R. L. Stedman

Writer

Marketing

The History of Publishing – How Everything Changed

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The History Of Publishing –

Picture Book
Image Source

Publishing is sharing of ideas and information.

Think of the town crier; the temple scribe; the playwright — these are all publishing, and they’ve all been around for thousands of years.

history of publishing

Pre-1440, dissemination of ideas was necessarily limited. A scribe can only pen so many books, and many people couldn’t read. New ideas spread slowly, limited by distance and education. The printing press arrived in 1440, and mass production of writing emerged. Books, tracts, magazines and newspapers could be read and shared.

And nowadays, publishing can be virtual and/or physical: blogs, journals, blogs, newspapers, books, radio, television, film…all is production and dissemination of creative work. The computer, and how we use it, changed everything.

Talk Transcript

This post is a transcript of a talk I will be delivering next week. Because the talk is quite long, I’ve set it out over three posts. I’ll put the slides for the talk at the end of the final blog post.

I thought it would be of interest to you, the reader (plus, I’m lazy; it’s a lot easier to write a talk twice than invent a whole new blog post!). The talk is called Your Story, Your Way: Options for Publishing, and I’m delivering it as part of a workshop for the Ronald Hugh Morrieson Awards. 

Now, before I begin: a disclaimer. I am not a publisher, an expert in the publishing industry or a lawyer. Think of me as a gifted amateur — all information offered here is my own opinion. That being said, I have an MBA and I’m continually analysing markets for the Day Job.

This post is mostly about fiction because that’s what I write 🙂 but some points in here are relevant for non-fiction too.

The Costs of Traditional Publishing

Up until the mid-nineteenth century, book publication was a costly enterprise. Print was laid on a page, often by hand. Printing presses were expensive and cumbersome, and print runs had to be large to reduce the per unit cost. Books are relatively large, heavy objects, so freight was expensive. And because paper is susceptible to damp they had to be stored in good conditions; inventory cost was high.

Mid-1800s

Not surprisingly, then, publishers tried to reduce the risks of printing books that might never sell. Works were published in serial format, like Dickens and Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes , or an author might fund or part-fund the initial print run. Walt Whitman, Mark Twain and Virginia Woolf all paid for early productions of their work. Woolf, I suspect, was motivated by creative control, but Twain, an entrepreneur, was frustrated by his publisher.

Mark Twain - history of publishing
Mark Twain

Twentieth Century

Throughout the twentieth century, print costs reduced. Skilled labour was replaced by machines and cost-effective distribution and supply chains were developed. And in the 1900s, a new model of publishing developed: venture capital.

Throughout the nineteenth century, and still into this day, large publishing houses offer advances to authors in anticipation of monies earned. In return, the publishing house gains the lion share of sales, and provides all the work to get the book to market.

The mid-late 1900s were the hey-day of print publishing.  It took a lot of capital to buy the presses to set up a publishing house, and it took a great deal of time and experience to develop the distribution networks of bookstores, libraries and bookclubs to purchase the books. So there was limited competition. And in times of limited competition, margins are high.

So, by the mid 1900s, trade publishing of fiction was probably a highly lucrative industry, as judged by the number of bookstores, newspapers and publishing companies.

THEN… along came the computer.

‘Frame-breaking change’ is business-speak for when rapid changes are enforced upon an industry, usually through technology. This isn’t a phenomenon unique to publishing: in the eighteenth century railways did this to stagecoaches.

What did the computer do?

Initially, computer-induced alterations were small. Typing became faster and it was easier to edit. But rapidly, the changes increased and increased, and this highly networked, traditional industry struggled to adapt.

And then — there was AMAZON.

And the everything changed, almost overnight.

history of publishing - the online store
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In 1994, Jeff Bezos created Amazon as an online bookstore. Bezos used this new computing technology to offer books to purchasers directly from printers. This meant no inventory costs, and a wider selection: a virtual store could stock thousands more titles than a traditional bookseller.

I’ve heard it said that although Bezos always dreamed of Amazon being a general store, he began with books, because he saw the high-margin publishing infrastructure a being ripe for change. I don’t know if that is true, and I also don’t know if its true that Bezos doesn’t care about literature; he’s certainly been very supportive of open access content creation.

