What's Next?

By Dr. Richard Mabry

The other day I was in a bookstore and saw my novels on display. You might be surprised to know that, rather than simple exhilaration, the experience generated mixed emotions. Sure, I’m thrilled that I’ve reached this point in my writing journey. I’ve made it to a place many of my fellow writers would love to occupy. But I’m also wondering, “What’s next?”

You’re probably shaking your head, saying, “You’ve got it made. A published author has a leg up on all the rest of us.” At one time, I thought that was true. Like most of you, I’d heard that published authors had some advantages. You don’t need a completed manuscript—the publishers know you can do it. You’re a known quantity. You have name recognition. You understand the industry. But, as Gershwin so eloquently put it, “It ain’t necessarily so.”

Let’s start with the manuscript. Your published works demonstrate your ability to put the words together. They show that you can finish a book. But you still must produce a sample of your next book. Along with that, an editor wants to know the story arc you have planned. In other words, they want a synopsis, and everyone—even a published author—has to write one. My best description of a synopsis is a single-spaced, three- to five-page outline of plot that writers hate to write and editors may not read. But try putting together a proposal that doesn’t contain a synopsis, and see how far you get.

How about being a known quantity as a published author? That’s true, but whether that quantity is good or bad depends on your sales figures. A few authors are an instant success, but most of us build a readership over time, and if the sales numbers for the first book are low, there may not be an opportunity for the second or third book to serve as stepping-stones to increasing readership. Good sales numbers are a definite plus, but bad sales numbers are harder to overcome than a garlic sandwich before a first date.

As for name recognition, that hardly ever comes from one or even two or three published books. There are other factors involved, and they all require work on the author’s part. We must have a presence on the Internet and social media. Nowadays, editors want to know about the traffic our website and blog generate. They are interested in how many Facebook followers we have. We must have a “platform,” and publication doesn’t guarantee one.

What about knowing the industry? True, the experience of being published shows us a lot about the publishing industry. But sometimes what we learn makes us even more doubtful that anyone will give us another contract. The industry is constantly changing, no one really knows what effect e-books will have in the future, and self-publication continues to sing its siren song. Yes, a published author knows the industry, but sometimes it’s a matter of “the more you know, the unsure you are.”

Despite my concerns, I’m continuing to write my next novel. I’ll have three books coming out from a recognized publisher over the next year and a half. After that, I’m not sure what will happen. But no matter what happens, I suspect one day I’ll stand in a bookstore, look at my books, and wonder, “Now what?”

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Richard Mabry is a retired physician, now the author of “medical suspense with heart.” His novels have been a semifinalist for International Thriller Writers’ debut novel; finalists for the Carol Award, Inspirational Reader’s Choice Award, and Romantic Times’ Reader’s Choice Award; and winner of the Selah Award. His next published novel, his eighth, is Fatal Trauma, which will release in May 2015. You can follow Richard on his blog, on Twitter, and his Facebook fan page.

A Futuristic View of Books

by Scott Anderson

What is the future of books? That’s a good question.  Right up there with: What is the future of art? Or, what is the future of music? The answer to all of them is, I don’t have any idea, but I’m not afraid to make some guesses.

To draw reasonable conclusions of what the immediate future holds for books we need to look backward at the history of commerce. Mankind throughout time has placed value on things based on the perceived rarity of the object under consideration. Gold, diamonds, oil, even Van Gogh oil paintings are all valued based on this same yardstick. Virtually any commodity or service derives its value through the public’s perception of its availability or exclusivity.

Is a digital print as valuable as the original canvas painted by Van Gogh? Of course not. Anyone can have a digital print of Starry Night. The same isn’t true for the painting.

The devaluation of music and the shift from recorded music to live performances as the dominant source of musical artist’s income today is based on an unmitigated flood of digital musical output into the marketplace for little or no cost. There were gems in the flood somewhere, but pirated, copied, and downloaded versions being offered for virtually nothing rendered the legitimate versions almost worthless to the merchants offering them. The outcome was the demise of the local record shop most of us grew up with.

Self-publishing, e publishing, mass-market hardbacks and paperbacks, all of these things are a part of the flood of supply that is pushing the publishing industry, and bookstores in particular, to the brink. Gutenberg didn’t start off selling 80,000 copies a month of his bible, but he revolutionized the printed word and started us down the path that led to digital downloads and the creation of electronic media. With each step on that pathway the unit price of “the book” has diminished. That’s good; a lot of us have learned to read because of it. But it didn’t help Guttenberg who underestimated the effect of competition and as a result ended up penniless.

Books, as we know them, will survive for the foreseeable future. They may become rarer as many readers flee to the simplicity of the digital download, but that very rareness will, in the end, enhance their value. Perhaps at some point almost no one will start off being published as we currently perceive it and only those that have demonstrated value in the electronic sphere will ever be considered for paper publication. Who knows?

Hardback volumes will fare better than paperbacks, cheap and disposable paper loses to digital in a heartbeat. Textbooks and reference books are more difficult to predict. I still have my old copy of the first edition of Johns and Cunningham, a physics textbook covered with underlining and notes made in my own hand and decades out of print. But modern students will have different values I suspect.

