I'm late to the party here, and I'm not sure if someone else mentioned it, but I think a *tiny* subset of people that dunk on publishing is because people who are self-published get dunked on (myself included) as not being a "real" author, or not really published. Not to say that's a fair response, but from all the anti-publishing videos I've seen, usually it's in regards to trad versus self pub.
As far as no one reads books anymore? That's just dumb.
All good points here. My first job out of college was as a book publicist and I appreciate the post pointing out the numerous tasks publishers help authors with--tasks many authors would likely be unable to do themselves without spending as inordinate amount of money on.
There is a lot of context missing from the "No one reads books" discourse, especially considering that the economics of book publishing--as with any creative endeavor like acting, music, entertainment, etc--can be pretty brutal because the overwhelming majority will not have a massive hit, most will underperform. This has been the truth of every creative endeavor for decades: https://ryanclarkself.substack.com/p/the-shocking-truth-about-book-publishing
I'm a veterinarian by trade, and there are days you could insert my profession for yours and the article would read the same and be just as true. As I've started trying to understand the publishing industry the last few years, I've noticed more parallels than I ever expected. I'm sorry this is one. It's sad, but it's also made me watch for and see unsung heroes in other professions. There are still people who want to buy well- made books. There are also people (like me) who are interested in pursuing a relationship with a publisher because there are professionals there we know will make our book idea better. All you can do is keep doing a good job.
Amen. So many people are ignorant to the industry but love the attention of pretending to be experts. I am very thankful for the publishing world and the many people who work hard to get books into my hungry hands.
I really appreciated your defense of the publishing industry, especially your insights into the production departments. It's enlightening to understand the immense stress and hard work involved in getting books to shelves, particularly under tight schedules. This often-overlooked aspect deserves more recognition and respect. Thank you for shedding light on this!
I actually enjoyed the piece without reading it, but instead listening to a 10 min podcast about it while I was commuting to work: https://docsend.com/view/86igmrmhm7sjjekt (happy to hear your readers' feedback too if any of them sees this :))
I personally have a really hard time focusing on reading articles and just skim through them! Also I've found focusing on voice overs of written text such as audio books very hard! however I can listen to podcasts for hours. I think we should also create such podcasts for books!
As a result of my frustration and my personal passion for increasing our collective awareness, I have built a product that can generate such podcast episodes from articles such as yours (and hopefully books one day for people like me who have a hard time reading and focusing on written text!)
If you liked the episode, I’ve sent my email to your messages 🙂 let's get in touch! Substack lets you create a podcast feed easily from such episodes that can extend your reach even more!
An author's relative desire to maximize their royalties changes their reaction to this debate a lot...If, like me, the goal is maximizing royalties to enhance revenue per book (not book sales), it also makes them vastly more committed to doing their own marketing/PR and not complaining about 'poor service.' If a publisher is doing all the production for free, authors should be tripping over themselves to do their own marketing/PR. Anything else reaks of entitlement at best.
Bashing occurs in all industries and it's rather sad. One's publishing experience is based on them and not a result of the entire industry. As a self-published author, it's difficult to be seen by publishing houses, especially the big 5, but it's not impossible. People will complain, but that shouldn't diminish your love for your job.
It's like any other industry - the bad and the good, a mixed bag. It's unfair that employees bear the brunt of public disapproval for decisions and statements made by those who actually run the companies.
Your whole rebuttal to "No one buys books" amounts to, "Uh uh!" That's it.
Then you dismiss it condescendingly, like yours is the only opinion that matters.
Bemoaning just how hard publishers work is a diversion. Nobody disputes that. People in publishing work hard. They don't alway work smart, but they do work hard.
However, segueing into a different topic to martyr yourself, and your endeavours, doesn't actually refute the main argument "No one buys books" asserts.
I really appreciate this perspective amidst a sea of negativity about the publishing industry. As an author publishing my third book with Penguin Random House / Ten Speed Press, I have found the entire team (from editors to the production team) incredibly skillful, considerate, and hard working. My experience has been so positive across the board that I've pivoted my entire career to focus on writing and publishing books. Three cheers for all of the people who work diligently behind the scenes to keep the publishing industry going. x
She’s totally right. As a side note: so, so many of us in book publicity deal with mental health issues, and it would be nice if people remembered that you never know what someone else is going through.
Actually there’s another two sides to this story. When I think of what my agent says, it’s clear that there’s the people of the big publishing industry and there’s the industry itself. She is a wholly positive person with great respect for editors, but she also recognizes that the mainstream publishing world is brutal. The best books don’t necessarily get published and the tendency to go for the easy money is hard for hard working writers to break through.
Thank you for this. I read the piece you mention and honestly didn’t take it as a criticism of those in the trenches of publishing (who I totally agree work incredibly hard) but on the realities of the industry driven by what people buy.
I'm late to the party here, and I'm not sure if someone else mentioned it, but I think a *tiny* subset of people that dunk on publishing is because people who are self-published get dunked on (myself included) as not being a "real" author, or not really published. Not to say that's a fair response, but from all the anti-publishing videos I've seen, usually it's in regards to trad versus self pub.
As far as no one reads books anymore? That's just dumb.
