The funny thing is, in the world of film, such projects have a certain distinction or prestige. They’re considered to be art of a higher caliber than the major-studio produced movies.
So why isn’t that the case in the world of publishing? It’s no doubt because it’s believed that if the creator hasn’t run the gauntlet of the conventional publishing process, the work itself must have been rejected as unworthy of a publisher’s time and money. But just as the major studios can afford big special effects and expensive set designs, but can’t afford to take a risk on an unknown director, so the major publishers can afford large print runs and graphic design departments but can’t afford to take a risk reading an unsolicited manuscript. It’s all in the numbers.

So, in the past, writers were left to bury themselves and their creativity under a mountain of rejection letters or to self-publish. Though that latter path has worked out well for some authors (among them some of the most impressive novelists of the last two centuries, including the Brontë sisters, Virginia Woolf, and James Joyce), many had only the option of going to a vanity press.

The vanity press, just like a conventional publisher, is in business to make a profit, so what’s the difference? Well, a vanity press tries to get as much money from the author as it can, does the minimum amount of service toward the book, and often keeps the rights or binds the author with tight restrictions. One of the main differences though, is that a vanity press is not selective. If a writer can pay the fee, that’s all that’s required.

It’s this lack of selectiveness combined with the failure to provide services beyond printing on the part of vanity presses that have given self-publishing such a bad reputation.

There is a way out of this dilemma though. It means taking the advantages of self-publishing with its freedom and independence, its ability to cater to potentially smaller markets, its profits-to-the-writer business model, and marrying it to the selectiveness, commitment to service, and standards of quality of the conventional publisher. There would only be one element missing–is Robert Redford busy?

Most of today’s authors have to spend their own time and sacrifice their time and money while writing. And then they have to seek out an agent who will then try and find them a patron (i.e. a publisher). Because both agent and publisher only make money once enough books have been sold to cover the costs involved, neither wants to take any risks on books without a projected mass-market appeal.

So even if a book is accepted by a traditional publisher, the author–the creator of the work–still hasn’t received any money. In fact, they’ll have to be content with seeing their book in print (and maybe a small “advance”) until a better-selling second book.

But what if the author could do it the other way around? What if the publisher eliminated their risk by being paid up front for the services and products provided, and the writer got to pocket all the proceeds of the book sales?

There was no way that model could have been possible in the past. The only economical way to publish was in quantity…and hope for sales to match. But with the revolution in publishing technology–both the advent of print-on-demand (enabled by printing from a digital file instead of a physical press), and the rising demand for audio books and e-books–has freed the industry from being tied to old forms of thinking.

Just as with independent music and independent film, independent publishing is ready for the next big push forward. Into the hands of the writer.

Then came the printing press and everything changed. Suddenly, books, pamphlets, and newspapers were relatively inexpensive, quick to produce, and accessible to the growing population of the literate.

Still, it took money to own a printing press and skilled labor to run one. Just as the case is today, those publishing a book had to cover their costs by ensuring sales prior to printing–by selling subscriptions in advance, for example.

The twentieth century saw the rise of the big publishing house which dealt with the financial risk of publishing by sticking to popular authors, considering relatively few (if any) unsolicited manuscripts, and tying the author’s remuneration to sales in the form of royalties.

All of that is about to change as drastically and as quickly as it did when the printing press was invented. At this point in history, there are new markets for written communication as literacy rates rise all over the world and new technologies are created to disseminate information in multifold media.

Today, readers aren’t bound to consume literature or opinion in books and newspapers produced by media conglomerates. In addition to these traditional media, there are p.o.d. (printed on demand) books, e-books, websites, blogs, and audio formats. All of which combine the benefits of a low financial risk with an ever-growing worldwide market.

With all of these choices, producers and consumers of literature will be brought closer together than ever before. With the efficiency, low cost, and ease of working with new technologies, authors will finally be able to manage the production of, the distribution of, and the income from their own works.

]]> http://www.ipublishpress.com/ippblog/taking-a-peek-at-the-forefront-of-modern-publishing/feed/ 0