OLD POST ALERT! This is an older post and although you might find some useful tips, any technical or publishing information is likely to be out of date. Please click on Start Here on the menu bar above to find links to my most useful articles, videos and podcast. Thanks and happy writing! – Joanna Penn
Most writers and authors also buy a lot of books. I certainly do, and you probably do too. So what makes you buy a book?
I buy books primarily based on the following:
- Recommendations from others mostly found on blogs I read and twitter
- Browsing the Amazon Kindle store in the categories I read, as well as how Amazon uses suggestions on other books I have read. I download lots of samples and then buy the books that take my fancy.
- Browsing physical book stores, although now I note down titles and then go buy them on my Kindle as they are 1/4 of the price of the physical book
I definitely do not buy books based on the publisher. In fact, most of the time I wouldn't know who the publisher was anyway and in a brief survey of other book buyers they have a similar experience. This raises a couple of very important questions for authors and writers, and perhaps publishers as well.
- If book buyers don't care who the publisher is, why is there a stigma to being self-published? (it's changing but it is still there). If you have a professionally edited and interesting book, with an eye-catching cover, buyers will not know the difference anyway. I have the same Amazon shelf-space as any other books. What do you think?
- If book buyers don't care who the publisher is, why do authors care so much? Do we all want a 10 book deal with Harper Collins because it means more physical distribution to bookstores, potentially world rights and more publicity budget? and is that scenario very likely for most authors. I don't think so. The reason must be ego and I will freely admit to being one of those authors! I would love a 10 book deal with Harper Collins! But I know that I will still need to do my own publicity and marketing, and I may well make less money than digital publishing. It is important to identify the why behind what you want for your book and your career as an author. Why do you care who publishes you?
- If book buyers don't care who the publisher is, whose brand is associated with the book? In A brilliant audio to the indie publishing industry a few weeks ago, Seth Godin challenged the audience on brand. He basically said that publishers should be aligning with audiences and brands and become the “go-to” publisher for that audience e.g. be the publisher for civil war books, or for coeliac disease sufferers. I can think of a couple of publishers who have this right at the moment. O'Reilly Books is for tech books, and Harlequin is for romance, but do the readers go there to spend money? I find branding to be a fascinating topic for authors and the publishing industry and right now, you need to consider your branding in a very crowded marketplace.
[Update: This piece was written a week ago, but I just saw the interview with Mark Coker from Smashwords where he says the same thing:
“Readers typically don’t pay attention to the name of the publisher on the spine of the book. They pay attention to the author and the story.”
Do you buy books based on a publisher? and do you care who publishes your book?
Hi Joanna,
I agree with most of the points you’ve raised except:
*Do we all want a 10 book deal with Harper Collins because it means more physical distribution to bookstores, potentially world rights and more publicity budget? and is that scenario very likely for most authors. I don’t think so. The reason must be ego and I will freely admit to being one of those authors!*
Why wouldn’t an author want better distribution and part of a decent publicity budget? Having your work taken on by one of the big publishers means a dedicated account manager taking your work into bookshops all over the country and bringing it to the attention of booksellers, not to mention reminding them of any marketing and publicity being done. It also means possibly scoring more mentions and sightings in magazines and newspapers because the publisher has the budget to send out reading copies or finished copies – and can potentially afford to build a marketing campaign around a title, maybe with print advertising too. Also, with a ten-book deal (rare as such a thing may be 🙂 ) you know the publisher has invested in your work and as such, will do their very best to help it sell … so it’s not just you invested in your work, it’s a whole team.
The other reason an author might care about going to a particular publisher is for the reason you raise in your third point – because that publisher may be known as *the* publisher for a particular genre – eg. Orbit , Voyager and Tor for fantasy and sf, Virago for feminist works, etc.
Anyway, really enjoyed this article!
I don’t buy books based on a publisher either, but I am a sucker for a good cover. And if I was ever published, I would want to be published by one of the big ones, siimply because I know that I’d have more possibility of being noticed in the cast of thousands of books released each year, and possibly being a success as a result (assuming my writing was good ;)).
