tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post3764985986857847865..comments2024-03-28T02:00:11.260-05:00Comments on A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: AAR FailJA Konrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comBlogger109125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-7680525892145979772012-06-03T19:04:22.669-05:002012-06-03T19:04:22.669-05:00Unfortunately, I'm not surprised by either the...Unfortunately, I'm not surprised by either the AAR or Authors Guild responses.<br /><br />Before I Indie Epublished, I not only tried to go the TradiPub Route for 10+ Years (yes, because back then I wasn't that smart), but I also worked for one of the Big Six in their Returns Center.<br /><br />Most agents have refused to touch the returns issues for years too and address the inaccurate "accounting" there, even after I asked several to. <br /><br />I've just never had the feeling that agents in general were working for the best interests of authors, but rather for the publishers giving them their paychecks. That said, I know there are still some good ones out there.<br /><br />I was agented for three years, by one of the Top 20 Dealmakers according to Publishers Marketplace. But not any more. I handle everything myself.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12174865205033095825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-64856012420155083702012-06-03T19:02:51.290-05:002012-06-03T19:02:51.290-05:00Unfortunately, I'm not surprised by either the...Unfortunately, I'm not surprised by either the AAR or Authors Guild responses.<br /><br />Before I Indie Epublished, I not only tried to go the TradiPub Route for 10+ Years (yes, because back then I wasn't that smart), but I also worked for one of the Big Six in their Returns Center.<br /><br />Most agents have refused to touch the returns issues for years too and address the inaccurate "accounting" there, even after I asked several to.<br /><br />I've just never had the feeling that agents in general were working for the best interests of authors, just the publishers giving them their paychecks. That said, I know there are some good ones still out there.<br /><br />I was agented for three years, by one of the Top 20 Dealmakers according to Publishers Marketplace. But not any more. I handle everything myself.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12174865205033095825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-68828462216554882042012-05-18T12:36:38.899-05:002012-05-18T12:36:38.899-05:00Dear AAR:
Seems like nobody needs an agent anymor...Dear AAR:<br /><br />Seems like nobody needs an agent anymore.<br /><br />Good luck looking for a new niche,<br /><br />-IndieT. L. Shrefflerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14766879256747529918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-11668952278332620002012-05-15T15:30:05.801-05:002012-05-15T15:30:05.801-05:00“If you don’t like change, you’re going to like ir...“If you don’t like change, you’re going to like irrelevance even less.” General Eric Shinseki, Chief of Staff, U. S. ArmyStevenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-18676224519428743212012-05-15T14:51:03.354-05:002012-05-15T14:51:03.354-05:00I'm just a little person who always wrote and ...I'm just a little person who always wrote and recently self published. I am thrilled to have an endgame for my stories, and am happy I can now afford to purchase and amass a library without killing trees. <br />I've been exposed to new writers and feel my education is expanding. <br />I am constantly telling my friends that I am so happy to be alive in the middle of a Renaissance, because that's what this is.<br /> Thank you Joe and all of you for fighting for me to have these wonderful experiences.<br />Alex a AkiraAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15818761146358816948noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-79143506501640627652012-05-13T07:05:41.380-05:002012-05-13T07:05:41.380-05:00This is just an American agents problem, right? Li...This is just an American agents problem, right? Literary agents in the UK aren't behaving like this, are they?<br /><br />~KatyaAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-65316162109416305502012-05-13T06:35:09.821-05:002012-05-13T06:35:09.821-05:00Good old unbiased responses there.Good old unbiased responses there.Gary Dobbs/Jack Martinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10935686140719743351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-90552122583296838452012-05-12T14:20:35.497-05:002012-05-12T14:20:35.497-05:00I don't know if it is addressed in the comment...I don't know if it is addressed in the comments, and you don't really spend any time on it in your post, but Apple seems to have relatively clean hands with this. It appears they were handed the pricing structure as a fait accompli. There is no evidence that they participated in the process of generating it. That was all in the hands of the publishers.<br /><br />If there is evidence indicating otherwise, I'll change my tune (and yes, I'm a bit of an Apple fan; guilty as charged!). And I'd love to see Apple modify its policies towards royalties, etc. in general. I'm an app publisher, and I think a 30% cut is a bit steep. But it's not abusive at this point, as I'm not seeing huge chunks o' change from massive sales. I might get a bit more upset if I start seeing real sales and suffer as a result of Apple's "abusive" cuts. But I'll <i>happily</i> rant if I ever reach that point. :-)<br /><br />All this is minor, though. Brilliant post, and I wish you luck in your battle against the cartel and its enablers. I have significant problems with the current Justice Department, but I think they might be on the side of the right and just this time.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-46189247705424995852012-05-12T13:43:42.343-05:002012-05-12T13:43:42.343-05:00Oddly, the same aggregate argument is made to defe...Oddly, the same aggregate argument is made to defend pirating -- that since the same TOTAL NUMBER of books/games/movies continue to be made the consumer is unharmed, therefore pirating is OK. Never mind if individual creators are wiped out, more come forward to fill their place and the sum total remains unaffected, like some kind of annual wheat yield. Thanks for spotlighting this, Joe. -Warren FahyWarren Fahyhttp://www.warrenfahy.