What concerns me is that the behemoth publishers do not know how to sell books. They are involved in MANAGEMENT, which rewards activities unconnected with whatever is the apparent business the organization is involved in. The behemoth p like the behemoth music labels have become closed systems of MANAGENENT with a residual patina of music and books. Publishers have lost any ability or concern to find reader interest niches, match writers to these niches, excite the niches so that readers will actively be looking for books from publishers and in the process grow the size of the niche. This work is now to be do by writers who are not involved in the serious work of MANAGEMENT. I am a published writer, four books in print ,I have made SFA from them which put me squarely in the majority of published writers. They are actively marketed by my publisher, Next Chapter, which puts in in the tiny minority of writers who has a publisher who actively publishes. The patina will continue to fade and peel off in 2025 and the staff actually engaged in the complex business of finding buying readers for books and writers will continue to burn out.
This post made me cry— the good cry. The kind where you giggle at the same time. Thank you for the shout out! ❤️
Btw: I finished Younger and now I don’t know what to do with myself from 7pm-11pm every night. Time to check your book list and get back to reading like Liza.
On the one hand, I don't think it'll affect what they take on. On the other hand, what people should think about are the retailers who sell books. For example, Target rolled back its DEI initiatives. Does that mean they will no longer carry books by diverse authors? It's a valid question.
What percentage of global sales volume of books does Amazon control? How many authors have freely exercised their First Amendment rights by self-publishing on the platform since the old Create Space days? What could happen to all those books, and all those authors, if Jeff Bezos keeps trying to curry favor with our new fascist state? Will only certain points of view now see the light of day?
Amazon was shadow-banning certain books way before this (from both sides and on various topics). Maybe that'll change now. Bezos is currying favor because Amazon has government contracts. About 75-80% of book sales are through Amazon.
I would love to know everyone's thoughts on how publishing will be effected by the new orders rolling out especially around DEI?
Asking as a Latina author who writes about underrepresented entrepreneurs, identity and culture - and also as a thought leadership strategist who works with many other Latina authors who want to be pitching books this year. Thank you so much <3
I've been thinking about this. If a publisher is committed to publishing diverse voices, my feeling is they will continue to do so. It's going to be about finding the right agent/publisher who will support your work in meaningful ways. That has always been the challenge.
Hi, Kathleen! Thank you for Publishing Confidential. I am grateful for all of the research you do and the information you share.
I have the pleasure of talking to many young people who have had internships and are looking to break into the publishing industry. I am concerned that there seem to be fewer and fewer positions for these articulate, intelligent, creative young people who have so much to contribute. I am grateful for the Young Publishers Association led by Noah Perkins, that has provided many networking opportunities, in-person in NYC and also remotely on Zoom, in the last year since they came into existence. I am concerned that there are not more opportunities for those in the industry to meet with each other and share experiences. As a person who first started working in this field in the 1990s, where networking meetings, parties, meals and coffee sometimes seemed overwhelming in their abundance, this is a surreal situation.
I do communicate with a community of readers who are reading a great number of books. This gives me hope daily. I am continually encouraged by the literature that small presses are putting out. I have seen some of them partner with bigger publishers for distribution, which is encouraging. What I am concerned about is the fact that so few of these amazing publishers (Unnamed Press, Red Hen Press, Arte Publico Press, Soho Press, Greywolf Press, Vine Leaves Press, and so many more) have incredible books that do not receive the attention that they deserve. It seems that the same handful of books are reviewed and promoted. Authors like Marie Mutsuki Mockett, DC Frost, Ramona Emerson, Calahan Skogman and Steven Belletto (just to name a few) would be loved by many readers who may not be aware of their exceptional books.
Another concern is the lack of attention and promotion given to award-winning Young Adult titles at booksellers. I know an author whose YA book was shortlisted for the National Book Award and when I went into bookstores looking for his book, many booksellers did not carry it at all or had one copy on a back shelf. This treatment seemed similar for all of the award nominees in the YA category. Meanwhile, there were prominent displays of adult fiction National Book Award nominees in every store I visited. This has concerned me greatly.