Thanks Natalie. You’re right about the genre publishers – hence the Seth Godin mention. Those publishers are brilliantly in genre and therefore ARE go-to publishers. I guess I wanted a more controversial post!
On covers, I guess we all like different types of covers anyway. They are definitely having to change because of Amazon. Thanks for your comment.
Controversial post, but publishing is in controversial times. Big publishers build brands and certain ones are seen as a stamp of quality – as Natalie says. Publishers can also mount hard-hitting sales campaigns, but the reality is that they only choose to do so for a very small number of authors. Your book can be published by a big name and languish at the bottom of the backlist – so authors who’ve been kicking around the industry for a while do not necessarily think a book deal is the jackpot. The public do, though – because the only authors they hear of are the ones who are heavily publicised.
You’re right, Joanna, that Amazon is changing all this. A page on Amazon is a page on Amazon. The problem is, then, to build reader awareness and confidence – a journey you are helping us all with, by the way!
absolutely – the ‘problem’ of marketing falls to all authors, regardless of how they are published. It’s interesting for me actually, being in Australia and reading mostly US blogs. I buy books from Amazon as I hear about them online and they aren’t in bookshops here!
Joanna,
This is a thought-provoking post that should make all publishers, no matter their size, re-examine their own branding practices. It is indeed critical for authors to affiliate with publishers who care about building the author’s platform and brand on a personal level, and help them develop a genuine rapport with their audience.
Indie publishers too should focus on their own “tribe” of readers, as Seth Godin coined it, and the only way they can begin doing that is by regularly communicating with their flock and trying to understand their needs. Small presses need to take charge and become leaders in the publishing profession, specialists (when applicable), and most of all, reliable arbiters of taste.
How do we do it? We first do it by actually speaking to our readers and caring about who’s reading our books in the first place.
Dan Cafaro
Founder and Publisher
Atticus Books
great points there Dan – I’m going to do a post on how to build an email list soon – something every author and publisher should be doing, so you can market to the people who actually buy your book.
Great points! I’m glad you raised this issue because sometimes when we’re striving to get published, we forget that, like you said, our readers don’t care about the publisher! It’s a great reminder.
I buy books based on recommendations from friends and family, online friends, blogs and Twitter.
Very though-provoking post, Joanna. I’m like you, I buy books based off of recommendations or by simply browsing the aisle (physical or virtual). I can’t think of one instance where I’ve bought a book based on who the publisher was.
There may be a bit of a learning curve, but I think in the long run authors will be able to figure out how to gain just as much exposure and credibility through self-publishing as they do through traditional methods.
I know one thing, this post gives authors a lot to think about.
I agree with everything said here and would add that I believe part of the self publishing stigma exists (not all of it mind you) because if Jane can publish herself bypassing all the barriers posed by traditional publishing paths then those paths are devalued. No one wants to see their hard work dismissed that way.
Because anyone can self publish there will always be questions of quality but if a quality filter were applied so that only those self pubbed titles appeared that could have gone via traditional routes, then I think the tables are turned for the majority of mid listers. (I reserve the right to be hideously wrong of course).
Thanks Gretchen. I do believe that the market will decide what is worth being published anyway. In the midst of many self-pub books, those that sell will be those that people want to read. That will be the quality filter. One thing I am learning is that everyone has a different idea of what they like to read. One person’s quality is another’s dross and miserable read.
Yes, there is a standard of writing and editing that is needed, but I think over time the market will allow people to rise to the top regardless of how they publish.
Thanks so much for your comment. Joanna
When you publish with a real publisher, it gives your book weight. The people who buy it in the stores might not look at the publisher, but they know that in order to be published, the book reaches certain, albeit variable, standards. They know the book has been vetted by professionals and is therefore part of our societies ongoing dialog, and that by reading it, they are taking part in their own culture.
