So Pathetic
Published February 26th, 2010 | 
Knopf editor, Carole Baron has posted this editorial on The Huffington Post entitled "Do You Really Need an Editor at a Publishing House?" which makes a case for why editors are still necessary.
The first thing that struck me about his post is how desperate Baron sounds. She’s not really addressing most writers here — not writers who can’t even get an agent much less sell their books to a major publishers. She’s really addressing writers (like the anonymous writer she mentions) who are already in the system who are maybe thinking that self-publishing, for one reason or another, is a good option for them. Except for reports that some writers are self-publishing eBooks for the Kindle may be making higher royalties than they would going through their publishers, I somehow doubt there are a lot of writers in that system who are looking to jump ship, so maybe Ms. Baron’s plea is a little bit silly. On the other hand, while reading her post, I was reminded of that scene from Office Space in which Tom Smykowski is addressing the "Bobs" and says, "I deal with the god damn customers so the engineers don’t have to. I have people skills; I am good at dealing with people. Can’t you understand that? What the hell is wrong with you people?"
Certainly, I’ve heard tales from writers I know who’ve suggested to me that possibly some editors don’t work as hard for some writers as they do for others. I know of at least two writers who were basically hung out to dry by their publishers when those editors jumped to other publishing houses. And, I’ve certainly read books published by major publishers that made me question whether anyone edits anything anymore. I’ll give you a for instance: Last year, I got hooked on this show, Legend of the Seeker. I don’t know what it is about the show — the hot women in leather, the swordplay that takes me back to playing pretend as a child. Whatever the reason, the show has become a guilty pleasure. So much so, I decided a while back to try reading the books the show is based on. For those of you not familiar with the show, it’s based on the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind. I should preface my comments by admitting that I’m not a major reader of fantasy novels. I think most fantasy novels are dumb, unoriginal and poorly-written, so I’ve limited my exposure since entering adulthood. Anyway, I went to the library and checked out Book Four in the series. I wasn’t all that impressed to tell the truth. I thought the characters were pretty thin and one-dimensional and the dialogue — some of the most horrible dialogue I’ve ever encountered. I wondered if the book had been edited at all and thought, if it had been edited, how bad was the book before the editor put hands on it? Anyway, after that, I decided to keep watching the TV show and forget the novels by Goodkind (Yeah, I half expect to receive hate mail from Goodkind fans now).
Anyway, I think the question of whether editors edit anymore is a far less interesting than whether or not we still need traditional publishing houses anymore. Because, let’s face it. If you’re a major bestselling author with a huge fan-base, you could probably do just as well for yourself or even better self-publishing. And if I’m Stephen King or someone like that, I’ve got to at least consider the option, don’t I? And if you’re completely disenfranchised from the traditional publishing industry. Can’t get an agent, can’t get your foot in the door — then self-publishing may be you’re only option. There’s no denying that an editor provides a necessary service to an author, but is a traditional publishing house the only place to get that service?
Let’s examine Baron’s list:
l. Choosing the book
2. Negotiating the deal with the author or agent
3. Editing the book
4. Working with copy editing, design, and production
5. Writing jacket copy and catalog copy; work with the art director on the jacket
6. Positioning the book within the company as an advocate to sales and marketing
7. Being aware of what is happening in the publishing business so you can make informed decisions
8. Communicating to the author and agent what is happening to the book along the way.
9. When the book is published, cheering for the good reviews and commiserating for the bad ones (and explaining that even Jane Austen and Herman Melville got bad reviews).
10. Being there for the author’s next book.
1. Hmm. Well, if you self-publish, you don’t really need an editor to choose your book, now do you?
2. If you self-publish, you don’t need a literary agent, so there’s nothing to negotiate.
3. There are plenty of freelance editors out there — many of whom have experience working in the book publishing industry so this work can be outsourced.
4. Again, this work can be outsourced.
5. Yet another thing that can be outsourced.
6. Certainly, this is an important advantage of being published through a traditional publisher but only because the scales are tipped in favor of traditional publishing. As the stigma against self-publishing erodes this, too, may become kind of irrelevant.
7. Well, if the writer keeps on top of what’s going on in the publishing business, he doesn’t need an editor’s input to make informed decisions.
8. Again, if you self-publish, this is completely irrelevant.
9. Don’t read reviews. Honestly, book reviews don’t have that much influence over what people choose to read anyway. And a writer should never write for his critics be they good or bad. So don’t read reviews.
