tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post3383109625066565784..comments2024-03-18T06:16:18.802-05:00Comments on A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: #JamesPattersonSTSJA Konrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-3969545370223821522014-06-12T20:04:01.051-05:002014-06-12T20:04:01.051-05:00James Patterson is putting out so many books with ...James Patterson is putting out so many books with other writers that you know damn good and well that he's whoring out his name and fame to help the big publishers. The man's willing to sell his soul to save the publishing industry from us evil indies who are just trying to make a living.<br /><br />The big publishing world is a scam. Most editors long to be literary agents so they can put as many fingers into the pies of authors and make a living off of them. So, the editors make sure only the agents "gatekeepers" are allowed to send them manuscripts. They have to keep up the status quo. <br /><br />And the New York Times best sellter list? ANOTHER SCAM! At a writing conference several years ago, agents at the literary agent panel told us that the New York Times reporter goes to 10 bookstores in NYC and ask, "So, what's selling this week?" The bookstores give them a list & so they draw up the best selling list and publish it. THEN those books really do become bestsellers because the public believes they already are bestsellers and buy the books that sold well at those 10 bookstores in NYC and not necessarily in the rest of the country's bookstores.<br /><br />The agents told us with a narrowing of their lizard eyes, "And wouldn't you like to have one of your books in one of those 10 bookstores? But you need us to get your book in there." Of course, then they confessed it was a big secret what those 10 book stores are. Now, I guess there's only 10 bookstores left in NYC and it's those 10.<br /><br />Anyway, another lie perpetuated is those tables in the front of of B&N when a potential reader walks into the store, thinking those books must be really good since they are taking up prime real estate.<br /><br />Well, some literary agents at another hellish conference I attended before I saw the light of indie publishing, told us that that prime space at Barnes & Noble is purchase by the publisher who pays rent for its books. <br /><br />Amazon does not participate in such shady practices as the big five and their gatekeepers.<br /><br />Amazon is honest, unlike James Patterson and his precious Big 5 Publishers and gatekeepers who have always tried to dictate to readers what they should and shouldn't read and tried to second guess what the public wanted by shoving books down their throats until they choked. You know the, "Oh my, we want no historical fiction. Readers don't want to read anything historical!"<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12941511690700325043noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-82221747911034574572014-06-09T03:42:11.564-05:002014-06-09T03:42:11.564-05:00It doesn't matter what you call, it. If you li...It doesn't matter what you call, it. If you like, use the word "Guild".<br /><br />I'm not sure of how labor law would work for this sort of thing. Maybe it wouln't work in the standard way. <br /><br />And yes, one way that an author's guild could work is by making major publishers into union shops. But that's not the same as being gatekeepers, since anyone could still sell their book to a publisher. They would just automatically become members of the Guild when they do so. WHich means that some small portion of their advance would go to pay guild dues. And in return they would be guaranteed all the protections of guild contracts. They could negotiate with the publisher for more than that, but not less. <br /><br />So let's say RH becomes a guild shop. They want to sign a new author to a contract, and nothing stops them from doing so, they sign the author, pay him an advance, and a small fee goes to the Guild. Like they do in Hollywood when you sell a screenplay to a major studio.<br /><br />This doesn't stop people from selling their book to a non-union publisher, or self-publishing. So again, there's no gatekeeper.<br /><br />It's only setting minimum prices and minimum contract terms for the members of the Guild. It's entering into a voluntary agreement with publishers in which they gain access to guild members and their wares, in which they make an exclusive contract with the Guild that goes both ways. <br /><br />How exactly all this would be characterized by labor and contract law I don't know. An actual labor lawyer would obviously need to figure this out. There certainly might be a better way to organize this kind of collective action than I've broadly outlined.<br /><br />It's not a cartel, however, in that it couldn't possibly control all books or authors. IN fact, since it is controlled by authors themselves, it doesn't control anyone. It merely says to certain major publishers that these authors won't do business with you unless you agree to our collective terms. Which is no different than what is already going on between Amazon and Hachette and publishers and retailers and so on. WHy exactly is it that these giant corporations get to negotiate using the vast collective power they get as corporations, while authors can't negotiate collectivelY? THere has got to be some kind of legal entity they can form to negotiate collectively with publishers. <br /><br />And yes, of course publishers already have gotten together to set the royalties they are willing to pay, and the rest of the contract terms. Why can't authors do that also? It's not about controlling authors, it's about authors using their collective power to negotiate with these huge corporate powers. Authors are already being controlled. And insisting that they can't act collectively is another way of ensuring they continue to be controlled by those giant collectives we call corporations. Broken Yogihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02257804418740860542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-18086961034278376022014-06-08T22:41:17.615-05:002014-06-08T22:41:17.615-05:00But it means that the established talents demand t...