Being part of this dialog is why people want to publish with traditional publishers, and it’s why there will always be traditional publishers and gatekeepers. The new avenues to publish are wonderful, but your average reader, while not caring about publishers, cares very much about reading books that have been vetted and accepted by their culture.
Hi Jeremy, but what about the point that on Amazon, everyone has the same size page? Do people really notice publisher there?
The self-publishing stigma isn’t with the readers, it’s with the rest of the industry. Try to obtain a review on any blog or website other than those targeted for self-publishers, for example; in my case, most of those who deigned answer predictably did so in a condescending manner. Recently, one website even turned down my advertising money! And that’s to say nothing of the other writers, either traditionally published or prospectively so, who feel threatened and outraged by the very fact that we exist, let alone enjoy any measure of success! Readers? They don’t care, most don’t have a clue how the industry works, who publishes their ebooks, or what self-publishing actually is.
Thanks Muriel. It’s interesting that publishing has been a ‘pot luck’ kind of industry where publishers have taken a chance on books that might sell – and many of them haven’t. As we know, the bestsellers support many books that don’t sell much. This seems to be changing for traditional publishers now who are starting to pick up indie and self-published authors who are already selling, so they bypass the risk.
As this recent article by Jane Friedman on Writer’s Digest shows, it is no damage to your career to self-publish and in fact, it can actually help by demonstrating sales and popularity.
http://blog.writersdigest.com/norules/2010/08/03/SelfPublishingOnlinePublishingWillNotRuinYourChancesAtATraditionalDeal.aspx
I like category romance, and Harlequin is the only place for that. I also like a lot of small press titles, so I guess I do sort of pay attention to the publisher, but only insomuch as I know who publishes the *type* of books I want to read, as you said. And I tend to look for specific authors with that anyway. When it comes to thrillers/bestsellers/stuff outside the romance genre, I really don’t care. I shop by author and interesting excerpt, nothing more.
I thought it might be fun to have my name on a Harlequin romance…you know, since self-publishing wasn’t an option if I wanted to be a “real” author. Ironically, a lot of other authors (indie and trad) look down on Harlequin books as well, so there’s a stigma for me either way. Really though the only reason I still toy with a Harl. submission is to get that “validation” to show other authors – “see, I’m as good as you, I got a NY deal, so you know I can write.” But I still plan on self-publishing the majority of my work…and the longer I think about it, the more I think validation from others isn’t a good enough reason to chase that NY deal when it’s not where my heart is, and as you say, readers don’t care.
Hi Jamie,
Harlequin is such a good example, and I am sure they don’t care that others look down on them. They have a great niche and I’m sure make lots of money. They know their market, they write to it and they sell books. Now that’s a sound business model!
They are definitely the minority though – most seem to have a scattergun approach.
I say why not do both self-publishing and traditional publishing? There doesn’t have to be an either-or situation. In my opinion, the author should seek the publisher that will do the author the most good. I can only come at this from the position of someone who has already self-published (and happily so).
I am going to seek a traditional publisher later this year, but honestly, I want a small publisher. Why? To widen the group of prospective readers. I realize the stigma is there. I know some people do pay attention to how a book is published. (Probably not most but some for sure.)
I’m choosing a small publisher because I need a publisher who will mostly likely work with me and represents the author brand I’ve already developed. I figure that the publisher (who publishes books similar to mine) will have a segment of my target audience that I can tap into. Then those people who find me there might like my work enough to buy my self-published titles. I don’t expect to make more money with the traditional publisher. I think I’ll make more on my own, but I do expect to increase overall sales of my self-published titles (which will increase sales in the long-term).
The recognition from other writers only mattered when I started on this path, but now, it doesn’t matter because I’ve built up enough of a readerbase where I already feel “verified” as an author. What’s been a surprising benefit from promoting my self-published books is that I am confident as I go into submitting to traditional publishers and I am willing to walk away if they don’t offer me a good deal because I know there are already some people who will buy my next book, regardless of how it’s published.