Whew! These are all valid. I'm concerned about available positions for young people in publishing, too. There just aren't many entry-level positions open right now, which could change, but my guess is that publishers are trying to stay lean. Another option could be that new publishing companies enter the industry.
I agree with you about small press authors. Unfortunately, big publishers usually drive the boat in coverage because they have the budgets to do so. I've seen Soho Press and Greywolf authors get coverage, but the smaller the press, the more difficult it is to get attention for their books. That said, smaller publishers should invest more into connecting with the audience for their books. That's important.
I hadn't heard that about YA books. Maybe someone will chime in with an answer.
Whoo doggies! From the independent publishing world, everyone's hair is slightly on fire at the moment. Here's a list of topics discussed in the past few weeks amongst distro and independent publishers.
1. PRINTER COSTS. Holy smokes. Print quotes are double what they were six months ago. Reprint orders for are coming in so high as to evaporate any margin and in maybe lose us money. (What this means to authors: art books, coffee table books, high-production cookbooks, and full-color anything will cost a fortune to make and publishers may pause acquiring those while this all shakes out.)
2. Transportation chaos. The US pulled out of the global postal agreements a while ago and we're feeling it. Shipping rates to Canada have doubled. Shipping from China is up in the air as we wait to hear about tariffs.
3. Distro costs. Distributors are nickel-and-diming publishers with add-on charges that eat into the bottom line and affect cash flow.
4. Market tolerance for pricing. Books are underpriced compared to both costs and standard inflation rates. Publishers absorb that with shrinking margins but can't absorb much more. Book prices need to increase, but bookstores' pushback means they won't consider stocking books over a specific price point. We anticipate consumers will see fewer choices at bookstores, like Big Five titles only, leaving independent published books outside the bookstore channel.
5. Consolidation. Better performing independent publishers are being bought by Big Five.
6. Ongoing media cuts combined with 'obey-in-advance' thinking. There are fewer and fewer places to amplify books. We anticipate having to work harder to find more niche outlets. Gone are the days of one solid national media hit breaking a book.
7. Federal spending moratoriums and bans. Yes, bans will affect publishers. However, if Fed funding for libraries and schools is stopped or significantly decreased, that sales channel will crash, which will have a more significant impact than specific bans.
8. Increased misaligned expectations of authors. We're seeing authors asking and wanting more...higher royalties, more author copies, bigger marketing budgets, etc....and the money is just not there.
9. Market saturation/attention deficit. There are too many books. There are too many other competitors for folx eyeballs and attention.
10. Existential exhaustion. Everyone you know (outside the C-suite) is working harder than ever for less pay. Everyone is tired.
All this. As a reader FIRST, writer second, all this concerns me. I am afraid I won’t have good new books into my declining years. I’m not kidding. I worry.
Wow. Yes to all of this. The media cuts are top-of-mind for me because I don't think publishing is addressing it with authors. Market tolerance for pricing will be a problem, especially if tariffs become a reality. Printing costs were already high, so the increase you mentioned is not good. I will say this a million times: Over the past year, I have seen authors spend a tremendous amount of money on marketing (digital ads, Amazon ads, other things), and it did not pay off.
I know in the past you have discussed what authors should focus on in marketing. I’m hoping for an updated discussion of what author themselves can do to promote their books is ways that make sense—especially given Christina’s #8 above.
#1. Less readers. I'm a little unsettled that many people I know ( and I am connected to academics, writers ETC.) seem to be reading way less. I have not researched the drop in books sales across category (fiction, non-fiction, by age) but I feel like there are far less readers every year who are likely to pick up a novel.
#2. The publishing industry further embraces 'Hollywood' style, hit driven metrics. "Please enjoy the 33rd series by the best selling author who has 20 ghost writers." Yes, it's always happened, but I sense the corporate chase of dollars is more pointed now resulting in mostly 'sure bets'.
Book sales increased slightly in 2024, but I'd like to see the data broken down to show which books have the highest sales. So while book sales increased, they probably did so due to certain titles...which leads to your second point.
