Even successful authors struggle to make a living these days. In an article by Alison Flood, Flood writes that it’s harder and harder these days for authors, even those that have won awards, to be able to survive from book sales alone. ‘After figures released this week showed professional authors' median annual incomes have collapsed to to £11,000, The Society of Authors' chief executive has claimed that traditional publishers' terms "are no longer fair or sustainable"’. (Flood, 2014).
There are however ways that authors can get around using publishers. Keith Martin Smith describes traditional publishing as ‘slow’, ‘unfair’, ‘outdated’, ‘ineffective’, ‘short-lived’ and ‘not cost-effective’. (Keith Martin-Smith, 2014). But he does talk very positively about self-publishing, ‘Self-publishing seems like it offers everything a writer could want. Print-on-demand. Design services. Fast turn-around. Copyediting services. Minimal financial risk. High rates of return per-sale (from 50-85%, as opposed to 8-15% in traditional publishing). The ability to write the book a writer wants to write. No risk of rejection, even for bad ideas and poorly written books.’ (Keith Martin-Smith, 2014).
Looking at an article written by Cryus Moore he instead argues that, ‘But while publishers' reputations depend on quality, Amazon's focus is on volumes. Regulators need to ensure a book industry which has a healthy dose of both quality and quantity by ensuring that all players operate on a level playing field. Time is ticking buy. Regulators are in danger of missing the boat. By the time they finally get a grip on the issue, there may be no publishing industry to regulate.’
In conclusion I think that it depends what the author wants from the publisher and whether it’s worth the cost either way.
References:
- Flood, A. (2014). Traditional publishing is 'no longer fair or sustainable', says Society of Authors. [online] the Guardian. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/jul/11/traditional-publishing-fair-sustainable-society-of-authors [Accessed 26 Nov. 2014].
- Keith Martin-Smith, (2014). Self Publishing versus Traditional Publishing: An Author Guide - Keith Martin-Smith. [online] Available at: http://www.keithmartinsmith.com/articles/self-publication-vs-traditional-publishing-an-author-guide/ [Accessed 26 Nov. 2014].
- The Huffington Post UK, (2014). Amazon vs. Hachette and the Future of Book Publishing. [online] Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/cyrus-moore/amazon-vs-hachette_b_5693993.html [Accessed 26 Nov. 2014].
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There are however ways that authors can get around using publishers. Keith Martin Smith describes traditional publishing as ‘slow’, ‘unfair’, ‘outdated’, ‘ineffective’, ‘short-lived’ and ‘not cost-effective’. (Keith Martin-Smith, 2014). But he does talk very positively about self-publishing, ‘Self-publishing seems like it offers everything a writer could want. Print-on-demand. Design services. Fast turn-around. Copyediting services. Minimal financial risk. High rates of return per-sale (from 50-85%, as opposed to 8-15% in traditional publishing). The ability to write the book a writer wants to write. No risk of rejection, even for bad ideas and poorly written books.’ (Keith Martin-Smith, 2014).
Looking at an article written by Cryus Moore he instead argues that, ‘But while publishers' reputations depend on quality, Amazon's focus is on volumes. Regulators need to ensure a book industry which has a healthy dose of both quality and quantity by ensuring that all players operate on a level playing field. Time is ticking buy. Regulators are in danger of missing the boat. By the time they finally get a grip on the issue, there may be no publishing industry to regulate.’
In conclusion I think that it depends what the author wants from the publisher and whether it’s worth the cost either way.
References:
- Flood, A. (2014). Traditional publishing is 'no longer fair or sustainable', says Society of Authors. [online] the Guardian. Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2014/jul/11/traditional-publishing-fair-sustainable-society-of-authors [Accessed 26 Nov. 2014].
- Keith Martin-Smith, (2014). Self Publishing versus Traditional Publishing: An Author Guide - Keith Martin-Smith. [online] Available at: http://www.keithmartinsmith.com/articles/self-publication-vs-traditional-publishing-an-author-guide/ [Accessed 26 Nov. 2014].
- The Huffington Post UK, (2014). Amazon vs. Hachette and the Future of Book Publishing. [online] Available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/cyrus-moore/amazon-vs-hachette_b_5693993.html [Accessed 26 Nov. 2014].
Word count: 280