(There goes my opinion.) 😀
Thanks Ruth, and in fact have you noticed I just changed my Blog sub-heading to ‘Adventures in …publishing”
I fully intend to publish in all 4 publishing quadrants!
http://www.thecreativepenn.com/publishing/
No, I didn’t notice. That goes to show how little I pay attention. I can’t wait to hear your experiences as you go in all these directions. I already know you have a couple covered, so I’d love to learn what you think as you go to the other. (You’ve covered all but one from what I see.)
A great post – nails one of those really interesting points about what value do publishers actually add, and they really do need to make sure that they are adding value now because otherwise they will be cut out. I think social media offers a great opportunity for publishers to build a good relationship with their customers and become one of those trusted recommendation blogs/people that you go to and find new stuff to read. But that means that they do have to be more specific and if you are a mega huge publisher which covers pretty much every genre, you need to start assessing how to break it down and focus on specific customers.
Hi Anna, you nailed it with being a “trusted recommendation” source. That’s what we are all aiming to become in social media I think, so it makes sense for publishers to also aim for this. Thanks!
I think it depends. For a lot of stuff, mainstream books for the most part, I wouldn’t really care overly much about the publisher.
In the case of my genre reading, a lot of the time I will treat the publisher as being a reasonable stamp of quality (or not). This is especially the case if I’m not really able to find a lot of information about the book in question.
I realise that in a wider sense I’m probably part of a statistically insignificant minority. However, I’d wager that pretty important to the publishers in question?
Whoops: “Riochard.” That’ll be Richard, then…can’t even spell my own name! :S
Publisher as a stamp of quality is a good image – but isn’t the author themselves a stamp of quality if you like their stuff? If an author you liked moved publishers, does that effect whether you buy their books?
Yes, indeed that’s true. The author, if known to me (or well enough known outside of this) would be sufficient.
I mean more if I’m looking to take a punt on something which is by a new author, or has a lower overall profile. If it’s made available by a publisher that I’ve found I can trust, then that can often be one of the biggest factors in making a purchasing decision.
Great post! I can honestly say I don’t want a NY publisher. I might sell subsidiary rights if I ever did well enough and the opportunity presented itself, but I like being in business for myself. Readers just plain don’t care. And I don’t need to impress other writers. When the only group that would look down on me for self-publishing is my competition… then there is a question of motivation.
My opinion is that while there are a lot of bad self-published books, the good ones are competition for authors published the traditional way. Like you say, we all have the same kind of shelf space on Amazon. While people read more than one book, they DO have limited time, as well as other things to do in their lives besides just read. And they have limited dollars to spend on books.
So if they buy my book, it is theoretically possible that they will NOT buy another book they might have bought if mine didn’t exist.
The loudest, most angry people against self-publishing are unpublished authors. They don’t want the competition and people “Cutting them in line.” They want everybody else to have to go through the same doors they did. But this is a free market economy, and the way they want it isn’t how it works.
The stigma will eventually disappear, but it’ll keep going for awhile. But since the stigma isn’t from the readers, it doesn’t have a very strong effect on those who really want to self-publish.
You’re awesome Zoe! “I don’t want a NY publisher”
I’m not at that stage yet – although you know I am very pro-self publishing!
I really don’t say it to sound cool! 😛
One of the key points you make is when you refer to a well-edited book.
I’ve yet to read a self-published book that wasn’t in dire need of editing. That is where the stigma lies IMO.
I no longer trust Amazon reviews for self-published books as they are often all shill reviews.
I’m not an author, just a voracious reader. Unfortunately I know my comments here will be largely ignored because of that, which is sad.
HI Stacy, your comments will certainly NOT be ignored here! Voracious readers are the people authors like to hear from most. I too am a voracious reader so I will disagree with you on one point – it is not only self-pubbed books that need a good edit.
Recently, I think Dan Brown’s ‘Lost Symbol’ and Cronin’s ‘The Passage’ could have been better books with a tighter edit.
