In one corner we have The Masters of the Universe at Google - fighting non-stop to be allowed to digitize all written content (preferably without worrying about pesky obstructions like copyright law). They think it’s worth millions and millions of dollars of investment to put as many books as they can online.
In the other corner - The Powers-That-Be at RWA are fighting to convince us that epublishing is not a viable career route for writers.
Hmmm, who do you think will be right?
Hmmm, who do you think will be right?
I think e-publishing is here, not only to stay, but to flourish. It won't (I hope) replace print books. But it will provide a viable career path for writers.
It's not clear to me why RWA is being so stubborn on the subject. I think all writers, and especially those who write romance (the biggest category of epubbed books) could benefit from more information, not less.
I don't like the way RWA excludes their epubbed members from all the membership benefits that other members enjoy. I don't excuse the condescending attitude, the divisive mentality, and the obsession with the $1,000 advance.
But, I do agree with RWA that writers can be exploited via the epubbed model, and I think all writers considering this route should understand the issue.
(All my numbers and assumptions have been approximated for simple math.)
(All my numbers and assumptions have been approximated for simple math.)
Let’s say you publish a story with E-KnowNothing. Your story sells for $6, you get a 1/3 royalty (which will be $2 per book sold) and you sell 100 copies your first year. The book takes in $600, the publisher gets $400, and you get $200. Not too impressive for any of you, right?
But here’s how the multiplier effect works for the publisher. They have 200 authors. If each author published only one book a year and each book sells only 100 copies, the publisher still collects $80,000. Now that’s not a viable business model, because the publisher does have real expenses. But if each author publishes 2 books, the publisher’s take increases to $160,000, though each individual author only gets $400. Are you with me? Two books, everyone doubles their take. Four books, you double again. (The author is still only getting $800.)
Now let’s assume each of their 200 authors sells 1,000 copies of any book. Each author gets $2,000 (1/3 of $6,000, or $2 times 1,000 copies) and KnowNothing gets $800,000 ($4,000 from 200 authors). Now we’re talking money. For the publisher, that is.
But here’s how the multiplier effect works for the publisher. They have 200 authors. If each author published only one book a year and each book sells only 100 copies, the publisher still collects $80,000. Now that’s not a viable business model, because the publisher does have real expenses. But if each author publishes 2 books, the publisher’s take increases to $160,000, though each individual author only gets $400. Are you with me? Two books, everyone doubles their take. Four books, you double again. (The author is still only getting $800.)
Now let’s assume each of their 200 authors sells 1,000 copies of any book. Each author gets $2,000 (1/3 of $6,000, or $2 times 1,000 copies) and KnowNothing gets $800,000 ($4,000 from 200 authors). Now we’re talking money. For the publisher, that is.
That is the valid point that I think RWA makes. Any individual author can toil a long time for little money, but the publisher can do well if she has enough authors, even though each individual author may earn very little.
Where I disagree with RWA is in their solution. (Stick head in sand? J/k, the advance is a legitimate attempt to certify that the publisher believes enough in the author to make a financial investment.)
But a better answer, to me, seems to be for RWA to make a concerted effort to educate their membership on the opportunities as well as the pitfalls of epublishing. The digital world is here to stay. How can RWA members best benefit from it? What are the traps we can avoid?
To me, that should be RWA’s goal. Inform us. Educate us. Don’t deny us a seat at the table to “protect” us.
So here’s the workshop RWA should present at the upcoming conference: What Do You Need to Know before Signing an Epublishing Contract.
Let me add that EKnowNothing is not representative of epublishers. I have simplified the point about "author mills" to illustrate a pitfall that can befall writers. In reality, it's a very diverse industry (and no ill intent needs to be ascribed to anyone. Doesn't the lowliest publisher hope your book sells millions of copies?). There are several reputable electronic publishers who are working hard to ensure that their authors prosper in conjunction with the company. And from what I see as I learn this business, I see a lot of hard work on all sides - authors, editors, agents. Speaking more specifically of the epublisher with which I am associated, I see a dedication to quality and to their authors that might surprise (and I mean this sincerely, not snarkily) some of the folks at RWA.
It will be interesting to see what happens with respect to the RWAChange effort.