But whatever the motivation, Amazon fundamentally changed the publishing industry, possibly even more than the introduction of the printing press.

Because after selling physical books, Amazon went three steps further. It digitised the books; it allowed content creators open access to its publishing platform, and it created a new, mass-market format for reading.

The e-reader.

history of publishing
Image Source

So, here’s what computers have done (so far) to publishing:

  • Per unit print costs have dramatically reduced.
  • Books can be digitised.
  • iPads, kindles, phones are all reading devices.
  • Print books can be bought and sold online, anywhere in the world.
  • Books can be downloaded as digital versions instantly, with no shipping costs.
  • Publishing platforms for trade fiction are open-access.
  • International cross-collaboration between creators is easy
  • Relationships between suppliers, distributors and content users can be developed across borders
  • Formatting and design are constantly improving, and ebooks are looking prettier than ever
  • Cross-content creation is emerging: say, books with music, or videos with vlogs
  • Piracy is easy
  • Increased competition for leisure time

Excited about what might come next?

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I am!

Next Post: Show me the money: Where publishers make their profits.

Writers! How to Avoid Poverty And Juggle a Day Job

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Avoid Poverty

How to Avoid Poverty And Still Write —

Some writers earn a lot of money from their books. The sad reality is that most do not. In my last post, I promised to share some of the mistakes I made in my quest to achieve an income from writing.

Fortunately, there is one mistake I failed to make – I never left my day job. I still work part-time, and probably will for as long as my workplace will have me!

Why do you need a day job?

Well, for a start, I need to eat! But I also enjoy my job – I have lovely colleagues, the work is always different, plus its a relief to step out of my head.

Perhaps one day I will earn enough so the day job isn’t so important. I certainly know other writers who earn a good salary from writing. However they’ll tell you that their success didn’t come overnight, and it didn’t come easy, and sometimes they miss their workplaces!

I just got a huge advance. So I don’t need to work!

Good for you! But before you get too excited, just remember: an advance is precisely that – an advance on earnings. It’s like an interest free loan. An advance does not equal cashflow and like all loans, it has to be repaid. And before you go squandering it – some publishing houses have taken authors to court to recoup their advances.

An acquiring editor of a large NYC house once told me: ‘we advise our authors to never give up their day job until they’ve sold at least three titles.’

I would suggest otherwise.

I would suggest don’t give up any day job until you’ve got sustainable income for at least three years, over multiple platforms.

Why so cautious?

Because writing is a tournament marketplace. And tournament marketplaces are tricky places to generate sustainable incomes in.

Tournament Marketplaces

Tournament marketplaces are characterised by:

  1. High numbers of players
  2. Low average earnings per player
  3. Very small number generating profits
  4. However, profits for a tiny number of players are extremely high
  5. These extremely high profits act as an incentive for new players to join the marketplace

Other examples of tournament markets include professional tennis players or (get this!) merchant bankers. Seriously. (I once read a whole economics paper on this. Personally, I would have thought merchant bankers did okay, but apparently not. Poor things… )

If you want to get rich, DON’T join a tournament market. Instead, be an engineer or a doctor, where both the average earnings and the profits per player are high.

Be Realistic

However, you may still have a dream of being a paid writer. Like me, you may even know in your head that the chances of making any money are incredibly low. So, if you decide to enter a tournament marketplace, do it with your eyes open.

That’s why I always say to start-out writers: keep the day job.Unfortunately, managing work and writing (especially when you’ve got kids) is challenging. I’ve tried it all: full-time, part-time and contract based. Here’s my thoughts on each option.

Day Job and Avoiding Poverty
From Will Write for Chocolate by Debbi Redpath Oh

Options for Day Jobs

1  Project-based work

Advantages:

  • If you’re self-employed, you can offset costs against your taxable income
  • You may have flexible hours
  • You can use times of paid work to save for times when you’re not working.