<i>But it means that the established talents demand that the major publishers abide by their contract standards for anyone they decide to publish, and that those they publish also have to join the union as a part of that contract. Pretty simple, really. Standard labor law.</i><br /><br />You describe a union shop. Anyone who wants to sell their book has to join your union. Gatekeeper.<br /><br />That is not standard labor law. Authors are not employees. Unions represent employees. They do not represent the people who sell products they own. <br /><br />What would your union do if some author wanted to sell their product below union rates? Keep him from doing so? Gatekeeper.<br /><br />Unions could represent writers who are employed by a company. Then they would be employees.<br /><br />What you describe is a cartel, where producers get together to fix prices.<br /><br />It is similar to publishers getting together to set the royalties they will pay. <br /><br />Gatekeepers are always looking for ways to exert control over others.Terrence OBriennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-23924228329804574342014-06-07T21:05:45.836-05:002014-06-07T21:05:45.836-05:00Terence, you're being paranoid. The union or g...Terence, you're being paranoid. The union or guild can negotiate any sort of arrangement they feel works for authors. Why would they bar entry to new authors? It's not my union, it's the author's union, so they decide, not me. <br /><br />I very much doubt that authors would want to create some sort of universal union shop. On the other hand, with major publishers, they certainly might negotiate a deal that says that any author who makes a deal with that publisher, automatically has to join the union. That's how the screenwriters and directors and actors guilds work in Hollywood. But because they run those unions so well, most people are very eager to join. <br /><br />However, that would not stop authors from publishing their work with non-guild publishers or self-publishers. If the union fails to make itself attractive to authors by negotiating really good terms for its members, it would deserve to fail. But if it did get better terms for authors - say, a 40/60 or even 50/50 split on ebook royalties, rather than the current 25/75, authors would be very happy to join that union in order to publish through those publishers. <br /><br />As with everything in life, you get what you pay for. If authors want to change things, they should stop being passive whiners or libertarian dreamers. Collective action has done tremendous things for publishers and other corporations over the years. It can do good things for authors also.<br /><br />Broken Yogihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02257804418740860542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-62431536230716413212014-06-07T19:51:50.123-05:002014-06-07T19:51:50.123-05:00If an author has to join your union to have his wo...If an author has to join your union to have his work published, then that is control of entry to the market.<br /><br />Suppose an author refuses to join your union and makes his own deal with publisher or retailer? Does your union allow that?<br /><br />As you describe it, your union is very close to what is normally called a union shop. Nobody works unless the union allows it.<br /><br />No thanks. I prefer being an independent entrepreneur. I don't need you or your union.Terrence OBrienhttp://www.obrienterrence.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-60719857476488334842014-06-07T17:37:21.244-05:002014-06-07T17:37:21.244-05:00No union or guild controls supply unless it can co...No union or guild controls supply unless it can convince its members to collectively bargain. I admit that convincing authors that it's in their best interests to collectively bargain is hard, but a lot of them are waking up to the fact that legacy publishers have been colluding against them for a very long time, and it's only getting worse. The advances are getting smaller, the royalties lower, the demands for copyright stronger, the non-compete clauses tougher. Authors are getting so squeezed its hard for them not to notice.