As a writer who has been querying a manuscript and has received favorable feedback, invariably followed by ‘if only you had a huge platform,’ I wonder if there’s any reason to hope that an agent and publisher will take a chance on a memoir penned by someone who has not cultivated a social media persona.
I've had to deal with this as my new book is memoir leaning but has been steadily drifting away from that in the later versions which my agent told me is the reason he took it on as memoirs are impossible to sell currently, unless you have a solid platform which is at least 100k. Kathleen has covered this really well in her great articles, but I just wanted to mention my personal experience as someone with a less-than-medium platform.
Anecdotally, memoir is the most challenging category to sell now, especially without a platform. Big publishers are especially looking at platforms. Smaller presses might be more open to a memoir by someone without a social media presence.
I just sold the 1000th copy of my self-published rock & roll love story THE SOUND OF SETTLING, which has fantastic reviews from my readers, who are all demanding a sequel & a streaming series.
I have been querying agents on this project for almost 4 years and all I ever get in response are AI-generated rejections. In all of this time, I think maybe only one actual human saw my submission
So if you can tell me how I get my obviously commercial hit to a real human agent who’ll actually look at it, I would love to know how to go about doing that. AI is the devil and it makes me sick when I know others use it to get ahead
I really can't tell you what else to do--I don't know if humans saw it or how responses were sent. What I can say is that it is difficult to find an agent, period. Selling 1000 copies is impressive, but when publishers look at possibly acquiring a self-published book, they want to see really substantial sales (as in, 6 figures).
Among other things, I am concerned about the over reliance of AI in acquisitions and editing. In addition, how author’s work is being used to teach AI and the ramifications of what the industry will look like when AI can take over every aspect of the industry.
Have you looked at the Authors Guild website? There's a lot of information about this there. Anecdotally, I am hearing that some publishers are training employees how to use AI for specific tasks. I don't know the details.
I second this! I would also like to know what protections are there for authors? I also have heard some authors use AI to help brainstorm, but not actually write the books? How are Publishers reacting to this? Is this very common? (Im not interested myself, it seems a little sketch but I'm just curious how much AI has become part of writing/publishing)
Feel better soon Kathleen! Sick twice in one month?? You've definitely reached your sickness quota for the year!
If you look at the Authors Guild website, there is a lot of information about AI. As for authors using AI to brainstorm: maybe some of them do? I use AI for various things, and can't imagine it coming up with creative ideas...
I'm seeing very mixed messaging about whether developmental editing is necessary for a manuscript while going through the querying process. Some say "no, work on your craft, learn to self-edit, get beta readers etc", others (usually editors lol, imagine that), say "not necessary but very beneficial and recommended". Thoughts? Opinions? Seems intense to need one given the cost and the fact that not everyone can afford it, feels a bit 'gate-keepy' but given how saturated the field is, maybe that's on purpose?
It depends on the book. I'm not a developmental editor, but sometimes, I read manuscripts for people and give them notes. Developmental editors are useful, but not every writer needs one (or can afford them!).
I second this! I would just ask in general if we should expect a continuation of the trend (at least from what I've heard) of putting a lot of the editing expectations on the writer to get it done rather than the in house editor? I've heard of even established authors turning to external editors to get additional editing since in house editors are often so overworked. This question might be a little out of your wheel house but just thought I'd ask!
What concerns me is that the behemoth publishers do not know how to sell books. They are involved in MANAGEMENT, which rewards activities unconnected with whatever is the apparent business the organization is involved in. The behemoth p like the behemoth music labels have become closed systems of MANAGENENT with a residual patina of music and books. Publishers have lost any ability or concern to find reader interest niches, match writers to these niches, excite the niches so that readers will actively be looking for books from publishers and in the process grow the size of the niche. This work is now to be do by writers who are not involved in the serious work of MANAGEMENT. I am a published writer, four books in print ,I have made SFA from them which put me squarely in the majority of published writers. They are actively marketed by my publisher, Next Chapter, which puts in in the tiny minority of writers who has a publisher who actively publishes. The patina will continue to fade and peel off in 2025 and the staff actually engaged in the complex business of finding buying readers for books and writers will continue to burn out.
