Comments on: No One Cares

By: Kim Wright

Kim Wright — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 22:18:35 +0000

A most excellent article. As an aside, it seems that even the word “midlist” has become tainted. I submitted a panel idea for AWP last year called “My Midlist Crisis” which discusses many of these same issues – ie what happens to an author who writes a well-reviewed and well-received book which sells 20,000 copies but doesn’t “break out”? The first problem was finding writers willing to accept the stigma of being called midlist at all, and the second problem is that the conference, while acknowledging that “this is a real and pressing issue” felt the panel would be too depressing to draw an audience.

By: Julie Tallard Johnson

Julie Tallard Johnson — Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:20:16 +0000

The times they are a changin– write about that.

By: Noble Smith

Noble Smith — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 03:46:49 +0000

Hey man, I feel your pain. If you believe in your book, however, you can never give up on it. I originally released my novel SONS OF ZEUS as an iTunes free ebook. It got over 24,000 downloads in the first year, and it still took five years to sell to a publishing house. But I’m certain that the publisher who eventually bought the book (and the other two in the series) looked at those ebook numbers and saw the potential. There is no shame in self-publishing. The hardest thing is trying to rise above all the bad writing out there. There are just so many books flooding the marketplace.

By: Richard Fox

Richard Fox — Sun, 27 Jan 2013 00:47:50 +0000

For that author looking to make money at one book a year, self publish!

http://www.amazon.com/gp/feature.html/ref=amb_link_365040462_5?ie=UTF8&docId=1000830551&nav_sdd=aps&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-B2&pf_rd_r=0KDQ187CACNNDH88BPC5&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=1471003382&pf_rd_i=507846

By: E.L. Farris

E.L. Farris — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 14:53:32 +0000

Truth. Not even scary, ugly truth. Your words are true. And for some reason, that makes me smile.

By: S. J. Crown

S. J. Crown — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 07:22:34 +0000

I foresee a day when most “query” letters will not be from authors to agents and editors, but from traditional publishers to 1)established blockbuster authors (Would you write a book for us?), 2)people famous enough to generate buzz (Wouldn’t you like a little side income from a book?), and 3)successful self-published authors (We see your book is trending upward on Amazon, Goodreads, and Twitter. Would you be interested in a book deal?).
As I see it, as a no-name author, I have a better chance to do well by trying to become #3 than by the painfully slow process of querying agents. (This week I received a form rejection for an email query I sent Feb 2, 2012. The self-pubbed book has been available for purchase since September.) Don’t know if self-publication will end up turning a profit for me, but I’m having fun and finding it much more emotionally rewarding than banging my head against the wall sending out query letters.

By: Noble Smith

Noble Smith — Sat, 26 Jan 2013 00:43:09 +0000

I really related to this piece. I’ve been writing professionally since I was a teenager when I sold my first play to Samuel French. Since then I’ve done just about everything as an author from self publishing (both hard back and ebooks), to getting published by an indie house, to getting published by a major publisher. Right now I’m in the exact same position that Mr. Coyne is talking about in this piece. I have a three book deal (a book coming out every year) with a major publisher. I feel really lucky because my book is set in ancient Greece (a pretty difficult period to sell, as I’m sure Steven Pressfield would bear out). I was lucky enough to get singled out by a smart editor–a rare and old fashioned kind of editor who is willing to take the time cultivating a writer. Will there be an audience for my series? Who knows. It really feels like a crapshoot. My book is a bare knuckles thrill ride that takes place at the start of the Peloponnesian War. It ain’t mommy porn like 50 Shades. The interesting thing is that a really savvy publisher in Brazil just picked up the series and they’ve committed 100k to marketing the books. People in Brazil really love to read. Maybe the future for American authors is the global marketplace.

By: Jeremy Brown

Jeremy Brown — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 18:03:19 +0000

Great points (and title) Shawn, thanks for sharing your wisdom. I often tell people I want a career like Elmore Leonard’s, and I’m not discouraged when most of them say, “Who?”
My audience isn’t the masses, and when I find one of them, we have much to talk about.

By: David Y.B. Kaufmann

David Y.B. Kaufmann — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 15:57:35 +0000

Shawn, you’ve concisely articulated a problem those of us engaged in the writing and publishing fields, however peripherally, have known for years. (I wish I’d known you back when you were editing and I was starting out!) The paradigm I’m discovering is that publishing services (for lack of a better word) are still needed: editing, cover design, marketing. Rather than top-down, though, the writer gets a network (think Black Irish): an editor becomes more important than ever, but is not tied to a publisher; he or she is connected with authors. Same with marketers. And cover designers, etc. I suspect agents will soon be looking for support teams and networks for writers, rather than publishers per say. At least, for the under-appreciated “mid-list” writers. Thanks. I appreciate your thoughts and insights here.

By: Basilis

Basilis — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 15:48:18 +0000

Well, based on previous articles of Shawn and the link you gave, John, my question seems more and more rhetorical…