By LESLIE KAUFMAN
Published: April 16, 2013 134 Comments
When the Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and author David Mamet released his last book, “The Secret Knowledge: On the Dismantling of American Culture,” with the Sentinel publishing house in 2011, it sold well enough to make the New York Times best-seller list.
Gus Ruelas/Reuters
Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright and author David Mamet is planning to self-publish his next work.
Readers’ Comments
Readers shared their thoughts on this article.
This year, when Mr. Mamet set out to publish his next one, a novella and two short stories about war, he decided to take a very different path: he will self-publish.
Mr. Mamet is taking advantage of a new service being offered by his literary agency, ICM Partners, as a way to assume more control over the way his book is promoted.
“Basically I am doing this because I am a curmudgeon,” Mr. Mamet said in a telephone interview, “and because publishing is like Hollywood — nobody ever does the marketing they promise.”
As digital disruption continues to reshape the publishing market, self-publishing — including distribution digitally or as print on demand — has become more and more popular, and more feasible, with an increasing array of options for anyone with an idea and a keyboard. Most of the attention so far has focused on unknown and unsigned authors who storm onto the best-seller lists through their own ingenuity.
The announcement by ICM and Mr. Mamet suggests that self-publishing will begin to widen its net and become attractive also to more established authors. For one thing, as traditional publishers have cut back on marketing, this route allows well-known figures like Mr. Mamet to look after their own publicity.
Then there is the money. While self-published authors get no advance, they typically receive 70 percent of sales. A standard contract with a traditional house gives an author an advance, and only pays royalties — the standard is 25 percent of digital sales and 7 to 12 percent of the list price for bound books — after the advance is earned back in sales.
ICM, which will announce its new self-publishing service on Wednesday, is one of the biggest and most powerful agencies to offer the option. But others are doing the same as they seek to provide additional value to their writers while also extending their reach in the industry.
Since last fall, Trident Media Group, which represents 800 authors, has been offering its clients self-publishing possibilities through deals negotiated though online publishers like Amazon and Barnes & Noble, in a system very similar to the one ICM is setting up. Robert Gottlieb, chairman of Trident, says that 200 authors have taken advantage of the service, though mostly for reissuing older titles, the backlist.
Another literary agency, InkWell Management, has helped the romance novelist Eloisa James reissue many of her backlist titles, as well as her newer books overseas, this way. She usually turns out her best sellers through HarperCollins, and in a telephone interview she said she would not leave Harper completely because she loves her editor. But she added that published authors talked about the “self-pubs” all the time and had learned a lot from those writers’ efforts.
“They treat it like a small business,” she said, “and they are geniuses at discoverability.”
Sloan Harris, co-director of ICM’s literary department, said his agency signed a deal with a company called Argo Navis Author Services, a self-publishing service created by the Perseus Book Group, because he decided it was time to give his clients more options than the standard big publishing houses.
For certain clients, Mr. Harris said, self-publishing “returns a degree of control to authors who have been frustrated about how their ideas for marketing and publicity fare at traditional publishers.” Both Mr. Harris and Mr. Mamet said that the big publishers focused mostly on blockbuster books and fell short on other titles — by publishing too few copies, for instance, or limiting advertising to only a short period after a book was released.
“Particularly for high-end literary fiction, their efforts too often have been very low-octane,” Mr. Harris said of the traditional publishers.
Although Mr. Mamet will be the best known of the agency’s clients to use the new service, he is not the only one: two older books by ICM clients that have gone to backlist, “Searching for Bobby Fischer,” by Fred Waitzkin, and “Ghosts of Mississippi,” by Maryanne Vollers, will also be reissued this way.
And Mr. Harris said more would come. “We will pay ever more attention project by project, author by author, as to what our options are,” he said.
If an author self-publishes, what, then, is the role of a literary agency? Mr. Gottlieb of Trident said it made sense for his clients to self-publish through the agency, which charges a standard commission on sales, instead of going directly to Amazon themselves because the agency brought experience in marketing and jacket design. It also has relationships with the digital publishers that give their clients access to plum placement on sites that self-published authors can’t obtain on their own.
Self-publishing services also offer varying levels of editing services, though many writers hire their own editors if they self-publish.
Once a small backwater of vanity presses for authors who could not get contracts with mainstream houses, self-publishing now accounts for more than 235,000 books annually, according to Bowker, a book research firm. Big houses like Penguin and Harlequin have opened their own self-publishing divisions because they see it as a profit center of the future.
Although a vast majority of self-published books will never find much of an audience, a surprising number have become best sellers, especially in genres like romance and science fiction. Self-published titles made up roughly one-quarter of the top-selling books on Amazon last year, the company said.
Argo Navis’s standard deal, for example, allows for publication digitally and in paperback by demand, as well as distribution, in return for 30 percent of all sales. (It would not be unusual, however, for a big author using an agent to negotiate better terms.) The deal also comes with basic marketing, like listings in digital catalogs.