This post made me cry— the good cry. The kind where you giggle at the same time. Thank you for the shout out! ❤️
Btw: I finished Younger and now I don’t know what to do with myself from 7pm-11pm every night. Time to check your book list and get back to reading like Liza.
🩷 Ok so I had always been team Charles, but I’m on the final season and I’m now team Josh.
Ha! Same! Josh stepped up his game.
Thank you for the shout out Kathleen! Feel better soon
thanks for the support always Kathleen!
I’m wondering how much bans and political pressure will affect what agents, editors, and publishers will be willing to take on.
On the one hand, I don't think it'll affect what they take on. On the other hand, what people should think about are the retailers who sell books. For example, Target rolled back its DEI initiatives. Does that mean they will no longer carry books by diverse authors? It's a valid question.
We're worried too if amzn will adjust the algorithm to suppress specific keywords.
They already do. I've previously worked on books where this happened.
We know/knew there are some 'poison' keywords. My fear is that there will be many many more.
What percentage of global sales volume of books does Amazon control? How many authors have freely exercised their First Amendment rights by self-publishing on the platform since the old Create Space days? What could happen to all those books, and all those authors, if Jeff Bezos keeps trying to curry favor with our new fascist state? Will only certain points of view now see the light of day?
Amazon was shadow-banning certain books way before this (from both sides and on various topics). Maybe that'll change now. Bezos is currying favor because Amazon has government contracts. About 75-80% of book sales are through Amazon.
Guess shadow banning will be coming out of the shadows...
I would love to know everyone's thoughts on how publishing will be effected by the new orders rolling out especially around DEI?
Asking as a Latina author who writes about underrepresented entrepreneurs, identity and culture - and also as a thought leadership strategist who works with many other Latina authors who want to be pitching books this year. Thank you so much <3
I've been thinking about this. If a publisher is committed to publishing diverse voices, my feeling is they will continue to do so. It's going to be about finding the right agent/publisher who will support your work in meaningful ways. That has always been the challenge.
Hi, Kathleen! Thank you for Publishing Confidential. I am grateful for all of the research you do and the information you share.
I have the pleasure of talking to many young people who have had internships and are looking to break into the publishing industry. I am concerned that there seem to be fewer and fewer positions for these articulate, intelligent, creative young people who have so much to contribute. I am grateful for the Young Publishers Association led by Noah Perkins, that has provided many networking opportunities, in-person in NYC and also remotely on Zoom, in the last year since they came into existence. I am concerned that there are not more opportunities for those in the industry to meet with each other and share experiences. As a person who first started working in this field in the 1990s, where networking meetings, parties, meals and coffee sometimes seemed overwhelming in their abundance, this is a surreal situation.
I do communicate with a community of readers who are reading a great number of books. This gives me hope daily. I am continually encouraged by the literature that small presses are putting out. I have seen some of them partner with bigger publishers for distribution, which is encouraging. What I am concerned about is the fact that so few of these amazing publishers (Unnamed Press, Red Hen Press, Arte Publico Press, Soho Press, Greywolf Press, Vine Leaves Press, and so many more) have incredible books that do not receive the attention that they deserve. It seems that the same handful of books are reviewed and promoted. Authors like Marie Mutsuki Mockett, DC Frost, Ramona Emerson, Calahan Skogman and Steven Belletto (just to name a few) would be loved by many readers who may not be aware of their exceptional books.
Another concern is the lack of attention and promotion given to award-winning Young Adult titles at booksellers. I know an author whose YA book was shortlisted for the National Book Award and when I went into bookstores looking for his book, many booksellers did not carry it at all or had one copy on a back shelf. This treatment seemed similar for all of the award nominees in the YA category. Meanwhile, there were prominent displays of adult fiction National Book Award nominees in every store I visited. This has concerned me greatly.
Thank you, again, for asking for input!
Whew! These are all valid. I'm concerned about available positions for young people in publishing, too. There just aren't many entry-level positions open right now, which could change, but my guess is that publishers are trying to stay lean. Another option could be that new publishing companies enter the industry.
