Quote:
Originally Posted by fjtorres
How about the one that gives the best returns to the mid-listers?
Stephen King and James Patterson and the rest of the royalty of the publishing world will get paid no matter what.
But the mid-listers? The journeymen 30,000 unit sellers getting dumped? The authors with a long series and declining sales? The genre writers looking to branch out?
They may have no other choice than betting on themselves if they actually want a *chance* to make a living at writing.
The environment is changing; those that adapt stand a better chance of surviving.
It doesn't *have* to be a lottery!
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Actually it "DOES" have to be a lottery.
Nobody knows for sure what's going to a hit-which is why you want someone to share the financial risk of putting out a book if you can possibly arrange it.
Heck, its the reason why our plucky young self-pub heroine tried 14 publishers before she tried self-publishing.
Its the reason why mid-lister Barry Eisler went for a trad pub contract-advance and all- with Amazon Publishing.
Its the reason why mid-lister and very tech -aware author Charles Stross is sticking withTor Publishing-a branch of BPH MacMillan.
Its the reason why every successful self-pubber opts from a trad publishing contract when one is offered.
Now that our PSPH has proved herself, what are the odds that she will make the same choice once a BPH comes calling?