10. Once again, completely irrelevant if you self-publish.
But, don’t get me wrong, despite my current role as devil’s advocate, I’m not saying every writer who currently publishes with a traditional publishing house should jump ship and start self-publishing. Self-publishing definitely has it’s pitfalls and aside from that, most writers are ill-equipped for what self-publishing entails. Any idiot can upload a digital file of a manuscript to a self-publishing service and have a book made in short order. It takes more than that to make a good book and get people to buy and read that book. That being said, traditional publishers and those working for traditional publishers can no longer afford to be dismissive of self-publishing. There are good reasons why this is increasingly becoming an option for many writers and it is not some fad that’s going away. If you’ve got the means and motivation to self-publish the right way, the technology is available to completely bypass traditional publishers. So maybe it’s a good thing that that option is available to writers. <shrugs> It certainly doesn’t help traditional publishers for an experienced, well-known editor such as Ms. Baron, to make a public plea justifying her existence. She sounds like a car insurance salesman. Jesus Mary and Joseph, have some pride!
Would You Like Some Cheese With That Whine?
Published February 24th, 2010 | Okay, sure . . . I’ve been writing a lot about eBooks and eBook pricing lately. It’s been in the news and on blogs nearly every day since the January unveiling of the iPad. And maybe I should apologize for that. Some of you have emailed me to say a) that you "don’t care" about eBooks and have no opinion about eBook pricing or b) you don’t even know what the Kindle is, or the iPad. The rest of you who do know and care about eBooks fall into one of two camps: those (like me) who think the big publishers price eBooks too high and those who think eBook prices aren’t quite high enough. Last week, I felt the need to respond to some remarks a writer made about another blog post on the subject of eBooks. The writer in question, Deborah Smith, responded to that post with the following comments:
Okay, you want a point by point discussion of my “whiny” remarks:? Here goes:
1. You say most publishers lose money because they spend “7 figures” on advances. No. Most publishers spend very low five-figures on the majority of books they buy. Ask most authors below the Stephen King range how much they’re paid. The myth of the expensive author overload at publishing houses is just that, a myth. And yes, I am a 25 year vet of NY and small press publishing; I’ve paid my bills as an author and publisher during that entire period; I have made 5-figure, 6-figure and 7-figure advances, also 3-figure and 4-figure; I’ve had one NYT bestseller; and yet, like most in the business, I still find it hard to sustain a dependable income. Yeah, I do know what I’m talking about, and from multiple perspectives.
2. Call me a liar if you’re that ignorant, but I repeat: the overhead to produce an ebook is THE SAME as the overhead to produce a print book minus the small amount devoted to printing costs, which averages 1-3 bucks a book. Advertising isn’t free; editing isn’t free, distribution isn’t free, office supplies and insurance and ET CETERA are not free.
3. So . . . even though distributors get 50 percent or more of the retail price of the ebook . . . uh, what? You have no point, here. It’s a mystery to me what your argument is.
4. Name one publisher or author who is dancing in the street praising ebooks??? you’re kidding me, right? are you so out of touch you haven’t noticed more than a decade of dedicated small press ebook publishers and a growing army of authors who make their living writing ebook only? Did you miss the part where I publish every book at my press in ebook as well as print? I was one of the first authors published in ebook by Warner Books more than six years ago. Yes, Virginia, there is a large and growing and enthusiastic ebook community out there among publishers and authors, and they are eager to make a go of it. Despite folks like yourself, who demand that they give books away dirt cheap and thus, go broke.
5. “Readers simply want to pay a fair price.” Well, duh. Yep. Who says otherwise? I’d like to pay 10,0000 bucks max for a brand-new car, please. To me that’s a fair price. Doesn’t mean it’s a sustainable price for manufacturers, though.
6. “Readers aren’t concerned with paying writer’s bills.” Okay, using your logic, then readers don’t care if books exist. They don’t care if there’s another Asimov or Stephanie Meyers or J.K. Rowling or NAME YOUR FAVE AUTHOR HERE. They want free books, by god, or 99 cent books, and thus they will get . . . books that aren’t worth more than 99 cents. You get what you pay for.
7. “greedy pricing policies.” So . . . if anyone charges anything for any product, that greedy manufacturer is just beggin’ people to steal it? Cause, like, if you ask people to pay for stuff that’s wrong, and they are thus spared the title of “thief” when they take your stuff? Boy howdy, using that philosophy, let’s all go to the local convenience store and grab some beer without paying. Cause, you know, the store asked for trouble when they put a price tag on the Budweiser. Sheesh.
Now, I mistakenly believed my own remarks were fairly clear and reasonable. Maybe not. Perhaps I should have written that blog in big-ass poster printing and posted in on the Goodyear Blimp.
1. I don’t believe I said that the majority of writers receive 6 or 7 figure advances. I was, however, taking issue with the minority who do receive outlandish advances and was suggesting that there is a disproportionately huge gap in the cost of producing and marketing writers like King or Brown or some pseudo-celebrity and some anonymous midlist writer no one has ever heard of and that, while this is not necessarily THE problem with the overall decline in book sales, it is a part of the problem. And this is something many publishing insiders have stated outright as a factor in overall hardships publishers are facing. I did not make this up out of my own imagination.
