Another Reason Why New Authors Don't Have Much Of A Chance

Here's the biggest reason that talented new authors, those without the credentials of fame, don't have much of a chance of getting published. The publishers would much rather publish a book by a 15 year old celebrity, I suppose because her memoirs will just have so much to say.

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Miley Set to 'Reveal' Even More

Amid yet another racy pic scandal, 15-year-old screen and singing sensation Miley Cyrus has announced she's putting pen to paper to write a memoir of her star-studded life.

The book is scheduled to hit the stands in spring 2009 (as published by the Disney Group) and is believed to feature never-before-seen pics (watch out!) and family stories.

"I hope to motivate mothers and daughters to build lifetimes of memories together and inspire kids around the world to live their dreams," Cyrus said in a statement released Tuesday.

You go, girl."

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The opening sentence will probably read:

"I was like, you know, Oh My God, like three when I knew I wanted to be a big star."

So long as the public wants this kind of book, we don't have to worry about being POD, self published, or anything else. We just don't have a story to tell that is better than a 15 year old pop tart star.

Unfortunately, a lot of teens will see any 15 year old who can earn more in one year ($17.2 million) than their day made in his entire life as something worthy of listening to.

Hard to imagine an entire memoir about that or about how much vanity one might have to be writing this kind of material so early in life.

Malcolm

I'm not denying that her book will sell, only that it will take up one more spot in the list of published books that a new author will not be able to fill.

I understand that most of us would not be writing for the same target readership as Miley Cyrus, which, of course, will be made up mostly of pre-teen girls. But bestseller lists don't see who buys the books, only the number sold, so if her book sells a few million copies to her group of fans, then it will occupy a spot on the charts that could be used for a great work by a new author. (Not that I know of any new authors that might actually be in the running, but there has to be some kind of principle that applies here.)

The opening sentence will probably read:

"I was like, you know, Oh My God, like three when I knew I wanted to be a big star."


If I was ghosting it instead of whoever else is I might consider leading with:

"I so totally think girls who want to be singing stars should choose parents who are also recording artists."

Just kidding around (somewhat). I like Billy Ray and Miley and think the whole mythos around her "where does Miley leave off and Hannah begin" thing is very clever.

As an alternative viewpoint--books about Miley Cyrus have been selling like gangbusters, without her making a dime off them. I have no problem with her wanting to capture some of that income for herself (or more likely, her dad and management wanting to capture it, since she can't even sign a legally binding contract yet).

And instead of taking money that could be used for other, no doubt better books--this will no doubt make a ton of money for its publisher, money that can be used to bankroll books that are far riskier. Most books any publisher puts out are crap shoots to a greater or lesser extent, and that proportion goes way up when you get to midlist stuff. So every huge blockbuster helps keep the publisher in a position to take a chance on the rest of us.

Jeff

I agree that a really big seller keeps the publisher in position to help the rest of us, Jeff, but that doesn't necessarily mean it happens. Sometimes huge sales revenue goes to higher salaries, sometimes to bonus', and sometimes to bigger advances for other celebrities that may want to "write" a book of their own.

I also like Billy Ray. I don't know Miley but I was around Billy Ray a bit back in Nashville, when we still had the radio show. A good friend of mine, a manager named Brayfield, worked with Billy Ray a lot in the years after the hubbub of Achy Breaky had worn down, and I have always thought Billy Ray was much better than some of his critics wanted everyone to believe.

I think the Hannah Montana show fits the market perfectly, and hit at exactly the right time. Miley is not a great singer, but she can carry a tune, and Disney has marketed her to the fullest.

It's not really any secret that I am a Buffy/Angel fan, so I prefer Angel (or Buffy) as a television program to watch, or as a book to read. In fact, I have a couple of Angel comics that you wrote. I thought I saw where you had written a few Angel paperbacks, but I can't find any at any of the local stores. I've read some of the Angel/Buffy crossovers, and have found the writing in them to be first rate.

I do understand how the market works, and I know that any company has to generate sales in order to have revenue to invest in new projects, but I really wish that some of the big publishers were a bit more willing to take more chances on more new authors. (Maybe the keyword here is chance.)

I may be the last of the eternal (infernal) optimists. I still think anything is possible. New authors are published every day. True, the big publishers tend to spend the most time and energy promoting a handful of tried and true money-makers. Good for them. They are in the business.

