[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by dickloraine

but I bet they get much better ones than normal author. They aren't desperate for a contract, they make it, because it benefits them. And they have proof of being profitable for the publisher..

That actually runs both ways.
Established authors benefit from better contracts but the way things are headed, they are the only ones benefitting from publisher support because the bulk of BPH revenue comes from them:

Big-5 publishers are massively reliant on their most established authors to the tune of 63% of their e-book revenue.

http://authorearnings.com/report/the...author-report/

There is a generational divide at work: authors who established themselves pre-conspiracy are benefiting from tradpub contracts. Those who weren't established by then aren't.

There is a limit to the value of B&M print access because the biggest benefit is the front table payola and that only goes to the top seller (older) authors. The bar for that support is getting ever higher, even for older authors, leading to things like this:

Hamilton and his agent, Shane Salerno, said the publisher's comment was deeply misleading and, contrary to what SMP implied, it was Hamilton who chose to end the relationship. The reason? A lackluster plan from SMP to promote The Second Life of Nick Mason.

A two time Edgar-winner, Hamilton, who has been at SMP for 17 years, said the publisher's statement "wasn’t right factually, and it wasn’t right in principle, not after such a long relationship." He added: "This was my decision and mine alone. And any suggestion otherwise is ridiculous."

Hamilton, however, said none of those claims are true. "There was no national campaign," he wrote via email. "None at all." Staying with his publisher, given what they were doing, was unthinkable, he added. "The catastrophe that would have transpired for a book with extraordinary advance reviews would have been unfair to me, to my book, and to every bookseller."

When asked about the statements made about the supposed marketing plans for the book, SMP again declined to comment. However, it is an open secret in the publishing industry that claims made on galleys and other material for the trade--about everything from first printings to marketing budgets and efforts--can be gross exaggerations. This fact has begun to spread beyond the confines of the industry, though, as more authors and industry experts take to the Internet with posts about the realities of what Big Five publishers actually do for most authors on the marketing front.

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/b...f-support.html

In the olden days writers had no choice but to quietly put up with lack of support. Omerta ruled. But as even the tradpub establishment mouthpieces admit, those days are over. Having options makes "you'll never work in this town again" a hollow threat.

It'll be interesting to see where Hamilton lands.