2. The rather nominal cost of producing an eBook is normally piggybacked on the cost of producing the hardcopy book. So it’s not the same. And let’s be clear about the cost of producing and marketing a hardcopy book. The price of editing and cover design is pretty well fixed. In fact, the average salary for a book editor is not a whole lot better than the starting salary of a school teacher. Printing costs have declined somewhat over the last few decades. Warehousing costs are fairly stable. Marketing cost vary according to the book and author. It’s not like every book published gets the same level of marketing and marketing budgets have been declining for years. Each book has it’s own budget. And like you said yourself, most writers aren’t making those big advances. So where is all the money going to? It’s certainly not going into the eBook. When’s the last time you’ve seen an full page ad in the NYTROB for an eBook? When’s the last time you saw a writer on a talk show promoting an eBook? Get real.
3. I believe I stated my point quite clearly. In addition to my previous point, I will add this: DRM-free eBooks are not the industry standard (yet), so when you purchase an eBook from Amazon or a B&N, you aren’t really buying a book that you can resell or trade, you’re buying 1-person license to display that eBook on a screen or reader device. Even without considering production costs, that alone make an eBook less valuable to most readers.
4. Out of touch, am I? Well, what I actually said was that "major publishers" weren’t dancing in the streets. There is a big difference between doing something (while dragging heels and making excuses) and doing something with great enthusiasm and hope for the future. And small presses are not major publishers. More specifically, since you seem to be the only one who doesn’t understand my reference, I was referring to the Big Six publishers. You know, HarperCollins, Macmillan, those guys. Of course, I am aware that many small presses have been publishing eBooks for a long time and that there have been e-publishers doing it even longer than that. And guess what? Most small presses and e-publishers already get that overpriced eBooks are a bad idea. Check around. The average price many of the little guys charge for an eBook is in the $4-$6 range. Now if a small press can afford to charge under $10 for an eBook (and do so willingly, enthusiastically and without complaint and seem to be able to sustain their business) why is it so hard for a billion dollar publisher that produces a couple hundred or so books a year to do it? Maybe you can explain that seeing as how you are so wise and I am so very “ignorant”. Could it possibly be that the little guys are far less retarded (Yes, Sarah P. I said the “R” word) than Rupert Murdock and his gang of robber-barons? I’m just saying.
5. I suppose the difference is most people need a car to get around. Don’t need to read a book by James Patterson. But, since you like the car analogy — check out how the auto industry’s doing of late. Mainstream, big-time publishing is making a lot of the same mistakes. So, you’ve inadvertently proven my point.
6. I never said that eBooks should be free (I did say that digital copies of public domain works should be free or close to it). No, I believe I said "fairly cheap" or something in that neighborhood. And yes, if you are charging more than $10 for an eBook, that is greedy. Hell, I saw one eBook on Sony’s eBook store not too long ago selling for $20. $20? $16? $14? How can you say that’s not greedy and do it with a straight face? The $4-$6 that many small press and e-pubs charge for eBooks sounds about right to me. That’s fair.
I Hate to Say I Told You So, But . . .
Published February 20th, 2010 | Mr. Big Time Publisher gets out of bed, gives himself a good phisoderm scrub — showers, shits, shaves, then goes downstairs to eat a grapefruit and drink a steaming cup of coffee while he reads his New York Times. Imagine the look on his face when he reads this headline:
Apple’s Prices for E-Books May Be Lower Than Expected
Gee, who didn’t see that one coming? Seriously. I hate to say I told you so, but . . . well, actually, I LOVE to say I told you so. Didn’t I say it didn’t make sense to trust Apple? Didn’t I say one should pick one’s battles when fighting with Amazon? Now one can only speculate as to why Apple has changed its tune on eBook pricing. My own theory is that the overall early response to their iPad was far less than they’d hoped with plenty of negative reviews and surveys suggesting that their new toy might not fly off the shelf as fast as they expected. I’m sure their own market research revealed that most readers do not want to pay more than $9.99 for a digital book. I think they also realized that it will be harder to compete against Amazon than they thought. After all, Apple’s success depends more on being able to sell the iPad than Amazon’s does on selling more Kindles. Amazon, in addition to the Kindle device also has a Kindle app for several other devices and will have one for the iPad as well. The clear loser of this round are the five major publishers who jumped on Apple’s bandwagon. The winners, besides Amazon and Apple, are Sony (because they probably had more to lose from the iPad than Amazon did) and Random House (because they were smart enough not to accept the agency model deal).
Over the next several months we’ll see just how much of an impact the iPad truly has on the eBook market. I’m still of the mind that its impact won’t be as big as mainstream publishing thinks it will be. When one considers Amazon’s place in the market, Google Books and its clear benefit to Sony (which is why Sony supports the Google Book Agreement), digital media pirates and the consumer (who doesn’t want to overpay for eBooks and may not think the iPad is the best choice for an eReader).