Disadvantages:

  • You don’t get paid holidays or sick leave
  • You can quickly get behind on income-related savings, such as superannuation payments.
  • You may need to take out income insurance
  • If you’re based at home, you may feel isolated
  • You’re vulnerable to marketplace changes

2  Part-time work

Advantages:

  • You get paid holiday, sick pay and colleagues
  • Superannuation schemes are maintained
  • You may be able to increase the hours worked if your boss has a shortage.
  • Your work may have skills/tools you can leverage to help your writing – like printers and reliable internet!

Disadvantages:

  • Salary levels of workers who traditionally look for part-time work (i.e. mothers with children) can be low
  • Not every workplace allows part-time work
  • You may be perceived as ‘less valuable’ to an organisation than your full-time colleagues.
  • Part-time hours can easily creep to full-time
  • Personally, I find it better to have a couple of writing days, and a couple of work days – this saves me having to juggle projects

3  Outsourced/Freelance

Advantages:

  • Very flexible.
  • You can, to a certain extent, set your own rates.
  • You can acquire work online. Platforms include: fiverr; upwork; yourVA.
  • Your costs are tax-deductible.
  • You may be able to leverage writing-related skill sets. For example: editing, marketing, copyediting.

Disadvantages:

  • You need to have a marketable skill set
  • You’ll be running a small business, so you’ll have to be comfortable with working as a business-person
  • You may be competing against low-wage economies. A designer based in Bangladesh has a lower cost of living than a designer in London.
  • Not all professions allow freelance work
  • It can be isolating
  • You may be vulnerable to platform changes or marketplace shocks
  • Payments may be lumpy, so cashflow can be a problem
  • Can take a while to gain traction

Learning to Juggle

Trying to write while working  a day job can be really, really tough. A writer with a day job has to learn to cope with a messy house and saying No. Here’s a tip: If you’re a working writer, do NOT join a PTA.

Do you have any tips for fitting in writing with a day job? How have you managed the juggle?

 

How to Make Money With Your Writing

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My Failure to Make Money…And What I Learned!

 

writer's notebook

The World of Books is Changing

Established publishers are going into receivership, being acquired by other publishers, or just … disappearing. Indie publishers are starting up. Writers are publishing their own work. On-line digital platforms, like Amazon, Smashwords, iBooks, stock more titles than any bricks and mortar bookshop could ever do. Readers, too, are changing. Book social media, like Goodreads and Wattpad are emerging powerhouses. Word of mouth has always sold books, but now there’s a new way to recommend. In this new landscape of freely available publishing, you’d think it would be easier than ever for a writer to make money. All a writer has to do is to bang a few thousand words onto a page, format it correctly, push the ‘publish’ button and bang, thousands of eager readers leap forward and voila – a bestseller is born!

Alas, the reality is quite, quite different.

My first novel, A Necklace of Souls, was received very well critically, even winning Best First Novel at the New Zealand Post Awards. But it earned me only a teeny, tiny amount. Barely enough to pay for ten weeks of groceries. Unfortunately, I need to eat for more than ten weeks a year! Critical success and good craft were just not enough. If I want to write full-time I need to earn more than ten weeks of groceries. I needed to earn fifty-two weeks! So:

In 2014, I set myself a challenge…

Within twelve months, I was going to try to turn a  hobby into a full-time business – that earned enough to allow me to eat all year round. I was going to give myself a stretch goal of one year, and just see what happens.

…And in 2017?

Dear reader — I was spectacularly unsuccessful!

However, I learned a lot. AND within twelve months of self-publishing my earnings were as much as my earlier year of being traditionally published. By 2016, I was able to eat for another ten weeks. Nah, don’t worry.  I didn’t starve. I have a day-job and a supportive husband.

 

A Second Tilt at the Windmill?

Over the next few months I’m embarking on a new series of posts: The Business of Writing. I’ll be talking about the publishing industry, market changes, trends and how to use these trends to set yourself up to turn a profit.  Some of the things I’ll talk about will be adaptations from an earlier material, which you can find here. I’ll be discussing some of the things I learned from my failure, and how I’m going to do things differently next time. Who knows, perhaps I might even get fifteen weeks of groceries this year!

Feel free to read along.

