3 of 6

Write now Article Tools

Page 2 of 2

major contributor to this sad state of affairs are the ridiculous advances being paid to "celebrities" to publish tripe. The fact that these books frequently and deservedly fall on their faces and lose the publishers millions has oddly not stopped this idiocy. And speaking of scams, it can work both ways; several "authors" have in recent years pitched bald-faced lies generally involving some imaginary dysfunctional escapades, received huge contracts, and had their books published before the scam was eventually uncovered.

In fairness, one publisher recently announced it would now be paying little or nothing in the way of advances but would instead share half of the profits with the author if there were profits to share. This is really not a new idea. Tolkien's "The Lord of the Rings" was published under just this sort of contract, and both publisher and author profited handsomely. Yet for some reason this arrangement fell out of favor over the years, which is too bad because it might encourage publishers to take a chance on quality new writers or more innovative and experimental themes and styles.

Still, maybe you do have what the publishers and agents are looking for and have a chance at getting an offer. You might be patting yourself on the back that YOU are certainly not going to get scammed. You may in fact have submitted a query to an agent or publisher who likes your idea and now you've been asked to submit a "proposal." This is where things get tricky and confusing because you've always read that you should stay well clear of any publisher or agent asking you for money. But make no mistake, that's really what the "proposal" is all about, even if it's not explicitly stated. Oh sure, they will politely read your learned analysis of your potential audience, your enthusiastic promises to do readings and spend long afternoons signing a book or two at your local library. But what they really want to know is if you are willing to hire a professional publicist. Unless you are a big selling author already, publishers will do very little promotion for you, especially now with the industry practically on life support.

In other words, if the book should sell good numbers it will primarily have been because of your efforts and financial commitment, although certainly the printing and distribution to bookstores by a traditional publisher helped the cause along. In fact the publishers think highly enough of their own efforts that they take 85-90% of the profits. If the profits cover whatever modest advance you received, then you will get the remaining 10-15%. Eventually you might partially recover the few (or more than a few) thousand dollars you may have paid to a publicist to give your book a fighting chance in the marketplace. That's why a growing group of authors (even some with previous books published traditionally) have crunched the numbers, bitten the bullets of uncertainty and risk, and transitioned into self-publishing.

The entertainment marketplace is changing rapidly. Be careful of the sharks, but if you believe in yourself and your project, don't let old thinking trap you into obsolete ideas.

Learn more about this author, Mike Romeling.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.

• << previous page
• 1
• 2

Add your voice

Know something about The dangers of self-publishing for writers seeking mainstream success?
We want to hear your view. Write now!