Creating a World That Works for All
What Good is a Book Publisher?
I just posted this 3-page PDF to bkconnection.com in our Publishing Document page. Steve Piersanti provides the counter point to his famous 10 Awful Truths about Publishing with this Top-10 list of answers to:
WHAT GOOD IS A BOOK PUBLISHER?
"One of The 10 Awful Truths About Book Publishing that I have written about highlights how most book marketing today is done by authors, not by publishers. That statement has led some observers to question what value publishers offer and whether authors would be better off self-publishing their books, given that the authors, more than their publishers, will drive sales. The case for self-publishing is further strengthened by today’s ability of authors to reach the marketplace through Amazon.com, the new social media, and the authors' own websites.
In fact, I concur that self-publishing is the best avenue for many books, and I often encourage authors to go this route -- particularly when they are able to sell many copies of their books through their own channels.
However, a good commercial publisher still brings tremendous value to the book publishing equation in multiple ways:"
Steve's Top-10 List on What Good is a Book Publisher?
Click on the link above to download Steve's Top-10 list.
WHAT GOOD IS A BOOK PUBLISHER?
"One of The 10 Awful Truths About Book Publishing that I have written about highlights how most book marketing today is done by authors, not by publishers. That statement has led some observers to question what value publishers offer and whether authors would be better off self-publishing their books, given that the authors, more than their publishers, will drive sales. The case for self-publishing is further strengthened by today’s ability of authors to reach the marketplace through Amazon.com, the new social media, and the authors' own websites.
In fact, I concur that self-publishing is the best avenue for many books, and I often encourage authors to go this route -- particularly when they are able to sell many copies of their books through their own channels.
However, a good commercial publisher still brings tremendous value to the book publishing equation in multiple ways:"
Steve's Top-10 List on What Good is a Book Publisher?
Click on the link above to download Steve's Top-10 list.
Tags: Book Publisher, Book Publishing, Steve Piersanit, Top-10 List
Views: 32
Replies to This Conversation
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Permalink Reply by Geoff Bellman on -
Wonderful reminders of what publishers can deliver for us. And lurking within Steve's comments are the shadows of ego. Not his, ours. Book-writing requires discipline and seclusion (and maybe even content) and we authors have to find that somewhere to get from the concept to reality of a book. Many of us rely at least in part on our egos which use our imagined self-importance as a motivator over months of writing and rewriting. With that reliance on ego and the immersion of ourselves in the writing process, we get a distorted sense of our book and its place in the world. A good publisher can give us perspective, can re-introduce us to the reality that is the real world and the marketplace.
I can only imagine what BK staff faces as one author after another comes parading through, each full of their book and often themselves! I don't want that job, but I need the work of this good publisher.
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