The publishing industry is a slow ambling dinosaur. It’s not just about social media, but the cult of personality. We want to know our authors the same way we know our influencers, intimately and “direct”. When I think about what I consume, it’s usually from a small company where I feel connected to the people who run it, or big box stores for sheer convenience. Obviously the big names will still make sales, but for the small fry we really gotta sell ourselves. Also I would give anything to end the hardbacks first publishing system - all I want is the matching paperback sets for my bookstagram and if they paid ANY attention at all they would change this (money still to be had).
Great post, bravo. It should've made me despair but you point out there is hope. One conundrum for me, and I suspect for many others, is finding those interested in my novels who are also 1) actual book-buyers and 2) reading in my specific genre. All the how-to articles say to do this and that, but they rarely point out what works for a specific genre. Unless you're a big name, most social media seems to only stick for very specific genres. Just thinking out loud! I don't expect you to know; you already wrote a helpful post!
I so, so appreciate all your posts. I've published a ton of books and have fought semi-despair at how hard it is to promote them now, with the vast network of platforms all competing for limited attention spans. Your calm, measured, extraordinarily smart and experienced take on all aspects of publishing has taught me things I never knew before. Like others, I scuttled on over to Threads today to check it out and see if I should take the plunge. Big thanks from your fan!
Your point about the plethora of choices reminds me of this essay by Roxane Gay written before she was as famous as she is now. I think of it often.
I worked in lit mag publishing at the time she wrote it and lots of magazines were refusing to understand that they needed to adapt to a world where they weren’t just competing with each other: they were competing in a broad media/entertainment ecosystem.
Thinking about young readers, it really is about getting parents to invest in reading and sharing that love with their kids. The main reason I developed a love for reading was because my own parents read and took us to the library weekly. I was also encouraged to do summer reading programs each year.
So why do parents who read have children that don’t?
For one, the literacy rate in this country is abysmal. Secondly, there are parents who are challenging books and succeeding, which limits school libraries. Third, this country is full of book deserts and lacks resources to fix that. Fourth, there is great income disparity & that plays a part in literacy. It’s not as easy as “parents should”--you also can’t force a kid to read in their free time if they don’t want to.
Thanks for this thorough post Kathleen! I read Beloved Economies at the beginning of the year and want to go back and read it again specifically thinking about publishing. The world needs books. It does not need this business model. Hopefully we can figure out a way to reimagine publishing so the process feels sustainable for writers, illustrators, readers, etc.
Didn't realize instagram followers carried over to threads. I left twitter awhile back, in part because most of the people I liked had already left, but maybe it'll be....a kinder space? I doubt it. But one can dream!
ohh good to know! that's still honestly lovely. will make finding people a lot easier. fingers crossed it can stay a better place than what twitter became!
"If you are on Instagram and have a decent following, join Threads. It’s very similar to Twitter, but unlike other new platforms, your Instagram following is right there."
That is the ONLY reason I went ahead and installed Threads this morning. I'll be interested to see if more of my Instagram followers join Threads when it's open to them. I've resisted most of the other Twitter clones, but now I have Threads, Notes, and BlueSky. . . . Like you said, it's too many. I can't (and honestly won't) be present for all of them all the time.
I was *just* discussing with a friend how publishing is so slow moving that it can rarely capitalize on a momentum surge/interest among readers. Huge blockbuster authors can retain readership between books... but for most authors, and especially smaller ones, once there is a bump in interest, the moment to act was yesterday. Instead, pubs tend to wait to make sure book one sales really do warrant a sequel or spinoff, and then by the time they buy it and publish it, it’s two years later and interest hasn’t just waned, but been totally lost. Readers have moved on to the next thing.
Anyway, thanks (as always) for your insights into current publishing events. I found this post very insightful.
