I too appreciate the fact that your blog deals with different realms of the publishing industry. My goal is to give emerging authors who are using new outlets for publishing, a chance to be heard. While the typical audio book is out of reach for most new authors, I’ve found a way to make it more affordable (as well as offering other inexpensive means for book promotion via podcasts and audio “teasers” for authors’ websites.) I hope if you find my site link useful you’ll share it with your bloggers. This is my first blog posting so apologies if I’ve overstepped in any way.

Thanks for the great site! This is one of the few places I’ve found that actually addresses people working in different realms of the publishing industry. I’ve really enjoyed looking through it.

I also know of a book that might be of interest to your readers. It’s called Book Publishing 1, and is published by the Canadian Centre for Studies in Publishing (CCSP) Press. It is a collection of concise articles dealing with various aspects of the industry, including author-editor relations, purchasing, promotion, and title aquisition. Check out the CCSP Press website at http://ccsppress.com

Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing: LK is a student in the Master of Publishing Program at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, BC, Canada. The book she referenced contains articles written by graduates and faculty members of the MPub Program. Price of the book: $39.95.

As far what the contract would look like, with most of the risk squeezed out with an established sales record and global word of mouth awareness, it would include a significantly higher royalty rate with and keep the Indie author’s marketing infrastructure in place or grant the option of final approval on cover, website, blog, etc.

Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing: Trot over to the http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,7-2073717,00.html for some more info re lulu.com.

I do need clarification on what “standard retail distribution” means relative to the contract between publishing house and author. Once the hard work is done by the author, what would that contract look like, Val?

Coming from the founding team at one of Silicon Valley’s early search engines (yes, we had a serious IPO in 2000) and a dedicated Web evangelist, I am a proponent of creating a two-step “Indie” publishing-industry option that uses the Web as a launching platform for new authors of both quality fiction and non-fiction with the will as well as the financial resources and committment (similar to emerging filmmakers at a Sundance or Telluride).

Step One will be to publish (via a Lulu or Booksurge or an iuniverse) and market the title on Amazon to generate a serious sales track record seeded by their personal blog and website and text ads on Google, Yahoo, MSN and targeted blogs. This will allow an emerging author to build their reader base and word-of-mouth within a sensible and flexible timeline vs the 3-6 week sales window current with the major retail chains.

Step Two would be for the author to engage with major publishers for standard retail distribution worldwide. A sucessful Amazon-based sales record and marketing campaign will provide the emerging author with the traction to negotiate a truly serious contract. The great and very real benefit to the traditional publisher will be a huge reduction in risk with a marketing platform solidly in place. You can visit the Indie Option at work at http://www.awomanfromcairo.com.

You’ve taken on an impressive menu, Your Contrariness, and I look forward to reading more.

Note from the Wicked Witch of Publishing: Andrew is a retired California highway patrolman turned freelance journalist and author. His collection of stories, The Swan — Tales of the Sacramento Valley, was published in 2004. He has also written seventeen reviews for Amazon.com. His wife and he publish an e-zine called The Woman’s Corner Magazine.

My comment, a little frivolous in tone, has a serious (and wildly self-indulgent) point; there is a moment when a ‘promising’ writer, having not broken through, stops being promising? That moment seems to come more quickly than it used to. Is there a point at which it is no longer worth while – statistically – plugging away at mainstream publishing?

Well, good to read a blog from an industry insider,

Best wishes

John Barlow 3rd

Note from the Wicked Witch: John, too funny! (See John’s previous comment.) John’s books: Intoxicated (pub date March 2006!), Los Ramones and Eating Mammals (won The Paris Review Discovery Prize in 2002). 

Note from Wicked Witch of Publishing: Steve’s unpublished book Sand Storm was reviewed in blogcritics.org in January 2006: “…a 24-esque, stomach-clench of a story…”  His blog promises to contain author & book news, as well as the “occasional diatribe, rant and tirade.” My type of guy!