11 Tips To Help You Be a Better Writer

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How to Succeed as a Writer

This post sets out 11 tips for success that I wish I’d discovered earlier in my writing journey – and gives you practical hints on how to follow them.

writer's notebook
Image from Pixabay

This is a transcript of a talk I gave to the Waikato Children’s Literature Association back in 2013. The talk was so well received I thought I’d set it out as a blog post.

Plus, because it’s Friday, and I’m feeling generous :), I’ve remodeled the powerpoint and inserted it into the bottom of this post as a slide share (along with a pdf).

Shortcut links:

11 Tips to Help You Be a Better Writer.
11 Tips Unboxed – what they really mean
Slideshare and pdf

11 Tips to Help You Be a Better Writer

1. Read: Join a library/have a kindle account
2. Write what you want to read.
3. Believe in your stories
4. Discipline is another word for habit
5. Formal training helps
6. Know the rules before you break them
7. Join a writer’s group
8. Record your submissions
9. Don’t give up your day job
10. Be social
11. Retain the joy

The Tips Unboxed – what they really mean?

1. In the Beginning was the Word.

If you’re planning to write, you must read. Reading is like a work-out for writers. If you’re doing weight-training, you need to lift weights. And if you’re writing, you need to read. It really is that simple.

So it follows that first-time writers should have easy access to cheap books. Join a library, get a kindle account, find a good second-hand bookshop, steal from a friend. Read new-releases, not-so-new and frankly ancient. They’re all useful.

2. Know the market.

Some stores need to be told, while others are frankly…boring. Or they’ve been told already. You’ll only know this by reading – a LOT.

If you can’t find a book you want to read, chances are there could be a gap that only you can fill. But you’re only going to know the gaps if you know what is out there.

3. Believe in Yourself

I started to write because I had a story to tell, and I continued because I wanted to finish it. But writing the middle of a story is hard. that’s when the little voice inside you tells you that ‘you’re wrong’, ‘no-one wants to read your sh*t’, ‘why do you even bother?’ You need to keep believing, because books do not write themselves.

4. Continue the Journey

‘A novel is a very long piece of work,’ says Salman Rushdie in a massive understatement. But it’s true; it’s a marathon, not a sprint, and you need to keep going and going and going. The easiest way to do this, I find, is to not think about the deadline, but on the process.

I am very rut-focused. Once writing each day is a habit, it’s no longer something you have to tell yourself to do. It’s just part of your day.

5. Learning

Writing, like cabinet-making or knitting, is a craft. While you can teach yourself to knit or make furniture, having a teacher or mentor to call on makes the process much easier. A good teacher is a sounding-board, a librarian, an editor, a reviewer all rolled into one neat little package. While an MFA isn’t necessary, having formal training does help you avoid the worst pitfalls.

6. Editing and Reviewing

While there’s not such thing as perfect, it does help to understand the craft so well that you can break it with impunity. But the thing about breaking the rules is: you have to do it well. And you’ll only do that if you know what ‘right’ looks like, and if you have the necessary critical eye.

7. Learn from Others

Keeping a reading journal or a diary is all very well, but there’s nothing like bouncing ideas and angst off other writers. You can do this face to face or via social media, but believe me, it really helps. Some writer’s groups advertise in local libraries, others have twitter feeds or closed Facebook groups. Ask around, and see what works for you. One suggestion is: don’t join them all, or you won’t have time to write. Try a couple of groups first – if they’re a good group they’ll understand that you’re trying before buying – and see what is the best fit.

8. Grow a Confidence Suit? Or just Harden Up?

Rejections are inevitable, and boy they hurt. But sometimes, just sometimes, you get an acceptance. One tactic I’ve used is to note all my submissions in a spreadsheet. That way you can put in large red letters ‘ACCEPTED’. These red letters are a great confidence boost.

If it makes you feel better, the best writers have been rejected many, many times. Check out this great article about Marie Force, now a best-selling novelist, and the story of her rejections.
Personally, I think the difference between an okay writer and a really great one is the number of rejections – because in this industry persistence really is the key.

9. Story as Market: the Grim Statistics

The publishing industry is in a state of constant change. Actually, change is the only constant in publishing! Revenue for the Big 5 Publishers is declining, bookstores are closing, and the rise of new media – gaming, you-tube – reduces time for reading.

