Yes. It is very hard, as well, for independent reviewers, usually unfunded, to find time to do serious reviews. So fewer of us exist doing fewer books. And Independent publishers and alternative voices may be more important to us.
This is a welcome post! What I fear is the chilling effect on book publishers who won’t publish liberal authors and titles for fear of backlash. Folks pretend to be tough. Until they submit.
Former Time Inc. employee here, and I can hear my college journalism professor screaming into the wind about ethics violations. I have no words, and yet, I have so many.
You're spot on about staying flexible. I often tell my cookbook and food memoir clients to be nimble and build something on property they own aka an email newsletter. That's not to say you shouldn't grow an audience on Instagram or TikTok (wherever it's not banned). You just do that AND focus on reaching the people who need you the most in new ways. And with each platform, you're gaining skills you can take to the next, or elsewhere.
As the saying goes, creativity is built within constraints. So, even though it feels bleak with book bans and general chaos, it could also be a moment for authors to take control of their message and not rely on traditional media. Sidenote: I've long felt that some national media has been in a chokehold with advertisers and the audience they think they're serving.
I often tell clients that Julia Child and Simone Beck put together their own book tour for Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Knopf put out a few advertisements, but the rest of it was up to them. So, even if it seems like there was a "golden age of media", there have always been scrappy people working with what they have. As overwhelming as it is right now, I'm excited to see how authors and creatives respond because we need their work now more than ever.
Publishing has seen the writing on the wall but isn't moving quickly enough to adjust to the changing media landscape. I think the past few years of physical books sales have been strong and that has produced a false sense of everything being okay. But things can change quickly and dramatically so I share your urgency. Authors need to take control and not wait for their publishers to strategize plans (i know, i know, more work for authors), but if we aren't pushing our publishers to do different, we're the ones who suffer.
I had the interesting and highly educational experience of publishing a book as an indie and doing all of the heavy lifting myself (PR, marketing, growing my platform, etc.), and the book did surprisingly well - such that my second book was agented and published by giants. Then I was in the sausage factory. I love everyone I worked with, don't get me wrong, but the publicity and marketing were uninventive, ineffectual, and anemic. There were (and continue to be) opportunities for the material that the publishers simply don't spot. I get the feeling that everybody is overworked and overwhelmed, and, naturally, nobody cares as much as I do. After the initial excitement and launch, attention was turned elsewhere, leaving me doing the heavy lifting again. It has been an eye-opener.
Right? I am glad I am not alone. But it's a process of feeling SO SPECIAL and validated, followed by a big whomp whomp by way of unanswered emails shortly thereafter. The conveyor belt is exciting - but it's a conveyor belt.
Great article, thank you. In a related story, the book I co-authored with my life partner, Gidon Lev (Let's Make Things Better: Nov 2024 Hachette/Pan MacMillan) has been published in seven languages and in one case, the manuscript, which is about the life of an Israeli Holocaust survivor, was put through a sensitivity read and most of the suggestions were outrageous. The net effect would have been a complete scrubbing out of any Israeli culture or identity noted in the memoir of an elderly Holocaust survivor. One example: We were asked to delete the mention of the presence of an Israeli flag at a concentration camp. Just delete that as if it hadn't actually been there. It was a deeply chilling 1984-esque experience.
I totally agree that traditional media and reviews are not the same as they once were--with one caveat. I'm talking about children's publishing. I used to work at a library in the teen department, and one of the requirements for ordering a book for our shelves was that it had at least one traditional review we could attach to it. I don't fault this policy at all, as it was a means of helping the library and the wonderful librarians protect themselves from the increasing backlash. I've heard similar policies from other librarians and teachers. So while in the general publishing world I think reviews are not nearly what they once were, in kid lit, they still act as that needed extra stamp of validation for the adults trying to curate for the kids in their charge.
I'm not implying reviews aren't necessary. I've written several times about how they have a place in the ecosystem. The problem is that there are more books (even in kid lit) published than there are places to review them. So, while I understand the library policy, it also means kids are missing out on some great books because they just won't garner a review.
Yup, 100% agree. I thought that myself as I was ordering books, even as I understood why the library had there policy. I hope in the changing ecosystem there are new ways for both kid publishing and general publishing to get that discoverability and validation, even ways nobody can predict yet. Things are changing and developing so fast it seems like!
Thanks for this thread, Kathleen. My newsletter remains a core element of my marketing approach, but growing one, for a fiction author, is a long slow process. Have you seen opportunities for novelists to get publicity on Substack, other than through our own newsletters or a brief mention on another author's Substack? Are there book reviewers of note on Substack? I haven't found any yet, but I've just started searching.
Thank you, Kathleen! I used to be a geopolitical risk analyst myself, so it was and remains hard to tune out what's going on, much as I want to. I wonder if books will become affordable escapist luxury items? In other words, fantasy/romance/fiction may sell well, but not hard-hitting non-fiction?
Traditionally, those categories fare best during economic uncertainty. I'm interested to see how hard-hitting nonfiction fares--especially political books.
I’m also starting to worry/suspect book sales will be soft in the first two quarters of this year.
Great post, thanks for writing!
Yes. It is very hard, as well, for independent reviewers, usually unfunded, to find time to do serious reviews. So fewer of us exist doing fewer books. And Independent publishers and alternative voices may be more important to us.
