The Reality of the Marketplace

 

By Terry Whalin @terrywhalin

As writers, the marketplace for our writing is in constant motion. Editors come and go. New publications start and end. Different systems come and go.

The last few years have been challenging for publishers and retailers. Some publishers have closed their doors. Others are struggling. For example, one of my author friends publishes a specialized type of books. Her publisher has two of her books finished in production but haven’t been distributed into the bookstores. Why? Behind the scenes, one of the largest financial expenses for a publisher is printing those books for distribution to the bookstores. It’s a gamble because bookstores can hold the books for a period of time (even years) and if they don’t sell, these retailers can return the books for a complete refund. Often the returned books arrive in such bad shape the only option is destruction. The publisher has to be willing to absorb and handle that unseen cost. Other times the books can be returned to a different bookstore. It’s part of the cost of working in publishing.

Back to my writer friend who has a long-track record of success in this business. Her two titles are stuck with this publisher and her long-time relationship. When I spoke with this author, we explored some alternatives like other manuscripts that she could generate and could go into production. 

Also in the last few years, the cost of paper has increased. This means the small margins of profit for publishers have grown even smaller. Publishers can increase the retail price which could affect future sales but this step involves changing the barcodes on the printed books or the retailer will have to use stickers. If the books do not sell and are returned, the removal of these stickers takes time and can destroy the books. I hope you see that behind the scenes there are difficult decisions for the publisher which is not often discussed. These decisions spur publishers to make cautious decisions about which books are contracted and produced. In a practical sense, it means there is a lot of silence for authors who are submitting and a lot of frustration for literary agents, who do not make money unless the book is contracted. The bottom-line is a huge stall in many areas.

Also the retail price and the price of paper has affected the length of books. At Morgan James Publishing, we had a internal 100,000 word guideline for our novels but now that guideline has been adjusted to 80,000 words. People are buying and reading shorter books.

If you are an author who has a large novel which isn’t getting traction, maybe your rejection is not based on your storytelling or topic but simply on the word count. Often as an editor, I will suggest an author divide their lengthy novel into two or three books. While it is rare someone listens to my request and takes action, sometimes the author will do this work. Recently at Morgan James, a novelist pitched a 160,000 word manuscript. I suggested he divide it into two books. This author did the work and now has two novels into production and headed to the bookstores for readers. I admire the flexibility of this author to divide his manuscript. I’ve had a series of other authors who have pitched a 200,000 word novel or 150,000 word novel and have not been willing to break it into two novels or three novels. The lack of flexibility will ultimately force these authors into self-publishing and a different set of issues and concerns.

How to Keep Up

What steps do you take to be aware of these realities in today’s book market? I encourage you to read online publications and newsletters that tie to your particular type of book or genre. Also I encourage you to attend writer’s conferences and network with other writers, editors and literary agents. Maybe a different connection is what you need for your book and to find success.

Finally every writer needs to continue expanding the elements that are under their control. I’m not talking about a “rented” platform like LinkedIN or Facebook. You and I do not control these places and could be kicked off these sites because of something innocent which we post on them. Instead I’m pointing to your website, your newsletter, and your blog. What actions can you take to expand your newsletter subscribers? As I pointed out in these articles, behind the scenes, I’ve changed some elements of my newsletter. Check out this link and if you add your name, you will receive an 87-page Ebook loaded with insights for every writer. To receive this FREE ebook, you are added to my weekly newsletter which will give continued value to you but you can also choose to unsubscribe if it is not right for you. 

As authors, we have many choices and need to take consistent actions to meet the realities of the marketplace. Maybe you need to explore a different social network to attract new readers to your work and newsletter. 

Recently at the Blue Ridge Mountains Christian Writers Conference, I taught four sessions titled: Making Books Is Easy but Selling Books Is Hard. Unlock the Mystery: How Do Authors Sell Books? As a part of my teaching, I prepared a 39-page handout. This document included multiple links to other resources and ideas for authors to succeed with their book. On the final page, I pointed to Samantha Evans who has been finding success with her topic of grief on YouTube. Sam is giving away a free multiple-page PDF which explains what steps she is taking and how she is increasing her reach. How do you get this information for your work? Follow this link, join her newsletter and learn from what she is doing for her own writing journey.

Throughout my decades in publishing, I’ve learned one consistent lesson: there is a great deal in publishing outside of my control except for one person: me. It takes consistent and persistent action to find your path and the right connection.

What have you learned from reading this article? What am I missing that you want to add? I look forward to your comments. If I can help you, don’t hesitate to reach out to me. My email address is in my X/Twitter profile. 

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The publishing world is in constant motion. This prolific author and editor gives the details about the reality of the marketplace along with some action steps for every writer.  (ClickToTweet)

Throughout my many years in publishing, I’ve co-authored over a dozen books and reviewed thousands of submissions (no exaggeration). As a part of the process of working with these authors, I speak with them about their dreams and plans. Many of these authors have  unrealistic expectations about what will happen with their published book. Many aspects of the details of publishing are outside of anything an author can control. I wrote 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS to give authors practical help. You can get decades of insights in 10 PUBLISHING MYTHS for only $10, free shipping and over $200 of bonuses. 

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Since 2004, I have blogged about The Writing Life over 1,700 entries and one of the top 27 content writers. With this simple form, each week you can get my new articles, encouragement and insights at: https://t.co/W6uU64u6aA