. For the publisher and bookseller, it means a significant cash investment. End result: Lots of money spent and often relatively few sales.

The Independent Method and Its Problems

By now, we all know this, too: In addition to the usual problems facing all books hitting the marketplace, the self-published book faces a wall of prejudice. People — and by this I mean traditional reviewers and often other writers — often wrongly assume that if a book is self-published, then it’s trash, something that would have found a place with a traditional publisher if it was worth reading.

We also know that writers who decide to self-publish can fall victim to schemes and end up spending money they can never realistically hope to recoup. Then, there are problems with distribution and promotion. Writers working alone simply don’t have the power and push that a big house could provide. End result: Lots of money spent and often relatively few sales.

Isn’t it amazing how both venues so often lead to the same result? In other words, we’re all in the same boat. So why are we fighting?

Of course, everyone has a different story. Some writers have experienced splendid success going the traditional route. Others can say the same with self-publication. The former keep warning the latter that self-publication will “ruin” any hopes of a “real” publication; the latter look at the former and rejoice in their new-found freedom, their independence from subjugation to the whims and fancies of large publishers.

On an aside, both sides seem to be forgetting that each writer has the right to follow his or her own path. First and foremost, we should be supporting one another instead of tearing each other down. Second — and this is the point of this post — why don’t we even take it a step further and see how both can enjoy the benefits of independent publication?

Publishers and Writers Should Set Up A New Arrangement

The Main Concerns:

Writers complain, and rightfully so, about the lengthy time it takes to find an agent and for the agent to find a publisher. We complain, too, about the rather jarring loss of control over our work and the often year-long process traditional publishers take to bring our work to print. Well print-on-demand (POD) takes care of all that. With POD, the time to print is blitz-schnell. For authors, there is the added and very important caveat of being able to retain some measure of control.

Publishers worry about the financial investment they’re asked to make in an author who is either unknown or whose sales have been anemic. They worry, too, about how vested the author is in promoting his or her work, how capable he or she is of doing what’s necessary. Finally, they worry about overstock and returns. POD takes care of that, too, by ensuring that books are printed only when ordered.

A Solution:

Why not consider a joint venture? Writers and publishers working together. Why shouldn’t we writers make a financial investment in the printing of our books? A writer might argue that s/he has already made a significant $$$ investment by virtue of the time spent writing the book, but that’s disingenuous. Anyone who creates something and then seeks to produce it for market distribution not only invests time but also money in both creation and production. If we writers see our books as “products,” then there’s no reason we shouldn’t invest in them. Why should we expect publishers to take all of the financial risk? We don’t like the control they have over us, but we have to understand that as long as they make the lion’s share of dollar investment, they’ll have the lion’s share of control.

So I’m suggesting a joint partnership, one in which authors finance the initial setup of their work and publishers take prime responsibility for actually bringing the work to market, i.e. distribution and promotion. Both sides would get to enjoy a healthier balance of power and higher return on investment. The share of royalties could be tweaked and adjusted to suit each partnership.

Where would literary agents fit under this scenario? They would still be there. Their skills for diplomatic negotiation would be just as necessary as ever. Yes, some writers are great at approaching publishing houses for deals, but most of us aren’t. Agents would still represent us. But the framework of the deal would differ.

Michael Cader gave a wonderful speech at BEA. In it, he floated the notion that independent publishers would soon be producing more books as a whole than traditional ones. It’s a point worth noting. The market is being flooded with properties. How do you break out? You break out by forming strategic partnerships.

Another thought: Most people also surmise that eventually more and more traditionally published writers are going to independently publish because they’re frustrated with the present publishing model. Another likelihood.

But again: both sides would be better off working together than against one another.

Most of Cader’s talk was about how publishers have to rethink their advertising methods. How they have to find new ways to understand their readers and bring added value to their books. None of his speech was about reevaluating the relationship between publishers and authors. Understandable. However, it’s time we addressed that topic. It’s time the triad of publishers, agents and authors considered a new way of relating to one another, a new way in which risk, as well as control, are shared.

Actually, there’s nothing new in this idea. Other creative industries have moved toward this relationship restructuring. Under the old Hollywood system, actors were signed to one studio, which groomed them and built their career.

Now actors set up their own production studios. They find and develop their own dramatic materials, properties that showcase their talent. They work with others, as part of a team, to put together funding, and take care of production, distribution and placement. The more powerful actors are full-fledged business partners with the studios. Responsibility, risk and gain are shared.

This came about because the old Hollywood system died out. Now, the old publishing system is also collapsing, too. We’re desperate for a new business model. It’s right there in front of us. All we have to do is reach out and grasp it.

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