I agree with you about small press authors. Unfortunately, big publishers usually drive the boat in coverage because they have the budgets to do so. I've seen Soho Press and Greywolf authors get coverage, but the smaller the press, the more difficult it is to get attention for their books. That said, smaller publishers should invest more into connecting with the audience for their books. That's important.
I hadn't heard that about YA books. Maybe someone will chime in with an answer.
My biggest concern is whether the increased hostility to queer voices will lead agents and publishers to pre-emptively dismiss queer authors.
Independent publishers are notoriously anti-establishment...many of us are acquiring MORE books that will tick-off the regime.
This is good to hear and makes me glad to be querying independent publishers.
I don't think so. Agents who rep queer voices will continue to do so. Publishers that publish those voices will continue to do so.
Whoo doggies! From the independent publishing world, everyone's hair is slightly on fire at the moment. Here's a list of topics discussed in the past few weeks amongst distro and independent publishers.
1. PRINTER COSTS. Holy smokes. Print quotes are double what they were six months ago. Reprint orders for are coming in so high as to evaporate any margin and in maybe lose us money. (What this means to authors: art books, coffee table books, high-production cookbooks, and full-color anything will cost a fortune to make and publishers may pause acquiring those while this all shakes out.)
2. Transportation chaos. The US pulled out of the global postal agreements a while ago and we're feeling it. Shipping rates to Canada have doubled. Shipping from China is up in the air as we wait to hear about tariffs.
3. Distro costs. Distributors are nickel-and-diming publishers with add-on charges that eat into the bottom line and affect cash flow.
4. Market tolerance for pricing. Books are underpriced compared to both costs and standard inflation rates. Publishers absorb that with shrinking margins but can't absorb much more. Book prices need to increase, but bookstores' pushback means they won't consider stocking books over a specific price point. We anticipate consumers will see fewer choices at bookstores, like Big Five titles only, leaving independent published books outside the bookstore channel.
5. Consolidation. Better performing independent publishers are being bought by Big Five.
6. Ongoing media cuts combined with 'obey-in-advance' thinking. There are fewer and fewer places to amplify books. We anticipate having to work harder to find more niche outlets. Gone are the days of one solid national media hit breaking a book.
7. Federal spending moratoriums and bans. Yes, bans will affect publishers. However, if Fed funding for libraries and schools is stopped or significantly decreased, that sales channel will crash, which will have a more significant impact than specific bans.
8. Increased misaligned expectations of authors. We're seeing authors asking and wanting more...higher royalties, more author copies, bigger marketing budgets, etc....and the money is just not there.
9. Market saturation/attention deficit. There are too many books. There are too many other competitors for folx eyeballs and attention.
10. Existential exhaustion. Everyone you know (outside the C-suite) is working harder than ever for less pay. Everyone is tired.
That's ten off the top of my head!
All this. As a reader FIRST, writer second, all this concerns me. I am afraid I won’t have good new books into my declining years. I’m not kidding. I worry.
Omg I mean I knew this was coming but wow, 🤯
Wow. Yes to all of this. The media cuts are top-of-mind for me because I don't think publishing is addressing it with authors. Market tolerance for pricing will be a problem, especially if tariffs become a reality. Printing costs were already high, so the increase you mentioned is not good. I will say this a million times: Over the past year, I have seen authors spend a tremendous amount of money on marketing (digital ads, Amazon ads, other things), and it did not pay off.
I know in the past you have discussed what authors should focus on in marketing. I’m hoping for an updated discussion of what author themselves can do to promote their books is ways that make sense—especially given Christina’s #8 above.
Yes, I’m going to write about that.
Concerns about book publishing...
#1. Less readers. I'm a little unsettled that many people I know ( and I am connected to academics, writers ETC.) seem to be reading way less. I have not researched the drop in books sales across category (fiction, non-fiction, by age) but I feel like there are far less readers every year who are likely to pick up a novel.