All good points here. My first job out of college was as a book publicist and I appreciate the post pointing out the numerous tasks publishers help authors with--tasks many authors would likely be unable to do themselves without spending as inordinate amount of money on.
There is a lot of context missing from the "No one reads books" discourse, especially considering that the economics of book publishing--as with any creative endeavor like acting, music, entertainment, etc--can be pretty brutal because the overwhelming majority will not have a massive hit, most will underperform. This has been the truth of every creative endeavor for decades: https://ryanclarkself.substack.com/p/the-shocking-truth-about-book-publishing
I'm a veterinarian by trade, and there are days you could insert my profession for yours and the article would read the same and be just as true. As I've started trying to understand the publishing industry the last few years, I've noticed more parallels than I ever expected. I'm sorry this is one. It's sad, but it's also made me watch for and see unsung heroes in other professions. There are still people who want to buy well- made books. There are also people (like me) who are interested in pursuing a relationship with a publisher because there are professionals there we know will make our book idea better. All you can do is keep doing a good job.
Amen. So many people are ignorant to the industry but love the attention of pretending to be experts. I am very thankful for the publishing world and the many people who work hard to get books into my hungry hands.
I really appreciated your defense of the publishing industry, especially your insights into the production departments. It's enlightening to understand the immense stress and hard work involved in getting books to shelves, particularly under tight schedules. This often-overlooked aspect deserves more recognition and respect. Thank you for shedding light on this!
I actually enjoyed the piece without reading it, but instead listening to a 10 min podcast about it while I was commuting to work: https://docsend.com/view/86igmrmhm7sjjekt (happy to hear your readers' feedback too if any of them sees this :))
I personally have a really hard time focusing on reading articles and just skim through them! Also I've found focusing on voice overs of written text such as audio books very hard! however I can listen to podcasts for hours. I think we should also create such podcasts for books!
As a result of my frustration and my personal passion for increasing our collective awareness, I have built a product that can generate such podcast episodes from articles such as yours (and hopefully books one day for people like me who have a hard time reading and focusing on written text!)
If you liked the episode, I’ve sent my email to your messages 🙂 let's get in touch! Substack lets you create a podcast feed easily from such episodes that can extend your reach even more!
An author's relative desire to maximize their royalties changes their reaction to this debate a lot...If, like me, the goal is maximizing royalties to enhance revenue per book (not book sales), it also makes them vastly more committed to doing their own marketing/PR and not complaining about 'poor service.' If a publisher is doing all the production for free, authors should be tripping over themselves to do their own marketing/PR. Anything else reaks of entitlement at best.
Bashing occurs in all industries and it's rather sad. One's publishing experience is based on them and not a result of the entire industry. As a self-published author, it's difficult to be seen by publishing houses, especially the big 5, but it's not impossible. People will complain, but that shouldn't diminish your love for your job.
I just read that post & it was super depressing but also had an air of I don't think you actually know what you're talking about. Which was true!
But at the same time, I think there is definitely a problem & traditional publishers need to think of how to change & do better.
That's what I keep hearing from mid-listers.
It's like any other industry - the bad and the good, a mixed bag. It's unfair that employees bear the brunt of public disapproval for decisions and statements made by those who actually run the companies.
My time at Stratton Oakmont (The Wolf Of Wall Street) https://open.substack.com/pub/michael880/p/another-chapter-from-can-i-have-your?r=3b6pw1&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Your whole rebuttal to "No one buys books" amounts to, "Uh uh!" That's it.
Then you dismiss it condescendingly, like yours is the only opinion that matters.
Bemoaning just how hard publishers work is a diversion. Nobody disputes that. People in publishing work hard. They don't alway work smart, but they do work hard.
However, segueing into a different topic to martyr yourself, and your endeavours, doesn't actually refute the main argument "No one buys books" asserts.
i appreciate this and you! the substack essay in question was such a deeply strange, and ultimately unconvincing, read
I really appreciate this perspective amidst a sea of negativity about the publishing industry. As an author publishing my third book with Penguin Random House / Ten Speed Press, I have found the entire team (from editors to the production team) incredibly skillful, considerate, and hard working. My experience has been so positive across the board that I've pivoted my entire career to focus on writing and publishing books. Three cheers for all of the people who work diligently behind the scenes to keep the publishing industry going. x
I read this by Leigh Stein and was thinking how much it reflects what you're always telling us. It's a good reminder for authors to manage our frustrations and remember to be grateful to those whose work isn't visible to us. https://open.substack.com/pub/leighstein/p/the-desire-to-be-known?r=1raa28&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
She’s totally right. As a side note: so, so many of us in book publicity deal with mental health issues, and it would be nice if people remembered that you never know what someone else is going through.
It would be good if we could show everyone some patience, I think. We all need it at times.
Actually there’s another two sides to this story. When I think of what my agent says, it’s clear that there’s the people of the big publishing industry and there’s the industry itself. She is a wholly positive person with great respect for editors, but she also recognizes that the mainstream publishing world is brutal. The best books don’t necessarily get published and the tendency to go for the easy money is hard for hard working writers to break through.
Thank you for this. I read the piece you mention and honestly didn’t take it as a criticism of those in the trenches of publishing (who I totally agree work incredibly hard) but on the realities of the industry driven by what people buy.