Quote:
Originally Posted by dickloraine
The reason of course is that print is still important. And the best way to get into shops is by a publisher. Of course I don't know any contractual details, 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.
Other fields of works have unions, to protect workers. Author don't have them, groups like the author guild have done nothing to negotiate for better standard contracts. Now there is a way to earn money without publishers. And that highlights just how bad some of the contracts in publishing are for authors. For the first time, there is now an alternative.
Having a publisher can be a good thing for authors. Options are good. But only through self-publishing options are now there.
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Authors have agents to protect them and negotiate better contracts. No different than sports figures and actors in that regard. I'm pretty sure that Tom Clancy and J.K. Rowlings predated the self publishing possibilities that you talk about. As far as I can tell, things are not greatly different for authors than they were 10 years ago. Once again, it's nice that authors have options, but it's not nearly the game changer you think.