The agent/publisher industrial complex

Yep, writing, according to these terms, is a business. A book is a product. A writer produces a product. Like cars or furniture or anything else that must be marketed to be noticed and make money. And yes, it sucks that the traditionally published author makes very little of the overall profit on his/her/their product.

I was reading a really depressing post on LinkedIn recently about the money aspects of a writing deal. An author's advance may $100k, but by the time agents, marketing campaigns, taxes, traveling expenses to speaking/signing engagements, etc, all take their toll, the author may make $23k for that year. Ain't no author gonna be able to pay the bills on that, regardless of how great the advance is. Better be praying for movie deals and royalties that defy all expectation.

Point is...

I'm not sure why so many authors seem shocked by this. I admit, part of me hates it. But the other part is like, "Write the first draft or two for myself. Then write the last draft for publishing. Make it fit, as well as I can, the expected pattern. Keep MY DRAFT for me to enjoy."

In truth, this is the same complaint artists in every age have uttered. Painters with glorious skill could only ever make enough money to eat if they had a patron, usually the church, and painted what the patron wanted them to paint, usually religious images. Is that what the painted WANTED to paint??? Probably not. But that's what bought the bread in his belly.

And yep, it's too bad the world works that way, that art for art's sake can't make us a comfortable living, but them's the apples we sowed, when we gave our everything to this profession, so that's the harvest.

So ... is this post just for venting purposes?

EDIT: I found the article outlining the paycheck info I mentioned: www.nolandediting.com/post/self-publishing-income-on-the-rise

Particularly this bit:

Traditional Publishing Advances

While you’ll receive an advance, that advance is held against future royalties, and your agent will take a cut, about 15%, of the advance and your royalties. The size of the advance will be based on how much the publisher thinks they can make by selling your novel.

Good news: you don’t have to pay back the advance! Bad news: you probably won’t get another contract if your fiction novel doesn’t earn the advance. Earning back the advance is especially difficult for first-time authors.

In other words: if authors don't make back that advance, they don't get royalties until that advance is met/surpassed. WTF. The "advance" is in effect, a loan, a bet, on your future sales. Creeps me out.

And on the self-publishing end, when I read in this article what some self-pubbed authors are making per year, I want to cry and sob and beat my fists on the ground. HOOOOW are they making this much???????

Particularly this bit:

Earning $20k or less? You’re in good company. 56% of those who took part in Alli’s survey “indicated total incomes of $20,000 or less, while almost 18% reported income over $100,000 per year.” While “[t]raditional publishing authors earn, on average, between $5,000 and $20,000 per year,” according to a Best Seller Publishing article published in July.

WHAT AM I DOING WRONG?????????

Actually that article I linked to is a fantastic reality check for all of us in this industry.

Yea, trad publishing is a really seedy overly-complicated mess. There's so much nepotism and incestuous book deals, the same authors and their co-horts getting published, the same tropes and plot-lines being written over and over. A spectacularly unique novel can turn into commercial crap really quickly.

However, there have been some wonderful books traditionally published in recent years. Ones that have gotten great recognition. But those seem to be the exception.

Self-publishing has new respect among a lot of people. Trad publishers are picking up self-published works that do well, like Lucy Score and Carissa Broadbent. They both got massive book deals from trad publishers after selling A TON of books self-publishing. That is kind of the dream, in my opinion.

Yes and yes! I love your writing, you always find such fascinating themes to explore. I think you might be surprised about the mainstream appeal. A lot of people have the same kind of thoughts and quandaries that your writing tends to address. And it always makes me think in different ways, which readers tend to enjoy. Under 60k is totally okay. 50k is typically the minimum for a novel, but it could be a novella and traditional publishers still publish those, too. I think there are plenty of small presses that would be interested. Beware of hybrid publishers who ask you to pay to be published, that's a scam.

Raveneye,
I don’t think you’re doing anything wrong.