Quote:
Originally Posted by Elfwreck
I'd add one more:
5- Advertising - letting the public know this book exists, and that it's worth their time and money.
That's the *only* aspect that indie authors will never be able to do as well as a big company... and it's the aspect publishers cut first when they're feeling strapped for cash. Over the years, they've pushed more and more of this onto the authors: Start your own blog! Schedule your own bookstore appearances! No talk shows, not even local-tv interviews, for anyone not on the NYT Bestseller list! No press releases, no attempts to get reviews in big publications, no "coming soon" announcements for the midlist.
No wonder those authors are pondering how much they can do for themselves. While print distribution is still tricky for indie authors and small publishers, it's no longer essential to an author's career. Advertising is, and will remain, crucial to a financially successful career. And publishers are failing to provide it for anyone they don't think is a superstar.
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I won't argue with the *need* for advertising but since I haven't actually seen the BPHs do it I wasn't sure if it was fair to list it. Of course, I'm not a subscriber to the New Yorker or the NYT so I could just be missing out on hordes of highly valuable ads...
Most of what I've heard lately is about what the authors are doing *themselves*, which is stuff they can do regardless of the publishing track they choose to follow.