Including this in my next round up!
This is a welcome post! What I fear is the chilling effect on book publishers who won’t publish liberal authors and titles for fear of backlash. Folks pretend to be tough. Until they submit.
Sir, this is a Wendy's.
Former Time Inc. employee here, and I can hear my college journalism professor screaming into the wind about ethics violations. I have no words, and yet, I have so many.
You're spot on about staying flexible. I often tell my cookbook and food memoir clients to be nimble and build something on property they own aka an email newsletter. That's not to say you shouldn't grow an audience on Instagram or TikTok (wherever it's not banned). You just do that AND focus on reaching the people who need you the most in new ways. And with each platform, you're gaining skills you can take to the next, or elsewhere.
As the saying goes, creativity is built within constraints. So, even though it feels bleak with book bans and general chaos, it could also be a moment for authors to take control of their message and not rely on traditional media. Sidenote: I've long felt that some national media has been in a chokehold with advertisers and the audience they think they're serving.
I often tell clients that Julia Child and Simone Beck put together their own book tour for Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Knopf put out a few advertisements, but the rest of it was up to them. So, even if it seems like there was a "golden age of media", there have always been scrappy people working with what they have. As overwhelming as it is right now, I'm excited to see how authors and creatives respond because we need their work now more than ever.
Thanks so much for this great comment!
Thanks for sharing my story here! I feel like this kind of thing is coming for all of us authors, so it's good to get the word out.
Publishing has seen the writing on the wall but isn't moving quickly enough to adjust to the changing media landscape. I think the past few years of physical books sales have been strong and that has produced a false sense of everything being okay. But things can change quickly and dramatically so I share your urgency. Authors need to take control and not wait for their publishers to strategize plans (i know, i know, more work for authors), but if we aren't pushing our publishers to do different, we're the ones who suffer.
I had the interesting and highly educational experience of publishing a book as an indie and doing all of the heavy lifting myself (PR, marketing, growing my platform, etc.), and the book did surprisingly well - such that my second book was agented and published by giants. Then I was in the sausage factory. I love everyone I worked with, don't get me wrong, but the publicity and marketing were uninventive, ineffectual, and anemic. There were (and continue to be) opportunities for the material that the publishers simply don't spot. I get the feeling that everybody is overworked and overwhelmed, and, naturally, nobody cares as much as I do. After the initial excitement and launch, attention was turned elsewhere, leaving me doing the heavy lifting again. It has been an eye-opener.
Yes! That feeling of total abandonment like one week after publication is a killer.
Right? I am glad I am not alone. But it's a process of feeling SO SPECIAL and validated, followed by a big whomp whomp by way of unanswered emails shortly thereafter. The conveyor belt is exciting - but it's a conveyor belt.
Great article, thank you. In a related story, the book I co-authored with my life partner, Gidon Lev (Let's Make Things Better: Nov 2024 Hachette/Pan MacMillan) has been published in seven languages and in one case, the manuscript, which is about the life of an Israeli Holocaust survivor, was put through a sensitivity read and most of the suggestions were outrageous. The net effect would have been a complete scrubbing out of any Israeli culture or identity noted in the memoir of an elderly Holocaust survivor. One example: We were asked to delete the mention of the presence of an Israeli flag at a concentration camp. Just delete that as if it hadn't actually been there. It was a deeply chilling 1984-esque experience.
I totally agree that traditional media and reviews are not the same as they once were--with one caveat. I'm talking about children's publishing. I used to work at a library in the teen department, and one of the requirements for ordering a book for our shelves was that it had at least one traditional review we could attach to it. I don't fault this policy at all, as it was a means of helping the library and the wonderful librarians protect themselves from the increasing backlash. I've heard similar policies from other librarians and teachers. So while in the general publishing world I think reviews are not nearly what they once were, in kid lit, they still act as that needed extra stamp of validation for the adults trying to curate for the kids in their charge.
I'm not implying reviews aren't necessary. I've written several times about how they have a place in the ecosystem. The problem is that there are more books (even in kid lit) published than there are places to review them. So, while I understand the library policy, it also means kids are missing out on some great books because they just won't garner a review.
Yup, 100% agree. I thought that myself as I was ordering books, even as I understood why the library had there policy. I hope in the changing ecosystem there are new ways for both kid publishing and general publishing to get that discoverability and validation, even ways nobody can predict yet. Things are changing and developing so fast it seems like!
Seems like newsletters, and other focused communications directly to the intended audience for a book, will be even more in demand.
Such a great point, Sally!
That is what I think. After that, the hurdle is consumers parting with dollars. I know I am being more conservative in spending right now.
Thanks for this thread, Kathleen. My newsletter remains a core element of my marketing approach, but growing one, for a fiction author, is a long slow process. Have you seen opportunities for novelists to get publicity on Substack, other than through our own newsletters or a brief mention on another author's Substack? Are there book reviewers of note on Substack? I haven't found any yet, but I've just started searching.
Thank you, Kathleen! I used to be a geopolitical risk analyst myself, so it was and remains hard to tune out what's going on, much as I want to. I wonder if books will become affordable escapist luxury items? In other words, fantasy/romance/fiction may sell well, but not hard-hitting non-fiction?
Traditionally, those categories fare best during economic uncertainty. I'm interested to see how hard-hitting nonfiction fares--especially political books.