LEVEL FIELD = ADVANTAGE TO WRITER

I cribbed this from another forum I post on because I didn't want those here to be deprived of the refulgent light of my genius.

The discussion there was the effect of economic downturn on publishing.

I posted:

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Really good point, about the economic downturn affecting the big publishers.

I see two possible outcomes of that, both seem fairly inevitiable, but then it seemed inevitable that Detroit would start making smaller cars in the seventies, didn't it? (Am I wrong to continually compare Big Publishing with Big Motown?)

First one: heyday for the smaller press, and a big boost for POD: which may not be cheaper to the consumer but is sure as hell cheaper to the publisher.

Second one: will this be what makes eBooks "arrive"? An eBook cuts so many of the massive book production and fulfillment costs to virtually zero.

We'll see.

Mike Coombs replied:

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The publishing 'revolution' which we've been promised, where every title ever conceived is always available and no book ever goes out of print, which is the positive possibility of POD, with a POD press in every major bookstore (putting the independents out of business, probably), has still yet to happen. When it does, that may herald a new beginning for smaller presses and e-books. Kindles andf the like may also have that same effect, one day.

The thing that will always put the brakes on the smaller presses and thew self publisher will, regardless of any reduction of production costs, be money.

At the moment some of the big deciding factors as to which books fail and which books thrive, regardless of quality of content, are how they are marketed and whether they end up in the bookstore window, front of house or relegated to a minor shelf.

With a greater proliferation of titles, and a greater number of media and outlets, the guys who can utilise that reduced production cost and channel it into marketing will be the guys who sell the vast majority of titles.

I replied to Mike:

Quote :

The combination of internet with POD,eBook, etc. is a powerful leveller. It will be interesting to see who gets leveled.

The promised revolution gets closer every day, and a lot of it is in reaching a consumer tipping point.

In 1990 I wouldn't have beleived that there'd come a time when most people's preferred way of hearing music was from digital files delivered over earbuds. I thought Walkmans were a joke for geeks or hipsters.

In 1984 I wouldn't have beleived that I'd own a computer in my own house and use it for writing.

In 1956 nobody in the U.S. thought people would buy more foreign than domestic cars.

Then you have the whole Man Will Never Fly thing.

I think it's happening and the economic situation will be a hastening factor.

One big step will be a reader under $100. Shouldn't be a problem. Ditch the expensive wifi stuff for openers. Start using existing technology. Mp3 player used to mean iPod, and they were $300.
Now I use one that costs $25. And it shows pictures.

I think a big factor is going to be people starting to take the bus instead of driving to work. There they are, bored out of their mind. And they see a guy across the way reading a book on his cell phone or Blackberry. And the go, hmmmmm....

The sound that strikes terror into the hearts of dinosaur business models.

Here's my new reponse to myself (my favorite conversational partner, which is starting to cause concern around the neighborhood)

And the meat of this thread. Hopefully.

Here's another thing about ePubishing worth a long and careful muse:
Examine the costs of publishing a book and bar graph the various expenses like printing, warehousing, transportation of goods to market, promotion, and author's royalties.

Guess which is the smallest? (Extra credit: guess which is the only one that isn't rising at a rate uncontrolable by the publishers?)

Now look at eBooks, where costs apporach zero. Making the BIGGEST EXPENSE INVOLVED the ownership of the author's rights.

So any author choosing to ePublish his own work has an actual economic advantage over anybody who has to pay for rights.

That's a factor that hasn't been much discussed, but it's powerful.

A great summation and response to the Man Will Never Fly outlook. In 1936 who would have dreamed that the time would come when millions of people would spend their evenings staring at a box in their living room? In 1916 who imagined that movies would ever talk?
Change happens, except the opinions of naysayers.

I've got to brag about my inventor grandfather here. He would talk about all the inventions of the future. In the forties and fifties, he talked about microwave ovens. Our house had strange telephones and he knew we would someday have phones we could carry in our pockets. And when he died in the early 1970s, he was working on a small home computer in his basement workshop.

He taught me to know that the unthinkable could occur, and the unbelievable could be invented. He taught me about how good ideas often get put down, and solutions are not always simple or what has been considered.

And in the 1960s, I'd find him on the porch of my childhood home, sitting and watching the planes go over our house on their approach to O'Hare, happy in knowing he knew it could happen way back before the Wright brothers did.

So hopefully good ideas won't be put down, and there are solutions we haven't even thought of yet, and people will keep reading books in some format.

Carol

Great discussion, lin. And in honor of all the naysayers, I post the story of the Neigh Sayer


Over the road, in the wild land of Lester’s Field, lived one lone horse. She had been registered long ago by her owners as “Southern Star,” but, she preferred to be called by the name her mother had given her when she was born… Maudie.

Maudie had grown up with the children of Lester’s Field. They used to come each day after school, and bring her carrots and apples, and brush her beautiful silver-grey coat, and climb on her back for a good long chase through the pastures and woods. Those were the happy times. Now, all the children had grown up and moved away to other places. The old Judge Lester had died and his widow was spending more and more time in their other home on the Island. She had hired a man to come and give Maudie her Sweet Feed every day, but he was busy and did not have much time to stay and talk. He always rubbed her nose and said “Good afternoon, Maudie. Have a good feed!” Then he drove away. Maudie had been “put out to pasture.”

A barbed wire fence separated Maudie from the forty-seven red cows and one red bull that lived in Lester’s Field. Several of the red cows were quite nice. Maybelle, especially, came to visit with Maudie over the fence and talk about her calf… what a trial the little one was, and how she had a mind of her own. Maybelle was very proud of her calf.

