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Post by Daniel on Jul 25, 2015 8:55:42 GMT -5
The above headline is not news to any of us here at the Pub, but it's interesting when a respected publishing industry analyst like Mike Shatzkin lays it out from a traditional publishing perspective: Another wake-up call from Amazon as they serve author interests better than publishers haveThe article focuses on how Amazon is giving readers an easy way to sign up for new release notices, noting that Amazon ends up owning that data. As Shatzkin puts it: Shatzkin claims that Amazon does not offer true engagement between the author and readers. He may be forgetting about the discussion features, although I'll grant that Amazon's poor implementation makes it difficult for authors to monitor that. Goodreads comes closer, but the fact is that authors should not rely upon third parties for the connection with their fans. Facilities like Amazon's release notices are a nice adjunct, but that particular tool has already proven unreliable once in the past. Letting Amazon, or any third party, own the interaction between you and your fans is an unnecessary gamble. This is why I frequently make noise about having your own website (your Internet "hub"), branded with your own domain name, your own "new releases" email list, and as many ways as possible to increase engagement with your readers. It's perfectly fine to engage through social networking sites, but all roads should lead back to your own website or blog. Readers who shop on Amazon are Amazon's customers, but when some of those readers buy one of your books, they become your customers, too. |
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Post by vrabinec on Jul 25, 2015 9:24:06 GMT -5
Man, Amazon's gotta scare the shit out of publishers. They have their foot in the door of publishing now, and with their buying power, they'll be able to work a deal for cheap books to be put together. Put the onus on the author to find an editor and cover art, etc.. and their base of authors will grow exponentially. The big pubs are in deep shit. They're fat and bloated, and Amazon is sleek and sophisticated.
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Post by Becca Mills on Jul 25, 2015 9:56:33 GMT -5
Nice article. Really, publishers have never given authors much help with online presence. Rowling didn't get Scholastic's help with Pottermore, eh?
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Post by Daniel on Jul 25, 2015 17:30:28 GMT -5
Man, Amazon's gotta scare the shit out of publishers. Really, publishers have never given authors much help with online presence. I'm sure Amazon does scare the shit out of publishers. Amazon have a direct line to authors and readers, and they treat both better than publishers ever have. The big publishers have always sold their product through distributors and allowed retailers to own the customer list. Big publishers have always treated authors like second-rate employees. Except for the bestsellers, of course; they treat the bestsellers like spoiled children. I don't have firsthand experience with this, and I know of authors who absolutely love their agents and publishers, but you don't have to do very much research into this business to uncover a lot of grumbling about how authors are treated. It's easy to see why publishers don't do much to help authors with an online presence other than the relatively recent (and vague) focus on wanting authors to "have a platform." Most authors see themselves as a brand that is independent of their publisher. They may self-publish the titles their publisher rejects. They may publish their back-list after they get their rights back. They may move on to a different publisher who offers a better deal. These days, I suspect publishers see a successful author platform as something that almost competes against their interests. A smart approach would be for publishers to facilitate an author's web presence and foster engagement with readers so the author becomes more dependent upon the relationship. Gosh, that sounds a lot like what Amazon's doing with author pages, series pages, new release notices, author-specific discussion threads, and consuming feeds from social networking sites. Yeah, publishers should be scared. |
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Post by Becca Mills on Jul 26, 2015 0:23:34 GMT -5
Man, Amazon's gotta scare the shit out of publishers. Really, publishers have never given authors much help with online presence. I'm sure Amazon does scare the shit out of publishers. Amazon have a direct line to authors and readers, and they treat both better than publishers ever have. The big publishers have always sold their product through distributors and allowed retailers to own the customer list. Big publishers have always treated authors like second-rate employees. Except for the bestsellers, of course; they treat the bestsellers like spoiled children. I don't have firsthand experience with this, and I know of authors who absolutely love their agents and publishers, but you don't have to do very much research into this business to uncover a lot of grumbling about how authors are treated. It's easy to see why publishers don't do much to help authors with an online presence other than the relatively recent (and vague) focus on wanting authors to "have a platform." Most authors see themselves as a brand that is independent of their publisher. They may self-publish the titles their publisher rejects. They may publish their back-list after they get their rights back. They may move on to a different publisher who offers a better deal. These days, I suspect publishers see a successful author platform as something that almost competes against their interests. A smart approach would be for publishers to facilitate an author's web presence and foster engagement with readers so the author becomes more dependent upon the relationship. Gosh, that sounds a lot like what Amazon's doing with author pages, series pages, new release notices, author-specific discussion threads, and consuming feeds from social networking sites. Yeah, publishers should be scared. Such excellent points, Daniel. |
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Post by Becca Mills on Jul 26, 2015 0:27:35 GMT -5
This NYT piece pretty much sums up my take on the situation with Go Set a Watchman. Notice that it comes down to publisher greed. Hopefully, thirty years from now, no one will have to wonder if an elderly writer really wanted to published some "newly discovered" manuscript. Everyone will know that if they wanted to publish it, they would've, because publishing is freely available to everyone. |
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Post by vrabinec on Jul 27, 2015 8:52:17 GMT -5
Go Set a Watchman is a work of art. I don't give a shit what anyone says. It's a great book. Read it. No, it's not TKMB, but so the hell what? Just because Monet left a bunch of paintings in his place that he didn't try to sell, doesn't mean they aren't pretty. I'm glad it came out.
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Post by Becca Mills on Jul 27, 2015 13:02:48 GMT -5
Go Set a Watchman is a work of art. I don't give a shit what anyone says. It's a great book. Read it. No, it's not TKMB, but so the hell what? Just because Monet left a bunch of paintings in his place that he didn't try to sell, doesn't mean they aren't pretty. I'm glad it came out. I'm not going to bother reading it. I actually don't think <heresy alert> that Mockingbird gets much past the "good" mark, so there's no real motivation there for me to read another Lee novel. If I get to teach YA lit again, I'll pair Watchman with Mockingbird and teach them both, but it'd take that to induce me to read it. |
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Post by vrabinec on Jul 27, 2015 13:19:47 GMT -5
I like it for the language use. Both her and Capote use language so well, I wish I got to see one of their conversations. Or, maybe I'd be disappointed since this is post-editing and polish. I certainly don't speak like I write. When I speak, it comes out like a drunk truck driver.
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Post by Becca Mills on Jul 27, 2015 13:36:33 GMT -5
I like it for the language use. Both her and Capote use language so well, I wish I got to see one of their conversations. Or, maybe I'd be disappointed since this is post-editing and polish. I certainly don't speak like I write. When I speak, it comes out like a drunk truck driver. That's as it should be with writers, IMO. What's on the page should be a delightful surprise!  |
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