Since there is such a glut of material out there--so many folks writing--a smaller portion actually makes it into print.

Call me Pollyanna. If you keep working hard, doors will open for you. I choose to believe this.

Besides, I don't look half-bad in gingham and lace...

You're mad, madhattter. I like your optimism. You're a breath of fresh air.

Besides, I don't look half-bad in gingham and lace...

Neither do I, but if you tell anybody I'll have to hunt you down.

Gingham and lace also goes with rose coloured glasses quite nicely. I don't find anything wrong with that at all; if there weren't optimists, we'd likely all be depressed and miserable somewhere.
You go Rhett!

Don,

Pocket Books let their Buffy and Angel licenses lapse; as a result, the books are becoming harder and harder to find as they reach the end of their contracted sell-off period. I wrote 11 Angel novels, and co-wrote a Buffy-Angel crossover trilogy called Unseen.

I have to agree with Pollyanna the Madhatter--new writers are published all the time. Maybe there should be more, but it's not like the publishers have closed their doors to new writers. They just want to try to make their investments pay off, and if they can't get enough enthusiasm from the people who have to edit and sell something, they're going to pass on it. I've worked on that side of the table too, and I know it's hard to pass on something you like but that you just don't feel like there's a big enough audience for (or you think there's an audience but you don't know how to find it).

Jeff

"I wrote 11 Angel novels, and co-wrote a Buffy-Angel crossover trilogy called Unseen."

Jeff, I'll continue to look for these, and will buy them when I find them. I picked up the Angel comics on Ebay a couple of months ago, when I was trying to complete my collection of Buffy: Season Eight. I have all of the Buffy books now, including most of the variant covers, but not all of the Angel books. I'll keep looking.

I don't mean to sound negative when I say it is hard for a new author to get published in the traditional manner, but the fact is that is is hard. Very hard, and the odds are against it happening. Of course it does happen, quite often actually, but the percentages are very low.

Again, comparing it to the music business is my best way to show what I mean. I spent many years in Nashville as a songwriter, producer and publisher, and have seen a lot of would be writers and entertainers come and go. It is not always the one with the most talent that gets the deal, and it's not always the best written song that gets recorded. There are a lot of factors when songs and acts are chosen for national promotion.

Thousands of would be writers and singers come to Nashville every year, and there are tens of thousands of songs demoed and pitched. Only a very few (relatively speaking) ever get recorded, but the fact is that now and then a brand new writer will pitch a brand new song, and it will be an overnight hit. The song will hit the national charts, sell millions of copies, and make a star of the new singer who recorded it. It happens and everyone knows it happens, and so they don't care what the odds are, they keep writing, keep coming to town, and keep dreaming. And one of them will be the next sensation.

That's the way I see it happening in the book business. Thousands of books are written and pitched every year. Many of them are by first time writers. The vast majority will not be published, will not even be looked at, and the author will never earn one dime off his or her work. But one of them (or maybe more) will get accepted, some will hit the best seller lists, and some of the authors will become the next big names.

I would never discourage anyone not to pursue the dream. It's going to happen to someone, it may as well be you. I do think that knowing and facing the odds will help you to stay more positive when you don't make it this year, and may help you to focus more on making it next year. In the meantime I honestly believe that all of us should pursue every avenue available, and maybe even try to open a few doors where plain walls used to be.

We don't have to stop writing, and we should never stop dreaming, but we do need to reconcile ourselves to the fact that we may never be one of the ones who see their dreams come true, and that we should be prepared to make the best of whatever hand we are dealt.

Somebody is going to be the next superstar, and none of us knows who it will be. With that in mind, I think everyone should write as much as possible, learn as much as the craft and the business as they can, keep pitching their works to the major publishers and agents, and keep the dream alive.

And if it does happen to you, maybe you should try and recall all of those who are still out here with their dreams in hand, and do whatever you can to help get some doors open.

I agree with you, Don. Really. I am optimistic, but realistic. Especially with the economy as it is now, the big guys will be running lean for a bit; I feel sure.

Still....
Lightening does strike. And, if I am cowering in the clubhouse afraid to come out, it might not strike my piece of dirt.

Hm...maybe not such a good analogy....

