Lisa here! I asked Aubrey Poole, editor at Sourcebooks, to weigh in on the whole Indie vs. Traditional debate.
Thanks
for inviting me to be a part of this ever-changing and increasingly important
discussion. The rise of the eBook
has meant a lot of changes for the publishing industry, and I’m proud to be a
part of an organization that has embraced those changes. Sourcebooks is a
privately owned independent company that’s gained a reputation for being agile,
forward-thinking and willing to experiment. So, we may not quite fall under the
category of “traditional” publisher, but we definitely acquire, package,
produce, market and sell books, and I’m very happy to talk a little more about
what value a Publisher brings to its authors.
for inviting me to be a part of this ever-changing and increasingly important
discussion. The rise of the eBook
has meant a lot of changes for the publishing industry, and I’m proud to be a
part of an organization that has embraced those changes. Sourcebooks is a
privately owned independent company that’s gained a reputation for being agile,
forward-thinking and willing to experiment. So, we may not quite fall under the
category of “traditional” publisher, but we definitely acquire, package,
produce, market and sell books, and I’m very happy to talk a little more about
what value a Publisher brings to its authors.
I
can throw a lot of terms at you about each piece of the publishing process,
like so:
can throw a lot of terms at you about each piece of the publishing process,
like so:
But
I’m going to break it down to one core idea: Discoverability.
I’m going to break it down to one core idea: Discoverability.
What
does discoverability mean? How readers find your book. If they don’t know about it, they can’t
buy it (or check it out), and they can’t read it. So, the billion dollar
question is: how will readers find your book?
does discoverability mean? How readers find your book. If they don’t know about it, they can’t
buy it (or check it out), and they can’t read it. So, the billion dollar
question is: how will readers find your book?
With
the close of Borders and the increasing popularity of eReaders,
brick-and-mortar stores are gradually decreasing in number, limiting the opportunity
for chance discovery. It’s becoming less common for readers to be browsing a
shelf to find their next must-read and more important for publishers (or
self-published authors) to find ways to bring attention to their books.
the close of Borders and the increasing popularity of eReaders,
brick-and-mortar stores are gradually decreasing in number, limiting the opportunity
for chance discovery. It’s becoming less common for readers to be browsing a
shelf to find their next must-read and more important for publishers (or
self-published authors) to find ways to bring attention to their books.
So,
essentially, a Publisher’s job is to connect
authors to readers.
essentially, a Publisher’s job is to connect
authors to readers.
This
is done in a variety of ways from creating eye-catching book covers (that look
good as thumbnails), to writing intriguing jacket copy, to placing ads in magazines,
to sending ARCs (advance readers copies) to bloggers, reviewers, booksellers
and librarians, to booking spots on TV or NPR, to purchasing advantageous
placement in Barnes and Noble (those front-of-store table displays aren’t
free!) to making sure the metadata (title, author, pages count, age level, etc.)
is sent to Amazon correctly, and more.
is done in a variety of ways from creating eye-catching book covers (that look
good as thumbnails), to writing intriguing jacket copy, to placing ads in magazines,
to sending ARCs (advance readers copies) to bloggers, reviewers, booksellers
and librarians, to booking spots on TV or NPR, to purchasing advantageous
placement in Barnes and Noble (those front-of-store table displays aren’t
free!) to making sure the metadata (title, author, pages count, age level, etc.)
is sent to Amazon correctly, and more.
With
all of the noise out there (347,178 new books published
in 2011 in the U.S. alone), it’s a Publisher’s job to make your book be heard.
all of the noise out there (347,178 new books published
in 2011 in the U.S. alone), it’s a Publisher’s job to make your book be heard.
What
about Amanda Hocking and E.L. James, you ask? Didn’t they become successful,
bestselling authors without a “traditional” publisher? Yes! They are part of the lucky few
whose self-published eBooks got that magical word-of-mouth momentum combined
with low price points that shot them to the top of the bestseller lists. But
for every success story, there are thousands of self-published authors you’ve
never heard of and likely never will. And, you may have noticed, both Hocking
and James turned to “traditional” publishers to take their eBook phenomena and
publish them in print to reach an even wider audience.
about Amanda Hocking and E.L. James, you ask? Didn’t they become successful,
bestselling authors without a “traditional” publisher? Yes! They are part of the lucky few
whose self-published eBooks got that magical word-of-mouth momentum combined
with low price points that shot them to the top of the bestseller lists. But
for every success story, there are thousands of self-published authors you’ve
never heard of and likely never will. And, you may have noticed, both Hocking
and James turned to “traditional” publishers to take their eBook phenomena and
publish them in print to reach an even wider audience.
So,
what does this all mean for you, the writer? Self-publishing is a fantastic new and growing option that will
become an important part of the publishing sphere and allow for more and easier
access to information than ever before. And for some authors, it will be the
right fit. I think it will be especially important for authors of
controversial, innovative or niche subjects and genres fast converting to
eBooks (like romance!). But in my opinion, a Publisher is still a writer’s best
bet when it comes to finding an audience for you book.
what does this all mean for you, the writer? Self-publishing is a fantastic new and growing option that will
become an important part of the publishing sphere and allow for more and easier
access to information than ever before. And for some authors, it will be the
right fit. I think it will be especially important for authors of
controversial, innovative or niche subjects and genres fast converting to
eBooks (like romance!). But in my opinion, a Publisher is still a writer’s best
bet when it comes to finding an audience for you book.
Bio:
Aubrey Poole got her start as an editor correcting her friends’ grammar in high school, an effort which naturally guaranteed instant popularity. She is now an associate editor at Sourcebooks, acquiring children’s books from picture books through young adult. Her first YA novel, Send by Patty Blount, was a Junior Library Guild pick. Her middle grade novel This Journal Belongs to Ratchet by Nancy Cavanaugh received a Starred review from Kirkus and is a Florida State Book award winner. Aubrey hopes to continue shamelessly courting librarians with her forthcoming middle grade series The Ninja Librarians, which also received a Starred review from Kirkus. Some of Aubrey’s authors include NYT and USA Today bestseller Suzanne Brockmann, USA Today bestseller Juliana Stone, award-winner Mari Mancusi, award-winner Jen Calonita, Janet Gurtler, Natalie D. Richards, Anna Staniszewski and illustrators Tracy Dockray and Bill Cotter.
Originally posted on Paranormal Point of View in February 2013
