Alan Jacobs

Oct 29, 2014 ∞

at least 2.5 cheers for publishers

As Megan McArdle reminds us, “Publishers are middlemen. Everyone hates middlemen.” Maybe we can think a little more clearly about all this if we drop the term “middleman” and think about what publishers do.

I’ve published a dozen books with a variety of publishers, and here’s a partial list of what they have done for me:

edited my text, several times, looking for and correcting errors of all kinds
transferred the text from a word-processing document to a typesetting environment
chose a typeface and a design
laid out the text according to that design
designed a cover
solicited endorsements
sent the book to the printer
distributed the book to bookstores (including online ones)
created multiple digital version of the book
distributed those to sellers
sent review copies to appropriate sources, and followed up when necessary to encourage reviews
arranged for some combination of readings and (TV, radio, online) interviews
kept track of sales and mailed me royalty checks

Almost all of these things will need to be done, in almost all cases, if you want your book to be successful. And you can do them all yourself, if you are so inclined, and then keep all the money you make — if you make money. But you’ll have to put out money first, especially if you want hard copies. Even if you’re content to do an e-book only (thus dramatically reducing your sales opportunities), you’ll have to make major investments of time and energy — which will leave you less time and energy for writing. Then there’s the question of whether you actually have the skills to do any of this well.

So maybe you’ll want to farm some of that stuff out? Well, okay, but that will cost more money up front — and the more of it you farm out, the closer you’ll come, as Guan Yang has pointed out, to re-creating publishers — but out of your own pocket, and assuming all the risks yourself.

So take that route if you want. As I’ve said, it has worked for some. But know what you’re doing.

As for me, I plan to continue to seek contracts with publishers. I am very grateful for all they have done over the years to assume most of the financial risks of putting my books out there, and to take out of my hands a great deal of work that I don’t want to do and wouldn’t do very well. I write better than I design, market, sell, and distribute; and I enjoy writing much more than I would enjoy doing any of those things. The publishing system seems pretty well designed for people like me.

Oct 29, 2014 ∞

A lot of work goes into publishing a book. Someone needs to edit the manuscript. The manuscript must be typeset and copy-edited. A cover has to be designed (most self-published books are terrible in this regard). The book needs to be marketed to readers, which can require producing ads and seeking out publicity. Paper books have to be printed, stored, shipped to distributors and bookstores, and sold; returns need to be managed. E-books have to be converted to various formats, ideally not just using automated tools.
Self-published authors can try to do all of these jobs themselves. Many attempt that, and it shows. Or they can outsource some or all of the tasks. When doing so, it’s best to use professionals who have tried to publish a book before. Maybe a team that’s used to working together. Perhaps the people even sit in the same building, so that they can quickly coordinate.

Congratulations: You have just re-created publishers, but without advances.

Guan Yang, with the best response I’ve seen to Matt Yglesias’s claim, in an even-dumber-than-usual post, that publishers are useless.

Oct 29, 2014 ∞

a hero of our time

The essay is called “Vanishing Act.” The tag line: “How does a man disappear?”

Yes, Martin Sklar had disappeared, all right; so thoroughly that it was virtually impossible to imagine anyone ever tracking him down. But James Livingston is not just anyone. He had what it took to find Sklar, even when the onerous task took him to “the middle of nowhere” — to the “outer darkness,” to an utter “backwater.”

So where — you may ask, with bated breath — where did Livingston finally run Sklar to ground? What obscure and unvisited corner of the globe? Borneo, perhaps? The Central African Republic? Outer Mongolia? Please. It would have been child’s play to find Sklar in any of those places. No. James Livingston did what perhaps only James Livingston could have done: he tracked Sklar all the way to his remotest refuge, his place of absolute isolation: Lewisburg, Pennsylvania — where Sklar taught for many years at Bucknell. As the tenured holder of an endowed chair.

Such isolation! Such “utter obscurity”! Why, did you know that Lewisburg is more than one hundred and fifty miles from New York City? A thought not to be borne. But thank goodness James Livingston, with an intrepidity and resourcefulness scarcely to be imagined, made the journey and (more remarkable still) lived to tell the tale. A Pulitzer would scarcely be sufficient to reward such a feat of investigation and reportage.

Oct 29, 2014 ∞

[gallery] The Wear, Durham