Okay..Pigs do fly. If I'm not standing near the barnyard, I won't be there to witness it.

Er...

I'll stop now.

Quit while you're losing Rhett.

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The opening sentence will probably read:

"I was like, you know, Oh My God, like three when I knew I wanted to be a big star."

Oh and the fact that Billy Ray Cyrus is her father didn't help one bit
If he wasn't her father she'd probably be just another spotty adolescent wanting to be a star on American Losers, oops American Idol

One thing I am thinking, with the economy in the toilet, more people will be looking for decent (or not so decent) reading material for entertainment. And that promotes readers, even if they swap books back and forth to save money. Sooner or later, they will turn to other than 'mainstream' books.

How much does it cost to go to the movies? And how long does that experience last? Of course, there are DVDs out there, but how many times do you watch it? For myself, it had better be pretty good for me to even want to watch it a 2nd time. Those are few and far between for me.

Even DVD's can be expensive if they are good ones. TV is getting worse and worser! I would take a good book (or forum) over television except for a few good programs. At least what is good and interesting in my opinion!

The only electricity a book requires is lighting, if you read at night. And a book is even more portable than other forms of entertainment. Especially with the 'readers' they are coming out with.

Being a compulsive reader, I have always found that my imagination was far richer than anything Hollywood could put out. I'll take a good book over a crappy movie any day! When I have time to read, that is!

Sounds good to me. I'm working on a couple of books now for Not So Decent Press.

Good deal, lin. I think we all just need to keep on keepin' on!

lin wrote:

Sounds good to me. I'm working on a couple of books now for Not So Decent Press.

This may be just a coincidence Lin.... but that Mexican hat on your beautiful avatar looks rather like the Sombrero spiral galaxy:

http://uk.geocities.com/aa_spaceagent/sombrero.jpg

Jeffrey J. Mariotte wrote:

As an alternative viewpoint--books about Miley Cyrus have been selling like gangbusters, without her making a dime off them. I have no problem with her wanting to capture some of that income for herself (or more likely, her dad and management wanting to capture it, since she can't even sign a legally binding contract yet).
Jeff

Some have suggested that it's not so much the issue of whether she should write a book but whether it's rather foolish to call it a memoir at her age.

And, perhaps the gross revenues from her book will in fact help her publisher cover the costs of other books that might otherwise not be published.

My problem with this is what it "teaches": if you are famous or infamous, you can write a book without paying dues, without having any credentials, and without having any writing talent--or without anything to say.

Meanwhile, those who do pay their dues are left with the vague hope that the celebrity book MIGHT help get their books in the door. Once in, they won't be promoted because those dollars are all promoting the big name celebrity books that would sell with little promotion at all.

Malcolm

it's rather foolish to call it a memoir at her age.


But what else should she call it? Athletes and teen idols have short lives. And probably live more intense interest to people during that time than many people do in their four score and seven.

It does bug me that the big promo budgets go into stuff that's already hot.

But that's a common trait...the same way coaches spend the most time with the better athletes, rather than those who could use more coaching.

There MIGHT be a factor for POD here. Once the big expense of an extensive press run is undertaken, it's natural to want to push for maximum profits.

The minimal nut for POD might provide an area in which "micro-promo" makes sense and gets used.

Malcolm wrote:

Jeffrey J. Mariotte wrote:

As an alternative viewpoint--books about Miley Cyrus have been selling like gangbusters, without her making a dime off them. I have no problem with her wanting to capture some of that income for herself (or more likely, her dad and management wanting to capture it, since she can't even sign a legally binding contract yet).
Jeff

Some have suggested that it's not so much the issue of whether she should write a book but whether it's rather foolish to call it a memoir at her age.

And, perhaps the gross revenues from her book will in fact help her publisher cover the costs of other books that might otherwise not be published.

My problem with this is what it "teaches": if you are famous or infamous, you can write a book without paying dues, without having any credentials, and without having any writing talent--or without anything to say.

Meanwhile, those who do pay their dues are left with the vague hope that the celebrity book MIGHT help get their books in the door. Once in, they won't be promoted because those dollars are all promoting the big name celebrity books that would sell with little promotion at all.

Malcolm

Maybe she could call it Miley Smiley's Short Term Memory Note Pad, or I Remember the Womb, or Womb With A Star Filled View