Perhaps this is a reflection on the editors rather than the method of publishing? Thanks so much, Joanna
Excellent article! You’ve made great points. My only thought as to why someone may want to be published by the larger company (not necessarily HC) is for the quality of the book. Some smaller publishers may not do so well in that area – but I really don’t know, this is a guess!
The only thing I really don’t feel comfortable about on this list is author branding, but that’s because I’ve yet to find my “brand” and I really don’t want to stick myself in a box. Do I really need to restrict myself and my writing simply to sell better? Especially if I’m self publishing, I think people may not care much. Branding is good for trad. publishing because the publishing houses expect things from you. But I… I just can’t restrict myself like that, lol. But again, great article!
Hi Suzanne, good point on branding – you might find this interview with NY Times bestselling author Scott Sigler useful as he tackles this aspect of publishing.
http://www.thecreativepenn.com/2010/06/14/podcast-scott-sigler-on-how-to-be-a-ny-times-best-selling-author/
He now blends traditional publishing for the thriller ‘brand’ with self-publishing sci-fi in order to not be in a box with his fans! A great mix.
I think it’s possible to build a case for pretty much anything if you selectively pick and choose the data. Sure…I didn’t buy my Harry Potter books because of the publisher and I haven’t a clue who Michael Connelly’s publisher is. So, I guess my answer is “no, I don’t buy based upon publisher.”
Then again, I was once given a book by Tor books as an eBook. They are a publisher with a very active online promotion program. It was by a guy named Brandon Sanderson. I didn’t now Sanderson from Adam. Now I do and own copies of everything he’s written. Did I buy those books because of the publisher or the author? Would I have ever found Sanderson without the publisher – say if he’d self-published his books.
The irony is that more and more, I pay attention to publishers, particularly when it comes to unknown authors. This is for the simple reason that it’s becoming harder and harder to find good ‘new’ authors amongst the growing flood of poorly edited drivel that is being dumped into cyberspace.
Cheers — Larry
Larry – that’s a great point about Tor. It seems they have nailed their niche as have Harlequin (VERY different genres and markets!). They are consistently the 2 exceptions mentioned proving Seth Godin’s point to be correct I think!
I do tend to buy books not so much by publisher but by imprint. Random House had a Vintage Contemporary Author series in the 1980s and I bought many of the books in that series even if I hadn’t heard of the authors before, because the folks who were well known and published under that imprint were solid (think Raymond Carver and Andre Dubus). There also used to be great sales of Virago books and I’d buy them pretty much indiscriminately when they were on sale.
I think with hardcovers though the publisher’s brand is much less obtrusive – with trade paperbacks the books tend to have been around for a while and the branding is much more obvious for paperbacks.
Hi Ruth, it’s interesting you mention imprints from 20+ years ago – do you think these imprints still have an impact today on your book buying? Thanks so much, Joanna
You’ve sparked a great conversation here that goes to the heart of the matter. It’s a question that every publisher, every author and every reader who cares about great books thinks about today far more frequently than they might have a decade ago.
I fall into all three categories above, not that any of them come with an exclusive membership. I think we’re all in this together.
Just a few “facts” to add juice to the discussion. Last year Bowker published “U.S. Book Consumer Demographics & Buying Behaviors Annual Report” covering 2008 data (a new version will be out soon). Chapter 5 is called “Motivation” as in the opening sentence of the chapter: “Publishers have been puzzling over what motivates consumers to buy books for decades.” This authoritative survey offers extensive insights (if you Google the title, you’ll find snippets online. I read it at Simon Fraser University library in Vancouver, B.C.).
There’s too much detail to steal, um, report on, here. But a couple of nuggets:
1. “The publisher” does not appear in a chart called “Top 7 Reasons for Purchasing Books.” Author and Topic/Subject share top honors at 17% each.
2. Motivation varies substantially with the type of book purchased. For example the author is (not surprisingly) far more important for fiction purchases than non-fiction, where topic/subject is more important.