The publishing industry is a slow ambling dinosaur. It’s not just about social media, but the cult of personality. We want to know our authors the same way we know our influencers, intimately and “direct”. When I think about what I consume, it’s usually from a small company where I feel connected to the people who run it, or big box stores for sheer convenience. Obviously the big names will still make sales, but for the small fry we really gotta sell ourselves. Also I would give anything to end the hardbacks first publishing system - all I want is the matching paperback sets for my bookstagram and if they paid ANY attention at all they would change this (money still to be had).
I agree! Plus the margins for hardcovers & paperbacks aren’t that different.
Great post, bravo. It should've made me despair but you point out there is hope. One conundrum for me, and I suspect for many others, is finding those interested in my novels who are also 1) actual book-buyers and 2) reading in my specific genre. All the how-to articles say to do this and that, but they rarely point out what works for a specific genre. Unless you're a big name, most social media seems to only stick for very specific genres. Just thinking out loud! I don't expect you to know; you already wrote a helpful post!
I so, so appreciate all your posts. I've published a ton of books and have fought semi-despair at how hard it is to promote them now, with the vast network of platforms all competing for limited attention spans. Your calm, measured, extraordinarily smart and experienced take on all aspects of publishing has taught me things I never knew before. Like others, I scuttled on over to Threads today to check it out and see if I should take the plunge. Big thanks from your fan!
Thanks so much! That means a lot to me. :)
Your point about the plethora of choices reminds me of this essay by Roxane Gay written before she was as famous as she is now. I think of it often.
I worked in lit mag publishing at the time she wrote it and lots of magazines were refusing to understand that they needed to adapt to a world where they weren’t just competing with each other: they were competing in a broad media/entertainment ecosystem.
https://htmlgiant.com/random/too-many-of-us-too-much-noise/
That’s a huge compliment. Thank you. I’ll read it later.
Thinking about young readers, it really is about getting parents to invest in reading and sharing that love with their kids. The main reason I developed a love for reading was because my own parents read and took us to the library weekly. I was also encouraged to do summer reading programs each year.
So why do parents who read have children that don’t?
For one, the literacy rate in this country is abysmal. Secondly, there are parents who are challenging books and succeeding, which limits school libraries. Third, this country is full of book deserts and lacks resources to fix that. Fourth, there is great income disparity & that plays a part in literacy. It’s not as easy as “parents should”--you also can’t force a kid to read in their free time if they don’t want to.
Thanks for this thorough post Kathleen! I read Beloved Economies at the beginning of the year and want to go back and read it again specifically thinking about publishing. The world needs books. It does not need this business model. Hopefully we can figure out a way to reimagine publishing so the process feels sustainable for writers, illustrators, readers, etc.
Thank you! I agree--we need books, but the model needs to change. It isn't working.
Didn't realize instagram followers carried over to threads. I left twitter awhile back, in part because most of the people I liked had already left, but maybe it'll be....a kinder space? I doubt it. But one can dream!
Your followers don’t carry over, but those who you follow, do.
ohh good to know! that's still honestly lovely. will make finding people a lot easier. fingers crossed it can stay a better place than what twitter became!
"If you are on Instagram and have a decent following, join Threads. It’s very similar to Twitter, but unlike other new platforms, your Instagram following is right there."
That is the ONLY reason I went ahead and installed Threads this morning. I'll be interested to see if more of my Instagram followers join Threads when it's open to them. I've resisted most of the other Twitter clones, but now I have Threads, Notes, and BlueSky. . . . Like you said, it's too many. I can't (and honestly won't) be present for all of them all the time.
Ha! Jodi, I just joined for the same reason! All your followers already being there is a huge perk.
I was *just* discussing with a friend how publishing is so slow moving that it can rarely capitalize on a momentum surge/interest among readers. Huge blockbuster authors can retain readership between books... but for most authors, and especially smaller ones, once there is a bump in interest, the moment to act was yesterday. Instead, pubs tend to wait to make sure book one sales really do warrant a sequel or spinoff, and then by the time they buy it and publish it, it’s two years later and interest hasn’t just waned, but been totally lost. Readers have moved on to the next thing.
Anyway, thanks (as always) for your insights into current publishing events. I found this post very insightful.
Thank you and your thoughts are spot-on.