<br /><br />On the one hand self-publishing has at last given them an outlet away from traditional publishing, as an option for a better way to earn a living as an author. But it has also given them a powerful bargaining tool to get better deals with. And that means that collective bargaining can have real teeth that it never had before, because a genuine Writers Guild whose members decided to collectively bargain could threaten to self-publish instead of signing legacy contracts. They could use that threat to create new "industry standards" for author contracts. And do so not just through "market forces", but through collective means. <br /><br />You say that established authors aren't going to bargain for others. But most established authors aren't getting good contracts on their own, which is why self-publishing has been growing and thriving. A lot of them are waking up to the facts of how legacy publishers have screwed them over. It makes sense for all but the most successful writers to pool their power so as to give it an actual industry-wide impact. James Patterson is never going to join a Guild, but at least he can be seen for what he is - someone who is not interested in promoting the interests of authors, but in grabbing all he can for himself. <br /><br />The goal is not to exclude anyone from publishing, but to create new industry standards that publishers have to meet. And that eventually even those offering ebook self-publishing have to meet. Even a lot of talented, successful authors can see the value in that, and may lend themselves to such an effort, even if they don't need it personally. It wouldn't hurt them to be a part of such a Guild, because it's not about establishing a cap on contracts, but instead creating minimum standards.<br /><br />Publishers might even eventually see this as an advantage for them, as a way to stave off the flight to self-publishing. If they can create reliable, attractive standards within the industry for authors, it will act for them as a bullwark against the disintegration of their world, which depends entirely on the loyalty of authors to the legacy publishing system. So it could be something that publishers themselves might come to embrace as a way to institutionalize their relationship to authors in a changing world. If they were smart, they'd realize this. But that may be the real stretch here. Broken Yogihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02257804418740860542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-59336570707523328222014-06-07T00:48:52.395-05:002014-06-07T00:48:52.395-05:00The Writers Guild doesn't do what you suggest ...The Writers Guild doesn't do what you suggest because they know they do not control supply. They have no power. That means anyone can undercut them. Publishers have no incentive to make deals. The supply of writers is so large they can get whatever they want.<br /><br />Established authors bargain for themselves. They aren't going to bargain for everyone else. <br /><br />And established labor law? It applies to employees, not free agents. Authors are not employees.<br /><br />Independent authors don't want some group to tell them how they have to price their work. Why should they? Sounds like something to oppose.<br /><br />What are you going to do if an independent makes a deal contrary to your wishes?<br /><br />Gatekeepers will try to rise up in many different guises.Terrence OBriennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-30396830886446622732014-06-06T22:08:32.827-05:002014-06-06T22:08:32.827-05:00My point is that unions of talent are inherently d...My point is that unions of talent are inherently different than unions of ordinary workers, skilled or otherwise. You don't have to monopolize all talent, or exclude non-members or those breaking in. As with the Hollywood Writer's Guild, you just have to negotiate contracts with the major publishers that says if they want to work with top talent, they have to meet union guidelines.<br /><br />That doesn't mean that no writers can publish anywhere unless they belong to a union, just as there are lots of non-union writing and acting jobs on independent productions. But it means that the established talents demand that the major publishers abide by their contract standards for anyone they decide to publish, and that those they publish also have to join the union as a part of that contract. Pretty simple, really. Standard labor law. <br /><br />At this point, such a union would be more oriented towards the legacy publishers, but as more and more authors self-publish, it would apply there as well, especially as self-publishing becomes a strong player in the industry as a whole.<br /><br />What I'm surprised at is how the current Writers Guild doesn't do anything remotely like this. They haven't done anything to help writers get better contracts from publishers. They seem to merely be some sort of vanity organization serving no real purpose. What exactly is the point of their existence if they aren't fighting to get better royalties, better terms on copyright, and fewer restrictions such as non-compete clauses? Broken Yogihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02257804418740860542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-4931545098010148552014-06-06T17:11:57.292-05:002014-06-06T17:11:57.292-05:00This doesn't apply when talent is involved. As...<i>This doesn't apply when talent is involved. As Major League Baseball players have shown, you can't just replace talented players with the untalented and expect the public to pay for the entertainment.</i><br /><br />Of course it applies to talent. There is no reason to presume talent means one joins a guild. There are lots of talented writers who wouldn't be interested.<br /><br />And Hollywood. I'm sure someone here knows better than I do, but I think one has to belong to SAG or Actors Equity to get hired on a production in many places. That is control of entry to the market. GateKeepers.<br /><br />But, like I say, go for it. You can't hold up prices without limiting supply.Terrence OBriennoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-42523977585613490272014-06-06T16:34:24.274-05:002014-06-06T16:34:24.274-05:00>For saving the diversity of literature from be...>For saving the diversity of literature from being monopolised by Pattersons novel factory.<br /><br />Word, Josef.