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-63443919582480545882012-05-12T02:13:51.490-05:002012-05-12T02:13:51.490-05:00Awesome letter. I wonder if Big Publishing will EV...Awesome letter. I wonder if Big Publishing will EVER change up their model to better accommodate authors' and consumers? The music industry has already gone that route, and the film industry is following close behind. We really need a bigger change with our books!<br /><br />- Esther<br />http://roseywinterrose.blogspot.comRoseywinterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11768399101198875492noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-21888250497444753772012-05-12T01:46:23.855-05:002012-05-12T01:46:23.855-05:00Passive Guy also referred to this letter (http://w...Passive Guy also referred to this letter (http://www.thepassivevoice.com/05/2012/bizarre-misunderstanding-of-e-book-business/). His post referenced a graph that the AAR put together (the graph showed a woeful lack of understanding of statistics, excel graphing capability and the PC screen capture facility, but that's beside the point).<br /><br />The interesting point was that the AAR graph showed that Agency 6 books cost approximatly three times as much as non-Agency books.<br /><br />And that's supposed to be good for the consumer. Oops.Iolahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17199141868703826943noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-35009973520350102062012-05-11T19:09:14.281-05:002012-05-11T19:09:14.281-05:00Writing is a business and Amazon is following the ...Writing is a business and Amazon is following the lead of the two largest businesses in America cause it works. Walmart and McDonald's got where they are by offering quality service and products at the lowest possible, but profitable rate. The idea that Amazon consistently sells at a loss to get business is total ignorance of the basics of business. You sell at a loss and sooner or later you go out of business. I do not see that happening anytime soon for Amazon. The AAR certainly is not representing the interests of their members. Maybe it is time to start a competitive group and somehow get a copy of their mailing list. I would not be above writing and asking all their members to leave and join a group that truly represents authors. However I am past the point in life where I am willing to do that. It sure creates an opening for a dedicated and motivated individual who can and would pursue the matter. Go, Joe, GoRic 'The Turtle' Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07557268545385347913noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-90801170852689685792012-05-11T17:52:17.612-05:002012-05-11T17:52:17.612-05:00The industry is dead, long live the industry.
At ...The industry is dead, long live the industry.<br /><br />At least for me. I can't work with people like that.Jennifer Fiddeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07049750330675435250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-56777701076740450882012-05-11T16:22:26.783-05:002012-05-11T16:22:26.783-05:00I spent years working in the labor movement before...I spent years working in the labor movement before I began writing. To say that my first set of contract negotiations was a surprise is an understatement. And I still continue to be mystified by how unwilling agents in general are to fight in a more organized manner for their clients.<br /><br />I'm not burning up the bestseller lists with my indie pubbed books, but with one exception, my indie books have all outsold my traditionally published books. Not a whole lot of incentive for me to walk away from indie publishing, that's for sure!Vanessa Kellyhttp://www.vanessakellyauthor.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-52044763739894529722012-05-11T11:49:12.273-05:002012-05-11T11:49:12.273-05:00Liz, he's replied to some of the those questio...Liz, he's replied to some of the those questions in the past but you might find the Think Like a Publisher series by Dean Wesley Smith interesting along with his post on prices from earlier in the year, its from Febuary so I don't think he still responds to comments on it but there's 113 already to read from people. There's talk about YA sales etc.<br /><br />http://www.deanwesleysmith.com/?p=6391Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-24060657155645897972012-05-11T11:10:04.849-05:002012-05-11T11:10:04.849-05:00Anyone with a keyboard and an internet connection ...Anyone with a keyboard and an internet connection can now write and publish anything, any time, and ask any price. Amazon understood this, and provided a ready-made marketplace for above-mentioned "anyone" at no upfront charge, and a system for getting paid for it in case someone thought the stuff worth paying for. You get to set your own price, as long as it is no lower than a dollar - which won't buy you a new book anywhere else. They take a cut if you do sell, nothing if you don't. They can't and don't force anyone to sign up. If you're already in, and they decide to change their rules, they never asked you to sign over your rights, so you can pull your stuff and leave whenever you wish.<br /><br />No matter how many times I read the above paragraph, I cannot find anything in it that blocks diversity, competition or choice, be it on content, genre or price. Guess I'm not ready to represent authors :-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-48050971552307039662012-05-11T10:57:36.818-05:002012-05-11T10:57:36.818-05:00What I find interesting in all that uproar is the ...What I find interesting in all that uproar is the silence. Silence of big authors like Stephen King.<br /><br />Stephen King is able to take side, like he did with his recent position to pay more taxes. <br /><br />Perhaps I'm misinformed, but in all this big changes taking place, I haven't heard him talk. <br /><br />He wrote in one of his books that you have not to spit in the soup. So, I think he's sticking to that. <br /><br />Yet, I find it interesting the silence of these big authors, who don't seem to be very eager to rush defending big publishing (except for authors like Scott Turrow).<br /><br />Just my 2 cents.Alan Spadehttp://emmanuelguillot.over-blog.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-234945951575877732012-05-11T10:38:37.683-05:002012-05-11T10:38:37.683-05:00More shades of Hollywood...