“Increasingly, agents and authors tell us they are looking for options, and this model offers them a lot more than one size fits all,” said David Steinberger, chief executive of Perseus Books. With this system, he added, “they make the decisions.”
Most top-flight authors have so far eschewed such deals because they are paid advances that are large enough to compensate for lower royalties. In addition, traditional publishers have experienced editors to whom writers become attached, sometimes for decades. And they still provide support services like marketing and publicity, even if these services are sometimes not to the authors’ liking.
For these reasons, said Peter Turner, a former publishing executive and founder and chief executive of the industry consulting companyAmpersand Publishing & Marketing Solutions, he did not think a flood of big names would follow Mr. Mamet, at least not right away. “It puts so much more of the risk on the author and agent,” he said.
Still, with the publishing world transforming rapidly and with more books than ever being sold online, many writers have concluded that they must at least consider self-publishing.
For his part, Mr. Mamet cites horror stories that fellow authors have suffered at the hands of publishing houses. He says he has faith that his new book is good enough to sell big, even without a traditional publisher.
“I am going to promote the hell out of it,” he says gamely, “even though I’ll probably make my own mistakes.”
Try unlimited access to NYTimes.com for just 99¢. SEE OPTIONS »
134 Comments
Why? Because it's a great adventure story and it's also a nail-biting suspense story that is non-fiction, told by 24 passengers on board the first two boats that sailed to Gaza in 2008 and how we made it in spite of ourselves. Like freedom riders and the stories about the civil rights movement, our book resonates with the public who still looks for stories of the little guys succeeding against all odds.
It;s not to be missed, an we're delighted we self-published
I first blogged about this two years ago. It would be great if the NYT ever bothered mentioning how much of a rip-off this service is instead of giving them such uncritical coverage (just like they did when this service was launched).http://davidgaughran.wordpress.com/2011/10/05/rip-offs-terrible-advice-z...
The biggest mistake publishers made was in refusing too look at price sensitivity. Failing to offer readers a good deal before is one of the reasons why there are so many new self-published authors who have had "bestsellers" - they sell 100,000 copies at 0.99 or $1 instead of 10 copies at $19.99! Why couldn't publishers see this? They were too busy pretending that "literature" was above the price fray. And they were wrong. How many books and authors would have seen success if their publishers had behaved like proper businesses, subject to the laws of supply and demand, raising and lowering prices accordingly? And now it is too late for most of them.
The question for authors who are a) not well known already, or b) not attached to aggressive agents, is simple: do we risk going it alone for a bigger share of the pot, or do we let the publisher continue to disappoint us with its efforts to get our work noticed and sold? Given that the big bricks-and-mortar booksellers are also in dire straits, I think we know the answer.
On the other hand I know that a more respectable and desirable outcome would have been these works publication and publicization by quality trade publishers. I know it would have been more satisfying had they too been read by many , reviewed by those who truly were enthused by them. Above all had there been real recognition of the works by respected reviewers and critics I would have had more of what I wanted.
But as I understand it this is not given, as I understand too that my poor sales record means no trade publisher, small or large wants my work I continue, vanity of vanities to publish my own works and do almost nothing to publicize them.
That is to say what is most valuable to me as a writer does not depend on the format of the work,or the way in which it was published.
My guess is, and perhaps I am wrong, that the truly great work will make itself known, no matter what format used in initially publishing it.
In my case I have shown the way it is possible 'to not succeed' both when published by others and when self- published.
When Whitman, Kierkegaard, Thoreau self- published they no doubt were more impelled by transmitting their message than by receiving the greatest monetary profit possible.
I am surprised too that there is almost nothing said in the comments about the receiving of reviews and recognition not from the widest audience but from those critics and readers one most cares about.
There are after all writers whose sales may be lag but whose critical esteem is so great that they no doubt will last beyond most fashionable best-sellers.
Bookshops failed them with
unappealing destinations.
Publishers failed them by not bothering to tell them what's
around except for the next 'big' thing.
Now the ebook you
can't share to show off a new writer and set at
prices beyond reason for an electronic download.
Readers love books and love to know what's out there and to share
the knowledge.
Publishers - you failed your writers and your readers when you left out 'Marketing'.
It should not be so that writers need to do it.
Reap what you sowed, and let's hope writers reap what they wrote.
Even if you have a publishing deal, most agents recommend that you pay for your own publicist and arrange your own promo tour, which begs the question: Do I really need a publisher if all they do is edit the text and design a pretty jacket?
I have bee a career journalist for 40 years. I have published two books by POD, Across a Crowded Room" and "A Room with a Loo". The first one I know could be a good seller had it any promotion. Then I still wouldn't know if I was being ripped off by the publisher. And Amazon won't give you sales figures to check against what your publisher reports.
Pound for pound and word for word, the small publishers are far more likely to offer quality material.