Other than the cows, Maudie only talked with birds. The Crow came once a day when the hired man brought the Sweet Feed, and rambled on and on, mostly about a dog named Wooffer. Maudie would like to see a Wooffer. She had never seen one in her life. Yes, she would like to see a Wooffer…

But Maudie’s best friends were the Egrets. Her favorite was Ibie The Ibis. Ibie walked with Maudie everywhere. Sometimes she rode on Maudie’s back. They talked of all manner of things. Important things like, “Why the grass is green?” “Where the stars go during the day?” and other things of interest to them both.

One day, Maudie was talking with Ibie the Ibis and asked, “Have you ever seen a Wooffer?” Ibie flew down off Maudie’s back landed right in front of Maudie’s nose. “So, YOU have heard of a Wooffer, too?” he demanded.

Maudie said, “Yes, you mean there is such a thing? I heard something about it from the crow, but you know how he makes things up just to get some Sweet Feed.” Ibie had heard about Wooffer from the peacock and “the peacock tells the truth” he said.

From that day on, Maudie and Ibie could think of nothing but finding Wooffer. They asked everyone they saw to tell them what they knew about Wooffer. When the crow came for the Sweet Feed, Maudie ask him to tell her everything he knew. Well, the crow did not know much, but he did know that Wooffer lived over the road and was not allowed to cross it. It seemed hopeless for Maudie to see Wooffer. She could not get out of her fence… But Ibie could, and Ibie did. She flew over the road, and landed right by the Old Oak Tree where Mr. A.A. Corn was eating acorns. Ibie asked Mr. A.A. Corn to tell her about Wooffer, and explained about Maudie in Lester’s Field and how they both wanted to see what a Wooffer was.

Well, Mr. Corn went to Lester’s Field and told Ibie and Maudie everything he knew about Wooffer. He left nothing out ( he was very fond of Wooffer, himself) and told about the climbing of the tree and how Wooffer was the friend to all animals, big and small. “But,” he added, “he is not allowed to cross the road.”

Several days later, Wooffer’s mom went to get the mail out of the box by the road. Maudie and Ibie were close to the fence.

Maudie shouted, “Neigh!”

Ibie shouted “Bur!” Again and LOUDER. “NEEIIGGHH!!” and “BUURRR!”

Wooffer’s mom came up to the fence and stroked Maudie on the nose. She said a kind “Hello” to Ibie. “What is it you want to talk about?” she asked.

Well they both started to talk at once. But finally they got it all said. They wanted to talk to Wooffer. They wanted to be friends. Wooffer’s mom went across the road and picked Wooffer up in her arms and carried him over to the fence. She put him on the ground in front of Maudie and Ibie. Wooffer and Maudie and Ibie talked for a good long time while Wooffer’s mom waited close by. They talked of many things, of why the sky is blue, and if fish rain down from the clouds, and how flowers know what color they are.

Wooffer’s mom promised to bring Wooffer one time a week to the fence to visit with Maudie and Ibie. They were very happy and so was Wooffer. He did like a good discussion.


Love,
Betty

A beautiful story, as usual. No one knows the birds and animals quite the way you do, Betty.

lin wrote:

Guess which is the smallest? (Extra credit: guess which is the only one that isn't rising at a rate uncontrolable by the publishers?)

Now look at eBooks, where costs apporach zero. Making the BIGGEST EXPENSE INVOLVED the ownership of the author's rights.

So any author choosing to ePublish his own work has an actual economic advantage over anybody who has to pay for rights.

That's a factor that hasn't been much discussed, but it's powerful.

I agree with the power here Lin. The "starving writer" need not be in this scenario, because we have full control of our own work. In this vein, I have just published a small book, and I kept it small for good reason, because to mail a 300 pg book to someone costs $11 or so here. My little book (about 140 pages) costs me just $2.50. Parts of it will come out as an e-book, but I find that a lot of people (mostly me) don't like reading on their computer screen (sucks when I am in bed too). But for all those Kindlers and Mobi-pocketers out there, and folks who want to get the material instantly or print it off in pieces for themselves, an e-book is A-OK.

My only caveat when it comes to self publishing relates to quality. There are a lot of folks out there positioning themselves as "experts" by their writing/blogging, but really all they are doing is relaying information (if that). Not knowledge, not quality, and so the readers have to sort the wheat from the chaff, which may be a lot to ask sometimes. It kinda freaks me out.

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There are a lot of folks out there positioning themselves as "experts" by their writing/blogging, but really all they are doing is relaying information (if that)

Boy, I hope they don't let any of them in here. :-)

Yeah, I see what you're saying. I was thinking chiefly of ebooks because their minimal cost really spikes up the "ingredient value" of the rights, but it also applies at the level you're talking about.

And you don't have to pay all the "cost of doing business" a big corporation does. Like warehousing, transport, witholding and unemployment, middle management, all that jazz.

My partner, about as expert on economics as anybody anywhere (opposites attract) often says, "Yes, there are economies of scale. But there are also DISeconomies of scale."

lin wrote:

DISeconomies of scale."

Great phrase.

He was a Phi Beta Kappa in econ at Columbia, graduated in three years. He picked up quite a few pithy little comments around there. :-)

Lin, I think that you are on to something. The squeeze is going to force some authors with followings to other options to get their work out. Once those readers follow their authors to ebooks, PA, self-published, POD and other avenues they chose, they will look around. They may find some other works that they enjoy from those new publisher names that they have been introduced too.

The kick is this, the squeeze my do more to legitimize the nontraditional channels than anything else that has happened before. If those author's work is at the same level that gained their fans to begin with, the myth of only books from X publishers are legit will die.

Great topic, lin, with lots of good input.

Betty, as always, a great story!

Lin,
I think you could create an interesting cartoon to describe what you're saying.

Possibly, if I could draw a lick. Which I emphaticaly can't. A real tragedy, actually.