|
Well, I'd say publishers excel at their relationships with some authors. The big names who get tons of attention and marketing and other perks. John Grisham probably isn't looking to leave Random House and Hatchette has James Patterson under lock and key.
The thousands upon thousands of mid-listers? Not so much. Most of them are happy to get their phone calls returned and they'd jump ship the second somebody offered them a better contract.
But on the other hand, the relationship with authors is only 1/2 of the battle. What Amazon (and Barnes and Kobo and all the others) provide is customers. Right now the publishers are beyond terrible at establishing and nurturing a relationship with customers. If they want to consume the retailer role in the food chain, they are going to have to first get out one of their own dictionaries and look up the meaning of "Customer Service."
|