Authors are paranoid about being ripped off. Our ideas are gold, and while we can’t bury them in the back yard, we still do everything we can to protect our babies. We hire agents to check contracts. We obsess about copyrights. We register works with the Writer’s Guild. We mail our manuscripts to ourselves on the odd chance that Stephen King will discover our obscure opus and lift entire passages from it. We hang out at the water cooler to swap equal parts advice and publishing horror stories. We even report to and use sites like Predators and Editors to make sure we’re not signing with a scummy publisher. Because that’s what we fear most, even more than Stephen King ripping us off.
Bad publishers can kill careers, or at least delay them. But what makes a publisher bad? Off the top of my head:
1. Non-payment, whether it be advance or royalty.
2. No royalty reports (connected to the number 1, but also includes not knowing the total number of books actually sold by the publisher).
3. Broken promises, which could include the promise of marketing, a print run, PR, etc.
4. Half-assed effort, which includes poor cover design or interior design, lack of editing and sloppy e-formatting.
These things are the basic standards most authors expect good publishers to meet. And what they really boil down to is honesty. We want publishers to do what they’ve said they’ll do. If they don’t, we’ll make sure a well-written tirade finds its way onto every message board and group we can think of.
But here’s the thing. In the last few years, a good number of us have taken to self-publishing our books. The popularity of e-books and the growing POD market has made releasing a book easier than ever. What this means is:
The author is now the publisher.
Whoohoo! No more scummy, untrustworthy publishers! Money will be paid out on time! Honesty will abound! How could it not? Author and publisher merged into one entity means there’s no one to get stiffed.
Insert sound of screeching tires…or a scratching record (if you know what that is). I wish the statement above was true. It SHOULD be true. After all, who knows the value of honest business better than authors, who obsess about it? Unfortunately, that’s not the way it’s working out. Some of the new breed of author/publishers are resorting to the same backhanded tactics of bad large publishers. Sure, the writer is getting paid like never before, but editors, artists, designers and other folks that self-publishers are “hiring” are discovering that some authors have learned the ways of the publishing dark side a little too well, specifically in the areas of non-payment and false promises.
I’m a self-published author. I’m also published by Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Press. I’ve been the owner of a small press. I’ve worked as an art director. I’ve also done freelance book-cover design, interior design and Web design. As a result, I have friends in every part of this business, from printers, to artists, to editors and marketing experts. I’m starting to hear horror stories about authors who don’t pay when jobs are completed. Some are even offering royalties in exchange for services, but refuse to release sales figures and never pay out a penny. This pisses me off. The hypocrisy of it is mind-numbing. Maybe we should add a self-publisher section to Predators and Editors so service providers can research authors making promises? While this problem certainly isn’t wide spread yet, I’m willing to bet that list would be steadily growing.
Basically, what I want to say is this: knock it off! If you offer someone royalties, pay them. I know it’s a huge pain in the butt to keep track of sales, do a little math and cut a check every few months, but you’re not an idiot. You knew that going in. If you offered to pay an artist for a cover and they were trusting enough to send you a 300dpi version before you clicked “send money” at Paypal, don’t stiff them. Pay up. Don’t ignore e-mails. Don’t hide sales. Don’t cover your lies with more false promises. DON’T BE A BAD PUBLISHER!
It’s great that you’ve identified your weaknesses and that you’re seeking professional help to compensate. That’s a good thing. It means you’re not being a half-assed self-publisher. But please don’t rip-off the people making you look good. It’s bad for them. It’s bad for you, and it’s bad for the reputation of all self-publishers. If artists, editors and other service providers were as obsessed about being treated as fairly as authors are, I’m sure there would already be lists and message boards populated with authors’ names. Would you be on it? If so, change the way you do business before someone gets around to making that list.
You speak the truth. Just goes to show that publishers don’t have a monopoly on bad behavior
Comment by Edward G. Talbot — February 10, 2012 @ 11:47 am
Great job and spot on! Not only am I a new author, but also a CPA and financial advisor. I too am self-publishing, but insist I am the last one paid when dealing with others. I may be naive, but I’ve always thought helping others attain success, would be returned in kind. We will see how my journey fairs. Good luck in 2012.
Comment by EW Greenlee — February 10, 2012 @ 11:56 am
Not at all naive. Just good business. As author and publisher, the risk should be all yours, not the people you hire. So, you’re doing it right.
Comment by Jeremy Robinson — February 10, 2012 @ 11:59 am
Certainly true. It just kills me that authors mimic the very same behavior they complain about most. Hypocrisy irks me.
Comment by Jeremy Robinson — February 10, 2012 @ 12:01 pm
I’m curious, does this mean that Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin’s Press has been messing with you from the publisher side of things? I would be very interested to know if you are happier with your self published work at this point, or if you are still straddling the line between your own label and publishing via the man.
Comment by Steve — February 14, 2012 @ 11:46 am
Not at all, Steve. St. Martin’s is an example of a good publisher. They’ve made mistakes over the years, but they’re honest mistakes, not deliberate dishonesty. They do what they say they’re going to do and they always pay on time. The focus of the post really is about bad self-publishers, not a sneaky way of talking about my publisher.
As for which publishing method I’m happiest with, they both have benefits and drawbacks. But I’m not the kind of person to put all my eggs in one basket. By pursuing both, I increase my chances of success. And right now, my success is growing universally. The e-books help print sales and print helps the e-books.
Comment by Jeremy Robinson — February 14, 2012 @ 12:16 pm
I feel very fortunate that you chose to follow me on Twitter. Otherwise I would never have found your blog and all the good information. I am new to the world of publishing and only beginning to learn but I agree with this post 100%. I couldn’t get a foot in the door at traditional publishers so I started out as a self publisher. I am currently dealing with my third POD publisher, not because the other two were dishonest but because I got tired of being hounded to buy promotion packages that I couldn’t afford or because my requests were being ignored. Will the third time be a charm? We’ll see.
Comment by Jim — May 20, 2012 @ 10:32 pm