Even the biggest lite...More shades of Hollywood...<br /><br />Even the biggest literary agents and agencies will only represent their scriptwriting clients' best interests to a degree. In the end, they, too, are really more interested in maintaining a status quo relationship with their <i>own</i> "Big 6" masters, the studios and networks.<br /><br />And the beat (down) goes on...<br /><br />Todd<br /><a href="http://www.toddtrumpet.com" rel="nofollow">www.ToddTrumpet.com</a>Todd Trumpethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15791428949552390682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-78834557745978179182012-05-11T10:27:54.813-05:002012-05-11T10:27:54.813-05:00Woohoooo!!!! Damn, Joe! You are one badass mother*...Woohoooo!!!! Damn, Joe! You are one badass mother****!!<br /><br />Fantastic!Tracy Sharp - Author of the Leah Ryan Serieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12239533451929739327noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-44949265417797246272012-05-11T10:06:17.901-05:002012-05-11T10:06:17.901-05:00Bob Mayer has an article today in Digital Bookworl...Bob Mayer has an article today in Digital Bookworld about adapating to the changing marketplace. It opens by highlighting exactly how misplaced the focus is of the Association of =Authors= Repesentativves:<br /><br />"The AAR recently sent a letter to the DOJ unanimously supporting the Agency model. I find it odd that the AAR has yet to send a collective letter to the Big 6 asking for higher, and fairer, royalty rates for their authors’ electronic rights."<br /><br />Full article at:<br />http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2012/aar-publishers-bookstores-facilitators-need-to-adapt-not-defend/<br /><br />The AAR has long failed to lead. Now they need to either follow or just get out of the way.Laura Resnickhttp://www.lauraresnick.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-14370568957864270452012-05-11T09:33:03.271-05:002012-05-11T09:33:03.271-05:00Where was the outcry when Borders and B&N star...Where was the outcry when Borders and B&N started selling bestsellers at 20-30% discounts? And worse, when WalMart and Best Buy began selling at even greater discounts? (I believe those contracts even cut into the author’s share, not the publisher’s, to make the price point.) I thought it was only in Hollywood that writers were so disrespected and abused. Makes me want to get an agent just so I could fire them.Ron Edisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05392160540477876501noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-13043153537404747722012-05-11T08:35:23.427-05:002012-05-11T08:35:23.427-05:00Would someone please explain to the AAR how capita...Would someone please explain to the AAR how capitalism works.DEDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07266406676643270732noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-65602398188003934682012-05-11T08:28:50.540-05:002012-05-11T08:28:50.540-05:00Thanks, Joe, for the helpful and informative blog....Thanks, Joe, for the helpful and informative blog. I wonder if you would address couple of issues that I'm still puzzled about:<br /><br />1) Yes, I can see that self-publishing is working for you, but that might not be the case for writers in every genre. What do you thing about publisher vs. self-pub for children's, middle grade, and even YA writers?<br />2) I couldn't agree more that many of the services that publishers once provided are now obsolete, with one important exception: editing. I've seen a lot of unevenly and poorly edited self-pub books on Kindle. Any thoughts on self-pub and the need for (and perils of) professional editing?<br />3) How many books can new writers expect to sell? How many copies sold make a "popular" book, for example? There's so much secrecy about the numbers of copies of books sold...but perhaps relating it to Kindle rank or something along those lines?<br /><br />Thanks!Liznoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-32348283704420210822012-05-11T08:11:19.932-05:002012-05-11T08:11:19.932-05:00Well said!Well said!Regina Richardshttp://www.reginarichards.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-41051773116997460852012-05-11T08:06:26.649-05:002012-05-11T08:06:26.649-05:00oops, small correction to my previous post. That w...oops, small correction to my previous post. That would be BDD, not RH who sent out the addendums.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com