“Big Publishing” is changing… AGAIN: Author beware!

There have been some BIG changes in “Big Publishing” in 2012… Penguin acquired “vanity” publishing outfit Author Solutions, Penguin and Random House announced their merger… and now… Simon & Schuster has “teamed up” with Archway Publishing to offer “A Unique Opportunity for Authors” (from the Archway Publishing website). Kathleen Schmidt, a freelance book publicist out of New York, says “Buyer Beware” in terms of what is being offered by Simon & Schuster and Author Solutions! See what Kathleen says about the Archway Publishing “solution”.

Book publishing has undergone some “radical” changes in the last ten or so years, the biggest changes in the publishing industry has seen since German inventor Johannes Gutenberg invented a printing press process in the year 1440, almost 600 years ago. In the last five to ten years, we’ve seen:

• the advent of “print on demand” (or digital printing) – where books are printed one at a time, rather than large offset runs (where books are printed 1,000, or even 5,000 or 10,000, books at a time); and
• the advent of eBooks (where readers can read books on their computers, phones or other digital media).

In that time, authors have been able to “shy away” from a “traditional” contract with a “traditional” publisher (like the “Big 6”, or now the “Big 5”, now that Penguin and Random House have announced their merger, or one of the “mid-list” publishers) and connect directly with readers. Authors have been able to either do it themselves and self-publish, go with a “vanity” publisher (where the author pays sometimes large dollars to publish) or submit to a small, independent, press.

When an author publishes with a “Big 5” (formerly the “Big 6”) commercial publisher (or even a mid-list or small press publisher), money flows to the author: in term of an advance, a royalty and some (sometimes limited, depending on how big or small the publisher is) marketing support.

With a “Vanity” publishing is where the author pays money , normally a sum of money which doesn’t reflect “real” value for money… i.e. at REALLY inflated prices, to have their book published. Authors also have to “cough up the dosh” for marketing and the like. More often than not, the author does NOT get “real” value for money.

With self-publishing, although money flows away from the author, the author is the publisher and, as author and publisher, chooses services (such as editing, cover design, interior design, printing, distribution, etc) themselves and, more often than not, can more often than not get better prices for the services they choose than if they went with a “vanity” publisher.

The latest “deal” between Simon & Schuster seems to have tied them into Penguin/Random House and Penguin/Author Solutions. And it appears to be at over-inflated prices.

When I started in publishing, I decided not to submit to a “traditional” publisher (like the “Big 6”, or even a small press or mid-list press). I wanted my own control over the process. I wanted to do my own research and trust the people I was working with. I also decided I didn’t want to submit to a “vanity” press like Author Solutions… it seemed too rich for my blood, not enough bang for my buck… I wanted to be able to decide who I chose to provide the services I needed and how much I was willing to pay for those services, after careful research about what such services were worth. As an indie publisher, I know how much it costs to print, market and distribute books. As an indie publisher, and after a LOT of research, I “knew” who I could “trust”.

As a publisher, I get that publishers have to make money. As an author, and a member of the Australian Society of Authors, (find the ASA on Twitter), I find it difficult to reconcile the services that vanity publishers offering authors, even if they are “powered” by “traditional” publishers like Penguin or Simon & Schuster.

Kathleen Schmidt, a freelance book publicist out of New York, who runs her own public relations and consulting firm specializing in all aspects of media campaigns for authors, has worked with New York Times bestselling authors and celebrities and “Big 6” publishing houses like Penguin has reviewed the services that Archway Publishing is providing… and from her point of view, as a book publicist, it’s NOT value for money for authors. You can find the details of her analysis here. And I agree. What Archway Publishing is providing is NOT value for money for authors.

You can also find Kathleen Schmidt on Twitter. I follow Kathleen on Twitter and Facebook.

Authors… what do you think?

Small Presses… what do you think?

Book publicists… what do you think?