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Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks
There are several artists that I talked to that were willing to do an ebook cover in the 80 dollar range . . . . Sure, these aren't your big-name famous cover-art authors, but there's a lot of talent out there!!!! . . .
Same with editing. I've done editing work and been paid by the word, by the document and so on. It doesn't have to cost 5k. Marketing? I'd like to think that a trad publisher would spend that much on me! There are smaller PR firms that will do basic PR for 500 dollar packages--but most what comes in small packages are things you can do yourself.
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And so how successful are these books? How many tens of thousands have been sold? How many have been reviewed other than in the local weekly newspaper? How many are stocked on the shelves at B&N? How many national awards have these books won or even nominated for? How many classrooms make them recommended reading?
My point is that yes, you can do things very cheaply. Heck, I know editors who will edit a book for less than 50 cents a page. But it's the difference between a Yugo and a Toyota. It's the difference between an editor who knows that shear and sheer are not the same thing, that affect and effect, their and there, and roll and role give different meaning to a sentence. Highly skilled editors cost more but bring more to the table than just running spellcheck.
The same is true of cover designers and book designers, as well as book marketers (is the same marketer who can sell local oil changes very well equally capable of getting your book on regional TV and for the same price?). There is a reason why these professions are pyramidal and there is truth to these statements: you get what you pay for and you reap what you sow (or should that be sew or so? a good editor knows
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The issue isn't can it get done less expensively; the issue is what level of quality is "good enough". As you wrote:
Quote:
Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks
Any large business (such as a trad publisher) is going to attract and have to pay for more expensive artwork/editors/PR and so on. It's part of their success. The little guy can do a pretty good job, if the little guy is willing to--on a much smaller budget!
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Ultimately, the questions are How good is pretty good? and Is pretty good good enough? (Of course, it isn't clear what pretty good means.) As you note, traditional publishers are successful because they do spend the money.