In Monday’s article in the Huffington Post, Mark Coker questions the future of the publishing industry.
With publishing a book, risks are involved. Is the book marketable? Who will purchase the book? Will it sell? In traditional publishing, the risks lie with the company. There is no way to know whether a book will be a smash or a flop. The marketplace trends are ever changing and extremely difficult to predict. Traditional publishing companies do have the capability to add value to each book, author, and customer enjoyment. Oftentimes they have more money backing them. Despite this advantage, self publishers are receiving more attention by authors rapidly.
It is incredibly difficult to get your book published through a traditional publisher. They are incredibly picky with who they sign. If you have not already had your work successfully published by their standards, they will not sign you. If they feel your book does not have the potential to become a commercial success, they will not sign you. If they do sign you and publish your book, they will only put the promotional dollars behind it if they believe they will reap the monetary benefits. Authors who are truly talented are often unable to get a publishing contract.
Self-publishing has garnered widespread attention. Publishing your work can be done for a small price and in a short amount of time. Any author can have their work published. Companies in this uprising industry have the tools to gain attention to your book without the troubles associated with traditional publishers. Though the marketing process does often fall back on the author, the self-publishing company has the capability to help. It does take more work on the author’s part to become commercially successful.
Coker writes,
“It’s only a matter of time before New York Times best-selling authors, including those on the level of Stephen King, Dan Brown, James Patterson, and J.K. Rowling, realize they can self-publish their next book. Such a prospect should chill the spine of any publisher whose business is based on big hits.”
I couldn’t agree more.
Filed under: Self Publishing Today blog | Tagged: author, Mark Coker, self publishing, traditional publishing | Leave a Comment »
