Quote:
Originally Posted by tompe
This seems to me to be an important point that people forget when comparing to Baen. I want publishers to place risky bets so they can find new brilliant authors or books. So if everybody would do as Baen there would be less brilliant books easily findable or available,
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Baen takes the occasional chance - there is variation in their line.
But Baen is a small shop, who can less
afford to make risky bets. Many of the small specialty publishers are in a similar position. They are under-capitalized and living more or less hand-to-mouth.
Baen and other publishers make risky bets all the time - whenever they publish a first novel by a new author. But the
size of the bet will be smaller. It won't be like the major trade houses when a manuscript that has generated buzz comes to auction, and a feeding frenzy takes place as interested bidders sense a potential best seller and offer deals accordingly. They may place bets that would
kill a smaller house if the bet doesn't pay off.
Baen minimizes risk by carefully defining what game they are playing and not placing bets they cant afford to lose.
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Dennis