Comments on: On the death of book publishers and other middlemen

By: Peckinpaw

Peckinpaw — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 19:37:55 +0000

Yeah, we just have new gatekeepers, namely Apple, Amazon, Google, Netflix, etc…

By: Peckinpaw

Peckinpaw — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 19:27:40 +0000

This is not the end for publishers. In fact they may relish the idea of sitting back and watching authors struggle to find a market only to pounce in when an author has done all the leg work. It actually makes their job easier. While self publishing may allow some lucky authors to break through, it will also prove to be the killing fields for much talent that could have used the professional help of a publisher.

By: Len Feldman

Len Feldman — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 20:41:20 +0000

Barnes & Noble has had a self-publishing service called Pubit! for some time (http://pubit.barnesandnoble.com/pubit_app/bn?t=pi_reg_home).

By: Holbertdg

Holbertdg — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 19:16:18 +0000

OBX Publishing Group is insightful. There are all kinds of services between creator and consumer: Editing and business issues are just some. There’s facilitating foreign deals with translations and differing intellectual property rules, transmedia deals, and, of course, (captial M) Marketing, which, in its full form includes such outcomes as facilitating critical review, securing endorsements, etc. in addition to social media, PR and advertising. Moreover, publishers would pay for all of this and recover the expense from sales (even pay advances!) Eshinobi and others are happy that gatekeepers are falling. Is that gatekeeper as in censor? Or gatekeeper as in someone who chooses not to be involved? I think publishers decide whether their investment in printing, distribution, and promotion will ever be recovered in sales. The perception that middlemen are restraining creatives is very common and nearly universal among those who have had work rejected. This brave new world may allow more texts to be available to readers, and this will extend the skinny end of the long tail ad nauseam. To get out that purgatory an author will either have to be accepted by a publisher or otherwise pay in time and money for the same services – that’s out of pocket, by the way, no bankrolling by the publisher. I believe that ultimately there will be a better match between creative talent and consumption than before. Some few will reach audiences who otherwise might not have. And finally, creative’s income will decline. It won’t seem that way at first, but whenever one or a very few parties control the distribution channel it is inevitable they will demand more. Media consumption will not rise simply because more is available. Finally, just saying, would be censors will have a much more narrow and vulnerable target.

By: katie

katie — Sun, 30 Oct 2011 17:24:49 +0000

It’s been a long time coming. Overhauling the publishing industry only proves the advancement in technology for any use. It’s one more thing pushing for the consumer knowledge as well as recognition for the initial creator.

By: Eshinobi

Eshinobi — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 11:43:54 +0000

Every industry is being completely disrupted from the technical revolution. It’s a huge wakeup call to long-established industry juggernauts. I call them the gatekeepers. Many of these gatekeepers are in serious trouble due to their denial of the inevitable and their resistance to necessary drastic change. As physical mediums (CDs, DVDs, the printed page) are utilized less, their control diminishes. The tables are turning. They will soon need the individual more than the individual needs them. The quality of their services will become the primary focus. The gate has been knocked down, let’s hope they treated those on the other side well.

By: Commander Data

Commander Data — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 09:15:39 +0000

For some insight from the perspective of authors, check out “Be the Monkey” by Barry Eisler and Joe Konrath at http://www.amazon.com/Be-Monkey-Self-Publishing-Between-ebook/dp/B004SV2IPC/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1319878699&sr=1-1

By: OBX Publishing Group

OBX Publishing Group — Sat, 29 Oct 2011 05:30:26 +0000

To beat this statement to death, “The only really necessary people in the publishing process now are the writer and reader. Everyone who stands between those two has both risk and opportunity,” is really a half truth.

While it is easier than ever for a writer to get his or her book to readers, the majority of writers don’t want to wear 17 hats being the book marketer, the publicist, the designer, the editor, the proofreader and the distributor. Many don’t know how and that’s where the opportunity comes for publishers. The rising trend is that more and more writers are rushing to self-publish, but after all is said and done, the majority of those writers are not selling their books. It takes old fashioned marketing, promotion and good design inside and out to sell books and even that is not enough.

By: Mathew Ingram

Mathew Ingram — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 22:37:36 +0000

Thanks for that, Jim. Well done.

By: Mathew Ingram

Mathew Ingram — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 22:36:57 +0000

Yes, the point is not that they don’t need to exist — simply that they face both risk and opportunity, just as publishers do.