So visit our page at www.SEALbook.com as well, thanks
Kathryn Guare
www.kathrynguare.com
Yes, the market will be flooded with unreadable drivel. But nobody has to read said drivel. Plus I've seen traditiionally published books that could have used a good editor, whether fiction, nonfiction, or even textbook. Also, the unreadable drivel probably won't have the good marketing force behind it.
Editing is a must these days, though. I'm decent at catching my own stuff, but my two English degree friends are also there to police my prose when I ask them to read my stuff. You don't even need to hire an editor if you've got the right people!
Being a 'No-name', but believing I have a story to tell, I self-published. Sending out annoucements and knocking on book stores' door is almost the hardest part in this effort. As soon as it was apparent that I self-published, even before seeing the book, people literally rolled their eyes. When I checked back a week later, I was told "Oh, its actually good." And so it goes.
I am pleased with the results
I will self publish again and along with a cover designer and editor who assisted with the first book, I will also hire a publicist.
Thank you.
Heidi Smith, author of 'After The Bombs - My Berlin'
I am all for independent art (film, music, books), but please don't forget the importance of a good editor. Otherwise, I fear the market will become flodded with unreadable drivel.
As a reader, I expect a lot of shoddy literature to appear once self-publishing hits the mainstream.
Diana Bletter, Author, The Mom Who Took Off On Her Motorcycle
http://thebestchapter.com
(Kudos to the person noting that co-publishing is NOT self-publishing.)
Let's be honest - when grocers don't sell food, we all notice. When teachers don't show up for work, we all notice. When first responders aren't on duty, we notice. When garbage collectors don't pick up, we notice.
I'm guessing that if 99% of those books that would otherwise be self-published aren't, nobody will notice.
Self-publishing is like blogging - the world gets bombarded with content (aka 'product') that isn't curated. It only makes it that much more difficult to find worthy content. As (I believe) John Updike said, bad writing is worse than no writing, because it is clutter. And if, as a writer, you aren't passionate enough about your work to try to reach your audience, it won't sell - any more than any craftsman will sell his/her work without trying to reach customers.
I've been in this business for 20+ years and have seen many business threats, perceived and actual. I'm less concerned about self-publishing hurting business than I am a meteor hitting the building.
A major popular figure may be able to successfully pull off self-publishing, but look how disappointing sales were Penny Marshall's memoir were - and that was with the power of Amazon behind her. While he might have once been one of this coutry's great playwrights, nobody cares about a novella and two short stories by David Mamet.
Wendy - I think the mistake is thinking that writers can do it themselves - what this should be is a heyday for small (and academic) presses. Self-published authors still see it as a launching pad for a book deal, more than anything else.
And everyone thinks they have a worthy story to tell - but it doesn't mean they do. But I still believe the cream rises to the top - and that publishers bring value in helping to sell books (worthy or otherwise). Disgruntled author wannabes who can't get a contract don't think so. But more often than not they should keep their day jobs.
Even if people fail at it or come to learn the hard way that it is not all it is cracked up to be, AT LEAST there is a choice, there is a chance and it can be taken. The prior model of publishing was/is more like a highly centralized regime, with policies governing actions and power concentrated in the hands of a few. Neat orderly and highly centralized. To be fair, there was money and support and a successful business model, but only if the writer and the content "conformed".
This new model is messy. It is uncertain, and the money is by no means guaranteed. But who among us does not want to at least have a chance at success? Especially if our level of success is affected by the effort we can now put in to controlling our future or our book's future?
In other words.....ya gotta love it when a bottleneck is removed!
my .02
The article sounds more like the agency is taking on service roles traditionally provided by publishers.
Which, one supposes, could also break the opposite way, with publishers taking on agency roles.
take into account that the self-publisher is a publishing
company that must direct the services of an editor,
proofreader, cover designer, typesetter, printer and binder,
marketer, and shipper. And in the back office should be an attorney
and accountant.
But subsidy publishing describes a printer who produces any book
as long as the owner pays for the expenses.
So maybe we need another term--like joint venture publishing or
cooperative publishing or we could call it a self-publishing
assistance process.
It's a more or less fair arrangement. The publisher takes most of the risk, investing in editing, book production, printing and so on. The author does most of the work of creating the book, but seldom has much of a financial stake, other than his or her time, invested in the project. Both stand to win, both stand to loose.
Along with (now somewhat minimal) marketing services, the good publishing houses offer legitimacy which is hard for start-up authors to earn on their own. The value of this depends on the field. You don't need a whole lot of "legitimacy" to publish a book of your grandmother's baking recipes or your sure-fire formula for raising premium petunias.
But the more technical or scholarly subjects demand qualifications of the author which, as a rule, are pre-vetted for the reader by good publishers. I know that the first thing I look for when purchasing a book, if I'm not sure about the author's thesis or argument, is who published it. A book on ancient Greece published by Oxford University Press.? No problem.
So, none of this is simple. One thing's for sure, though. In today's book market most authors will have to spend more of their time than ever on marketing work if they want to increase sales. Prepare to give talks, twitter away and so on.
Good luck, fellow scribblers!