It’s also important to understand one thing about writing: the cashflow is terrible. Payments trickle in slowly, and generally it takes a fair number of books before one begins to make any kind of living. So unless you’re offered a substantial advance, you have to have a way of making money, and to make the same amount consistently and regularly. I strongly recommend: Do NOT give up your day job prematurely!

10. Be Social

If I had my time again, I would have started social media earlier. Why? Because social media allows you to interact directly with your readers. You’re not filtered through a bookstore or a publisher. Some writers are shy; most of us aren’t the most talkative folk (a gathering of writers is an interesting experience, with everyone watching each other for material!), many of us were born pre-internet, and most have day jobs. Keeping up with the web is time-consuming, and for some it’s frankly terrifying.

I’ve written more on social media in an earlier blog post, but mostly I’d say: don’t be shy. The majority of people are friendly. For every negative comment there are a hundred nice ones. And there’s nothing as cool as a note on your Facebook page saying “I loved your book!”

11. Enjoy the Ride

Having goals helps. Even if they’re not the most exciting (‘I will write 500 words tonight’), goals provide a sense of control over a craft that can, at times, feel uncontrollable. They provide direction and a feeling of achievement. On the days where writing feels hard, when the muse has turned her back and you’re tired of being alone (and poor), reviewing how far you have come can be a lot more helpful than worrying about how far you have to go. So set goals. Make them achievable and realistic and celebrate that you’ve met them before you move on to the next.

However, and this is the most important piece of advice for any writer:
Retain the joy.

In the end, we write because we have to; because we must. And because, of course, we cannot imagine doing anything else.

 

Want more information?

Check out the slideshare:

And here is the link to the pdf of this post, in case you want to read off-line.

How to Market Your Book (without feeling like a salesman)

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How to Market Your Book —

Marketing seems to freak out many writers, me included!

writer's notebook
Notebook – Image from Pixabay

I guess it’s because we’re generally introverts who are happiest alone or in small groups – the thought of engaging with strangers to talk about a deeply personal work just doesn’t come naturally.

(Before I write a bit more, a big shout-out to all the salesmen and women who work ethically and professionally. You’re not who I’m talking about. I’m talking about the dodgy folk who prey on the elderly and vulnerable. No-one wants to feel like that.)

This is the third post in a series of three on selling your rights and publishing, sparked by a recent radio interview with Vanda Symon on Otago Access Radio. You can check out the first of these posts here (or you can listen to the podcast!)

 

5 Steps to Marketing Your Book

1. Know your audience.

If you don’t have an audience, think about the audience you want. It helps if you can get really specific here: not just male/female and age, but where they live and what are their interests; where they hang out, and who their influencers are.

Marketers call this ‘building an avatar’ – not a big blue alien, but an ideal customer. This has never worked for me, because being a writer, I have an extremely fertile imagination – and an avatar has to be reasonably accurate (i.e. not imaginary) to be useful.

Instead, I think of my two most passionate fans (that aren’t related to me:)) I don’t stalk them, obviously, but I know roughly how old these two fans are, where they hang out (facebook, goodreads, instagram, blogs etc) and I know what they like to read.

I develop content for ONLY these two fans. I call them K and N.

Quick side-note: if you’re new to writing, or you’re not really sure who your biggest fans are, then have a look at this podcast on the Author Hangout. Here you’ll find a quick step-by-step guide to developing a reader profile.

 

2. Develop content for your audience.

Every blog post is written for either K or N. (Except this one, although K might find it interesting). Every post on social media is designed for them. My only criteria about each post is: would K or N like this? (This approach also MAKES me sit down and write my current WIP, because I know that the thing they most want from me is my next book.)

Share your content. When I’ve developed content, like this blog post, I go onto twitter or facebook or whatever, and I say, hey, I’ve made this! I don’t say ‘Hey N, here’s another post just for you,’ – that’s kind of weird. But often one or the other will pick it up and share it or retweet or whatever, and I love that, because it means I’ve done something that makes them happy.