<br />Diversity is exactly what Patterson isn't fighting for.Alixjunenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-23674036182073373812014-06-06T16:29:21.972-05:002014-06-06T16:29:21.972-05:00Bob, that's my experience too. It's like t...Bob, that's my experience too. It's like the 1% who can't understand why those old poor people don't get plastic surgery so they can look better. <br /><br />I was at a conference where three authors who had made it big twenty years ago and lived off the proceeds ever since (a couple of them just one one book that went to the movies)were giving advice to several hundred aspiring writers. It wasn't even just that they had no clue that outside their charmed circle, authors actually had to knock themselves dead to even get a query looked at by an editor or agent. It's that they didn't notice the whole industry had changed. After all, they were still getting their million dollar royalty checks for books they'd written right after college, so what could be wrong? And just as always, any book they wrote was gratefully accepted and promoted by their publisher. As far as they could tell, the industry was going great! <br /><br />And they thought their experience was normal. The only difference between them and us was quality. If we wrote fabulous books like they did, we'd be living in the Ritz on book tours too.<br /><br />I really do think Patterson's publisher treats him GREAT. I'm sure that's true. (The publisher ought to-- made enough money from him.) But the fact that he decides to make a big gift of money and sends it to .... booksellers... kind of indicates he doesn't think authors count. Or maybe he thinks they're all rich like him.<br />Weird. But it's the usual thing-- you can talk really loud if you can buy the megaphone.Alixjunenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-87248206100698405182014-06-06T05:15:00.669-05:002014-06-06T05:15:00.669-05:00But to be effective, one needs a way to keep autho...<i>But to be effective, one needs a way to keep authors who are not members of the guild out of the market. Otherwise, the free agents will simply undercut the recommended guild prices.</i><br /><br />This doesn't apply when talent is involved. As Major League Baseball players have shown, you can't just replace talented players with the untalented and expect the public to pay for the entertainment.<br /><br />If enough writers banded together and refused to publish through any specific publisher or retailer that didn't give them fair royalties, good luck to that publisher or retailer finding suitable replacements. <br /><br />Hollywood has both an actor's and a writer's union that negotiates contracts with the major players, and goes on strike. Why not book publishing?Broken Yogihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02257804418740860542noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-6845824888613344762014-06-06T00:27:00.842-05:002014-06-06T00:27:00.842-05:00So why shouldn't authors collude together agai...<i>So why shouldn't authors collude together against publishers, and even against Amazon when it's warranted? There is a legal form of collusion for workers in this country, called unions and guilds. </i><br /><br />Go for it. Fine with me. Good luck.<br /><br />But to be effective, one needs a way to keep authors who are not members of the guild out of the market. Otherwise, the free agents will simply undercut the recommended guild prices.<br /><br />Why should retailers deal with a bunch of high-priced suppliers when there is another bunch with lower prices?<br /><br />The proposed organization must have control over market entry to succeed. We might call them The Gatekeepers.Terrence OBrienhttp://www.obrienterrence.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-1697427470870929252014-06-05T18:06:44.232-05:002014-06-05T18:06:44.232-05:00I sense that Patterson truly believes he is protec...I sense that Patterson truly believes he is protecting the future of American literature. <br /> Can he honestly think for one moment that he has contributed ANYTHING but yet another tsunami of mindless pap to this cause? Can he possibly believe that HIS airport kiosk time-passers are anything but a way to get from Point A to B without having to think about anything of worth?<br /> Can he be that deluded? <br /> I fear that he is. Why would he care if another mountain of pablum is deposited on top of his OWN pile?<br /> He might lose a buck? it's all too funny. keep it coming, JP.<br /> Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-83840470197706335052014-06-05T13:51:38.577-05:002014-06-05T13:51:38.577-05:00As Elizabeth Zaguta said: "He is in another w...As Elizabeth Zaguta said: "He is in another world from the average author, and the gap is not measured by talent - but luck that someone at the gate liked him."<br /><br />Love this.Jennyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10384070533603453713noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-30590085636864489152014-06-05T12:19:08.880-05:002014-06-05T12:19:08.880-05:00I wasn't focusing on the gloriously stupid Pat...I wasn't focusing on the gloriously stupid Patterson ad (thank you!), but I had something similar to say about the Hachette situation today, aimed at readers who may not know exactly how this effed up (but not for long!) industry works: http://laurakcowan.com/2014/06/05/amazon-vs-hachette-like-most-wars-theyre-not-fighting-over-what-they-say-they-are/Laura K. Cowanhttp://www.laurakcowan.