I try to keep up with the reading and writing world as best I can because I love to read, and I write what I think on my blog. Seth Godin recently wrote that he is “Moving On” From traditional book publishing. By this he meant that he was no longer going to use an editor and publisher for his writing because they separate him from his direct readers. This has started a firestorm in the publishing world because Mr Godin is a very accomplished author… i.e. he sells a lot of books. While I and most of his readers see his point it is obvious many book publishers do not and are heading out in defense of their craft.
The first thing I think Seth Godin accomplished was hooking many editors and publisher talkies into republishing his blog post on their blogs. Brilliant!!! This gives him tens of thousands of new readers to his blog that may have never heard his name at most, or at least read one of his books. Controversy gets you in the headlines. This is what I call the Rush Limbaugh effect. If you want to get on the front page or get the word out about your stuff be controversial and people will talk.
Second, most of the people I read that replied to Mr Godin missed his point. He is not connected with the readers of his books, he is connected with the publishers of his books, therefore, he sells book to publishers that they want to buy not that he wants to write. Publishers buy books way before people do. Seth’s idea is not original. In 1976 George Lucas negotiated with Fox so that he could have all rights to the end product of Star Wars because producers, and publishers will change your content.
Finally Seth Godin will make more money in the long run controlling his merchandising because of his own idea of the “Long Tail”. The more he has on the market the more long tails he has to make residual income on. Right now the publishing industry is making tons of money from digital books. They are charging $10 at minimum for new digital books that cost them close to $0 to make beyond the writer and the staff that needs to be paid. If Seth can publish his works at $5 per digital book and sell half of what he sold traditionally he will make far more money than any publisher will pay him per book.
Seth and most authors owe their fame or livelihood to the publishers that get them where they are. However it is a new day and a new way of selling books has emerged and the publishing industry has to take note of what people like Seth Godin are doing, not make excuses for getting left behind. The majority of books I have read in the last year have been bought off websites as pdf’s not from book stores and not on e-readers. We will see what happens. If all else fails Mr. Godin will get a lot of backlinks to his site and a lot of new readers. Tell me what you think.
About Steve Crenshaw
I have been considering the same thing Seth Godin is doing with my soon to be released book on hospice, Dying to Be There.
To go with a traditional publisher, I need an agent. An agent will not take me on unless I can guarantee sales before I walk in their doors. In the end, I will only make a few percent and will have to do my own marketing and promotion.
In the middle is the micropublisher who I still have to pay for the editing, marketing and promotion but they will pay me 70 percent of the sales.
The third option, self publish. My book will cost as little as $1.30 (in orders of 3,000) but I have to handle the distribution and wear many hats. Option 2 and 3 are a lot more attractive than traditional publishing. As you said, even if I sell less books for less money, and have to hire an assistant to do part of the work, I will still make a whole lot more.
This move makes me even more of a fan of Seth Godin and I am dying to see if it will work.
he is a great writer we all love his books and the styleof writing