I am an author with a book out in e-format right now. I run IsoLibris Publishing, we started with e-books only and have only just started to venture out into the world of POD.  A friend of mine, a book collector, asked, “What are you going to do, sign my Kindle?” I understand his concern because I collect signed first editions, too. I love books. They have value to me and I am willing to pay to own them. I think some people always will. 
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Russell Scott Anderson M.D. is a Radiation Oncologist who serves as the Medical Director of Anderson Cancer Center in Meridian, Mississippi. He is a former Navy diver who worked in operations in the Middle East, Central America, and in support of the Navy’s EOD community, SEALS, the US Army’s Green Berets, the Secret Service, and the New York Police Department at various times during his time in the service.

He has written the family oriented literary columns Una Voce and The Uncommon Thread in the JOURNAL of the Mississippi State Medical Association as Scott Anderson M.D. for the past five years. He has also written as screenwriter R. S. Anderson on several feature films and written novels as Russell Scott. Time Donors Wanted was his first novel and his second, The Hard Times, is due out in the Spring of 2012.

Connect with the good doctor online at Facebook, Twitter, his blog or his website. 

What's the Point of Publishers?

by Rob Eagar

Are publishers the new dinosaur destined for extinction? As Amazon grows and bookstores close, there's a growing sentiment in the new era of publishing that publishers are no longer relevant. E-books and e-readers are rapidly gaining sales over print books. Authors can self-publish their books and get digital distribution on their own. So, who needs a big legacy publisher or any other organization to "publish" their work? This sentiment is magnified as we see frustrated authors start to leave their legacy publisher and chart their own path. A greater sense of freedom and control is offered in this new world where the author becomes the new publisher.

However, this blissful utopian image that futurists predict forgets one major point...human nature. All authors come standard with a healthy dose of ego. Remember, it takes kahunas to tell the world, "I've written a book and you should read it." And, the ego will never disappear, no matter what new technology might bring. The inner influence of ego makes a critical impact upon the way an author chooses to make his or her work public. Thus, I suggest that the author ego may be the single biggest reason that publishers will continue to survive.

As an author and a marketing consultant who's coached over 400 authors at all levels of success, I've seen one desire remain constant. Almost every author loves having someone else value their work. Authors light up when someone else is willing to pay money, dote upon, handle boring details, or sing the praises of their book. This is where publishers make their stand for survival. When authors hear, "You're special and we'll help you," how can they resist?

The more success an author achieves, the stronger the ego's influence. For example, most of the recent successful self-published authors, such as Amanda Hocking, Paul Young, and Darcie Chan, don't stick with self-publishing. They jump ship to lucrative contracts and a team of helpers at a legacy publishing house. Even Amazon, the company responsible for making self-publishing popular, has created their own legacy publisher imprints. Why? Because authors will always make publishing decisions according to their ego. If you're skeptical, let me be more specific. Here's how the author / publisher dance works:

1. Authors want to get paid for their work. Publishers act like big literary banks, paying out money up-front to purchase a manuscript. Most authors can't resist someone offering a check for $25,000, $100,000, or more. And, most authors have no desire to become a business-person or a full-time entrepreneur. They simply want to write and enjoy the accolades. Why self-publish a book and try to sell each copy yourself, when you can get paid up-front with one fat check?

2. Authors hate dealing with the details. Publishers will do the dirty work. Creating a book involves boring stuff, such as editing, page layout, cover design, converting the manuscript to e-book format, sending sales information to retailers, setting up distribution accounts, managing payments, handling returns, etc. And, these steps don't include the all-important need for consistent marketing. How can the author ego rebuff a team of people who are willing to handle these aggravating details?

3. Authors want everyone to read their books. Publishers hold a key to access the masses. They can provide the inside track to national bookstore distribution and a coveted appearance on Good Morning America. While this aspect of publishing has largely become an empty promise, authors will still take the bait. A writer's ego can't resist telling friends, "My publisher is doing these great promotional activities for my new book." When those activities usually fail to occur, authors get mad and breakup with their publishers like pouty teenagers. But, the ego can't survive alone, and before long, they're flirting with each other again.

This love/hate relationship between authors and publishers has endured for over a century. Digital self-publishing and e-books represent wonderful new opportunities. But, the power of new technology is no match against the power of human nature. Therefore, publishers need not fear extinction. The literary ecosystem is bound by a mysterious force that too many people seem to forget. What's the point of publishers? To exist and thrive by keeping the author ego healthy and alive. 

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The author of SELL YOUR BOOK LIKE WILDFIRE,

Rob Eagar is a marketing consultant who provides authors, 

businesses, and non-profits with innovative strategies to 

spread their message like wildfire. His consulting firm, 

WildFire Marketing, is at www.startawildfire.com. When Rob

isn't consulting, you'll find him fly-fishing, flying down a rocky

trail on his mountain bike, or loudly playing his drums. However, 

his wife Ashley prefers that he join her to quietly paint, 

work in their garden, or watch Jane Austen movies. 

They reside in Atlanta, Georgia.