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-19376284082082389372014-06-05T11:32:45.382-05:002014-06-05T11:32:45.382-05:00I think a mass of indie authors should all go toge...I think a mass of indie authors should all go together and purchase a full-page newspaper ad to counter Patterson.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10791515761203375970noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-56102470137781552442014-06-05T11:27:39.130-05:002014-06-05T11:27:39.130-05:00Instead, couldn't we have amazon take over the...Instead, couldn't we have amazon take over the government? It might be nice to get refunds, excellent customer service, quick deliveries on products, and discounted prices. I for one would vote for Jeff Bezos for President. Konrath for Author General of the US. I'm holding out for myself for Attorney General.w. adam mandelbaum esq.http://www.amazon.com/SMALL-BUSINESS-JUNGLE-SURVIVAL-BUNDLE-ebook/dp/B00IQTX6SU/ref=sr_1_3?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1401985642&sr=1-3&keywords=w.+adam+mandelbaumnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-3857452738113274682014-06-05T11:18:27.334-05:002014-06-05T11:18:27.334-05:00It makes me cringe whenever someone tries to prop ...It makes me cringe whenever someone tries to prop up an industry in need of change by spreading FUD. As if the world will run out of books anytime soon or that people will stop writing them. Rick Ghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07703091917685458099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-24941752852186551322014-06-05T10:44:08.780-05:002014-06-05T10:44:08.780-05:00How typical that it's the rich who petition th...How typical that it's the rich who petition the government for redress of their grievances, to the detriment of the poor and average.David A. Toddhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16825539283421597579noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-34003361514748814122014-06-05T10:41:02.724-05:002014-06-05T10:41:02.724-05:00Ditto what Susan says. Patterson's spouting ma...Ditto what Susan says. Patterson's spouting makes me ill.TMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00409364932685911754noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-16216604236647102752014-06-05T09:53:35.557-05:002014-06-05T09:53:35.557-05:00/signed
/agreed
/endorsed
/seems like common sense.../signed<br />/agreed<br />/endorsed<br />/seems like common sense<br />/if I hear Patterson mention the "New American Way" one more time when describing the dictionary definition of capitalism, a system that seems to have worked just fine for him, I will introduce him to how the system works, one undercutting hitman at a time.Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16897402622057966364noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-12577623120542342272014-06-05T09:53:16.289-05:002014-06-05T09:53:16.289-05:00As for Patterson, duct tape won't stop stupid,...As for Patterson, duct tape won't stop stupid, but it will muffle the sound.<br /><br />Ha! Another use for duct tape.Walter Knighthttp://www.waltknight.yolasite.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-77774678405789514652014-06-05T09:29:44.591-05:002014-06-05T09:29:44.591-05:00Thank you SO much for standing up for us! If I eve...Thank you SO much for standing up for us! If I ever meet you I will buy you a drink. I've been legacy pubbed with 18 mysteries. I'm not one of the heavy hitters, multi-sellers like Patterson or even you. I'm just a normal writer - mid-list. Since I dropped my agent and struck out on my own, I'm able to make as much money (which admittedly isn't a ton, but it's there) selling to way fewer people than I ever did with legacy publishing and selling to a lot!<br /><br />I listen with horror to NPR reporters all saying they're going to 'boycott' Amazon. I shudder! They do not have the full story.<br /><br />Please do not stop your rants, and I will not stop tweeting and Facebooking them and mentioning them in my blog and to every writing group I'm a part of. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-84529363856339085642014-06-05T09:13:21.721-05:002014-06-05T09:13:21.721-05:00I compare the traditional path to what the music i...I compare the traditional path to what the music industry was in the late 1970's. Record producers were blocking new talent and just regurgitating their existing artists, like Styx, Foreigner, Boston, Kansas, etc. Nothing wrong with those artists, but they were the ONLY thing available. So of course, those artists did well, because they had a captive audience.<br />But the audience wanted more, wanted something fresher, and New Wave and Punk bands were published on independent and even underground labels, and that was the vital shot in the arm the music industry needed, but they were too protective to realize it. Once the independent publishers started outselling the ivory tower main labels, they finally woke up and started signing groups like Blondie, the Clash, Iggy Pop, The B-52s, etc. <br /><br />The point is the bean counters are incapable of understanding paradigm shifts and will scream bloody agony the whole time.<br /><br />I applaud Patterson's ability to make lots of money, but If not for Self-publishing, I would not have written my humble 3 or 4 books and counting, that have found an audience, get good reviews, and make me a tiny bit of money. I don't see how I'm a threat to mr. Patterson in any way.<br /><br />So here's my message: there's room for all of us, and the reader benefits. you know, the READER... you remember the reader, right?Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17712358089915302992noreply@blogger.com