#2. The publishing industry further embraces 'Hollywood' style, hit driven metrics. "Please enjoy the 33rd series by the best selling author who has 20 ghost writers." Yes, it's always happened, but I sense the corporate chase of dollars is more pointed now resulting in mostly 'sure bets'.
Book sales increased slightly in 2024, but I'd like to see the data broken down to show which books have the highest sales. So while book sales increased, they probably did so due to certain titles...which leads to your second point.
As a writer who has been querying a manuscript and has received favorable feedback, invariably followed by ‘if only you had a huge platform,’ I wonder if there’s any reason to hope that an agent and publisher will take a chance on a memoir penned by someone who has not cultivated a social media persona.
I've had to deal with this as my new book is memoir leaning but has been steadily drifting away from that in the later versions which my agent told me is the reason he took it on as memoirs are impossible to sell currently, unless you have a solid platform which is at least 100k. Kathleen has covered this really well in her great articles, but I just wanted to mention my personal experience as someone with a less-than-medium platform.
Thank you for your insight.
Anecdotally, memoir is the most challenging category to sell now, especially without a platform. Big publishers are especially looking at platforms. Smaller presses might be more open to a memoir by someone without a social media presence.
I just sold the 1000th copy of my self-published rock & roll love story THE SOUND OF SETTLING, which has fantastic reviews from my readers, who are all demanding a sequel & a streaming series.
I have been querying agents on this project for almost 4 years and all I ever get in response are AI-generated rejections. In all of this time, I think maybe only one actual human saw my submission
So if you can tell me how I get my obviously commercial hit to a real human agent who’ll actually look at it, I would love to know how to go about doing that. AI is the devil and it makes me sick when I know others use it to get ahead
I really can't tell you what else to do--I don't know if humans saw it or how responses were sent. What I can say is that it is difficult to find an agent, period. Selling 1000 copies is impressive, but when publishers look at possibly acquiring a self-published book, they want to see really substantial sales (as in, 6 figures).
And you can’t get there without an agent 🙄
Hope you feel better Kathleen. I enjoy reading anything you write.
Thanks so much, Claire.
better than getting all the illnesses over with, I hope the majority pass you by!
Among other things, I am concerned about the over reliance of AI in acquisitions and editing. In addition, how author’s work is being used to teach AI and the ramifications of what the industry will look like when AI can take over every aspect of the industry.
Have you looked at the Authors Guild website? There's a lot of information about this there. Anecdotally, I am hearing that some publishers are training employees how to use AI for specific tasks. I don't know the details.
I second this! I would also like to know what protections are there for authors? I also have heard some authors use AI to help brainstorm, but not actually write the books? How are Publishers reacting to this? Is this very common? (Im not interested myself, it seems a little sketch but I'm just curious how much AI has become part of writing/publishing)
Feel better soon Kathleen! Sick twice in one month?? You've definitely reached your sickness quota for the year!
Yes, I think I've reached my sickness quota!
If you look at the Authors Guild website, there is a lot of information about AI. As for authors using AI to brainstorm: maybe some of them do? I use AI for various things, and can't imagine it coming up with creative ideas...
I'm seeing very mixed messaging about whether developmental editing is necessary for a manuscript while going through the querying process. Some say "no, work on your craft, learn to self-edit, get beta readers etc", others (usually editors lol, imagine that), say "not necessary but very beneficial and recommended". Thoughts? Opinions? Seems intense to need one given the cost and the fact that not everyone can afford it, feels a bit 'gate-keepy' but given how saturated the field is, maybe that's on purpose?
It depends on the book. I'm not a developmental editor, but sometimes, I read manuscripts for people and give them notes. Developmental editors are useful, but not every writer needs one (or can afford them!).
I second this! I would just ask in general if we should expect a continuation of the trend (at least from what I've heard) of putting a lot of the editing expectations on the writer to get it done rather than the in house editor? I've heard of even established authors turning to external editors to get additional editing since in house editors are often so overworked. This question might be a little out of your wheel house but just thought I'd ask!
It is a little out of my area of expertise, but given the workload of in-house editors, it wouldn't surprise me if that were the case.