 

3. Marketing Through Sharing Love

It took me a long time to learn this approach, and I’ve only just started working like this since the beginning of March. But since then interest in my blog is going up and downloads of my books are increasing. Why? Because it’s not just N and K buying my books – hell, I’ve given them my books – it’s because there’s enough people out there like N and K, and they also like the same material.

I am really, really grateful to N and K for their support and I want to deliver more content that makes them happy. It’s just a side benefit that other people like it too.

I’ve summarised this approach in a pdf, which you’re welcome to download.

Before I wrap up this extra-long post here’s a couple of things to consider.

 

4. Social Media is Not Essential

Don’t be spammy. Don’t stalk. Be compassionate, respectful and behave like a normal human.

Marketing doesn’t mean you have to slather yourself in social media. Old-fashioned print or radio works too.

If your fans don’t live online you may not even need a website (although I would, but that’s another post for another day); the point is, once you know who your fans are, you can design your marketing to serve their needs. Robert Free meets his fans through sending a ballad to Radio New Zealand every day. It seemed to take Robert AGES to get his website up and running, but I’m not sure this really mattered; he was already meeting his audience through radio.

Play to your strengths. If your fans are out and about on a variety of different channels – like blogs, youtube, instagram – chose the channels that suit you best. I like taking photos and I’m totally in love with my iphone, so instagram works well for me.

Kyle Mewburn, who writes books for kids, is a natural entertainer and has a youtube channel. This suits her fans, too, because teachers and parents can play it for their kids.

Finally, although I say you don’t need to be involved in social media, it sure helps you to meet more readers than traditional media. And unless you’re running adverts, social media is free. (As a side note, if you are thinking of running ads on social media, check out Mark Dawson’s Facebook training videos. They’re free, and are almost guaranteed to save you a ton of money.) It always saddens me when I hear (usually older) writers say “oh no, I don’t get facebook.” They’re missing out on an opportunity to hear and connect with readers, and surely, that is why we write, isn’t it?

 

5. Writing is Connection

Which takes me back to the beginning of this three-part series of blog posts: Why do we write? For me, it’s to connect; to share; to provide enjoyment. Writing, actually, is not about me. It’s about my reader.

Thanks for sticking with me through this incredibly long post. If you have any questions, please get in touch.Here’s a summary as a slide-deck:

 

And thanks again, Vanda and Otago Access Radio, who sparked this series of posts. Now you’ve navigated your way to the end of them, here’s the link again to the podcast interview. I hope you enjoy!

Considering Self-Publishing? 5 Helpful Resources To See You Through

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Considering Self-Publishing?

writer's notebook

If you decide, as I did, that you don’t feel like joining the endless rounds of rejections and delays, you may decide to self-publish.

This is the second post in a series of three on selling your rights and marketing your book, sparked by a recent radio interview with Vanda Symon on Otago Access Radio. You can check out the first of these posts here (or you can listen to the podcast!).

 

Here are 5 helpful resources:

  1. Join an author’s group, and search out authors networks online. I’ve joined Science Fiction Writers of America, Romance Writer’s of New Zealand and the New Zealand Society of Authors.
  2. Listen to podcasts. My favourite is Mark Dawson’s Self-Publishing Formula, (www.selfpublishingformula.com) but there are others.
  3. Join the Kboards.
  4. Download a couple of good books. The one I recommend is David Gaughran’s Let’s Get Digital . This post on his blog is also an excellent resource. – Feb 18 update: David got in touch to say there’s a new edition of his book available.
  5. Develop an author platform in advance; identify who your readers are, and develop a relationship early. More detail coming in the next post, or you can check out this blog post from Smart Author Sites here.

Time and Money

Like learning how to succeed at any business, it takes time to learn self-publishing. It takes even longer to do it well! You need to develop a grasp of book writing, book production and bookselling.

If you don’t want to learn all these parts to the business, but you have the funds, you may choose to outsource some of these elements. It will probably take a few years to earn these costs back, but hey, as I said in my last post, your rights last for at least 70 years, so you have plenty of time!

Check Before You Spend

Before spending anything, CHECK any provider thoroughly. There are a few dodgy operators about, some who, at first glance, appear reputable. READ this blog post from David Gaughran here.