3. This survey naturally focuses mostly on books purchased in bookstores, because that was and still is where most people buy most books. So while the influence of the Internet is obvious in some responses, no attempt is made to separate out responses from those who are primarily ebook readers from those who read mostly on paper.
4. Over half of books are bought for pleasure/relaxation. “Information” is a clear #2 for male readers, at 21%. Female readers’ #2 reason is essentially tied between information and self-help/improvement.
5. As I read the data, only about a quarter of books purchased are exactly pre-planned. The rest have an impulse component. Those impulses are triggered primarily by in-store displays.
With Amazon now the largest book retailer in the U.S. (and some other countries) it has an ever-increasing influence on book purchases through its recommendation feature and other tools on its site. But influence on the Internet is widely dispersed, hence Amazon’s recent (underpublicized) integration with Twitter and Facebook.
Ms. Seeley’s reference above to the Vintage Contemporary series is important, as it represents one of the very few successful attempts by a publisher to brand literary fiction. I too would buy titles in the series by authors I did not recognize because the overall quality was so good. The series was launched in the 1980s by a very well respected Random House editor, Gary Fisketjon. Authors were proud to be a part of it. Like many brands its value dimished over time.
There are complex reasons bound in tradition and publishing culture that have pushed publishers to stand behind authors, rather than alongside or in front of them. Except of course in genre fiction, where publishers like Harlequin or Tor often represent a seal of approval for new authors.
Complicated. So what do we know now?
1. Authors have always been the #brand in literary fiction; less so in many categories of genre fiction and non-fiction.
2. Great authors usually have great editors. It’s the rare manuscript that will fail to benefit from the work of a talented editor.
3. Many of the finest editors work fulltime at the largest publishers.
4. As the freelance market warms up, more fine editors are available outside of this system.
5. But how many authors appreciate or can afford fees of up to $3-$5,000 to shape a promising but challenging manuscript and make it sparkle? (I’m not saying that editorial services can’t be bought for less. But just run the math: a good editor will work for several person-month’s on a manuscript…that’s not a lot of money for their quality time.)
6. New authors often can’t justify that cost. So self-published books tend to vary in quality more than books from established publishers.
7. Readers may not recognize a publisher’s brand, but booksellers, reviewers, journalists and talk shows that feature authors sure do. It remains tough to break into these distribution and media outlets even if your book comes from a brand-name publisher. Without that filter it’s highly unlikely, and don’t believe anyone who tells you otherwise. (It may happen; it’s not likely.)
8. While it’s also true that these channels don’t hold the same degree of influence that they once did, they’re not to be sneezed at.
9. Authors must, as always, do what they love and what they’re best at. Not all authors were designed to be great promoters. That’s why god gave us publishers. I’m glad to see their stranglehold loosen — I’m a small-d democrat at heart. But just because they aren’t perfect, doesn’t mean they don’t have value.
10. Still, without authors, we don’t have publishers.
And so it goes.
Hi Thad, wow! Thanks for your well considered and detailed comment. That is a very interesting report for all of us. I agree with your point on editors, and also that there are probably more freelance editors out there now given all the layoffs at the big publishers. I have recently been searching for one and found many with great editing resumes. The cost of editing is indeed an issue for some, but I think necessary now more than ever. It seems that agents and publishers are unwilling to heavily edit a novel now, so it must be done by the author prior to submission.
Thanks again, Joanna
Joanna, Great post as always!
I’ve been saying this same things for years as well. In fact, here’s a video clip I posted on this very topic a year and a half ago:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBb-SCd1YlI
There are exceptions, of course. Niche publishers like Hay House, DK, and some others have fans who care. But for the most part, it doesn’t matter to book consumers.
Thanks for continuing this great conversation!
Hi Bob, yes, Hay House would be another publisher that has a good niche. It’s interesting that the comments on this post are identifying the publishers that are focusing on the audience.