The State of Publishing

Virtually everyone in our industry has referred to the “rapidly changing state of publishing” at one point or another. It is a blanket statement that covers a number of different trends. And yet, there are many aspects of the publishing industry that have stayed, and are staying, the same. I tried to bear these contradictory facts in mind and come up with a few basic observations, regarding…wait for it…the rapidly changing state of publishing.

Agents

Agents are people, too—we should appeal to their human nature by being kind, respectful, and upbeat. (This advice probably applies to business in general.) They have a job to do that you as a writer can either make easier, or harder.

E-Books

E-books are the way—not of the future—but of the present. The advice of agent Jason Allen Ashlock is to not to get hung up on the “container” of your writing. However your material is presented (e-book, printed book, audio book), the content still has to be amazing. If your audience members are receiving it, then the communication is complete.

Editors, Commercial

Within commercial publishing houses, there are many more acquisition editors than there are developmental editors. There are also more copy-editors than developmental editors. (There aren’t many developmental editors left in commercial publishing.) If you follow this publishing model, you will still (fundamentally) have to write your book on your own.

Editors, Developmental

Finally, we are getting the respect we deserve!

Publicity

At this point, the self-published author’s marketing and promoting responsibilities are very similar to those who publish by commercial means: either way, it’s going to be a lot of work.

Self-Publishing

Self-publishing houses (which were once considered the bottom rung of publishing) are now alive with ideas, innovations, and worthwhile products. I heard someone call it “indie publishing” the other day instead of “self-publishing,” and I thought that was cool. I recommend keeping an eye on the rebirth of Vantage, which is being reconstructed from the ground up by new owner David Lamb.

Writers

No one should write for a better or different reason than sheer passion for the craft. The odds are too great, the money too scarce, and the gratification is too delayed to justify any other central motivation. If you have to write, you’ll write…and then you can figure out what to do with it.