The publishing industry is so vast and varied that it is often difficult to get a true pulse of the industry. Often one genre will do really well while another one is suffering, or one agent will struggle while another is having an auction a day, and particularly when you’re down in the trenches it’s not easy to get a sense of the bird’s eye view.
But these days it’s pretty much inescapable: these are tough times.
Now, first of all, we must remember the advice of the late Douglas Adams and Don’t Panic. The book industry has been through worse times than this, people will always read books, books will still be published, and until that changes most of us will still be here.
But any illusions the industry might have had about escaping the recession are going the way of a Bachelor engagement.
On Friday GalleyCat reported that Borders has told an anonymous distributor that they will not be paying them for two months, and this has forced that distributor to ask publishers to decide whether they want to ship to Borders. The distributor is nevertheless recommending that publishers continue to fill orders, but this is undoubtedly prompting all sorts of contingency plans at publishing houses.
Also last week, Moonrat posted about the October publishing crash and the factors therein (and October numbers didn’t even factor into some disappointing end-of-quarter results).
My fellow book lovers, let me just second Moonrat and endorse her Publishing Industry Stimulus Package: buy books, and buy them often.
Most importantly: BUY NEW BOOKS
Sure, not everyone can afford books, and I understand. That’s why we have libraries. But the best way you can help the publishing industry and the authors you love is to buy their books, and to buy them new.
This isn’t a time for cheaping out on the authors you love. Publishers are going to be making very tough decisions about which authors are going to survive and which will be dropped. They’re being extremely selective about supporting new authors. You can do your part by buying new, asking for new books for the holidays, and encouraging your friends to do the same.
So my 2008 holiday season campaign slogan: BUY NEW BOOKS? YES WE CAN.
The economic stimulus package has kept orders from falling in the first quarter, but the full impact of the package won’t be realized until the fourth quarter when the deadline for stimulus benefits and the International Manufacturing Technology Show 2008 will likely pull equipment investment dollars from the first half of both 2008 and 2009.
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Jbsjohn
Buzz Marketing
When has publishing ever been a largely profitable enterprise? Writing has always been hard; selling good writing has always been hard. The problem lately seems to be buyouts that were less profitable than these large corporations expected. The current trend points toward things getting worse with the economic climate, but it doesn’t have to be that way.
To answer a previous posting about publishing and the Depression: all arts experienced an upswing during the depression. Think Steinbeck; think Hemmingway. Think Arthur Miller, Tennessee Williams, and the burgeoning foundations of the Beat era. What happens in a depression is cruel but simple. Most attempts at success are crushed, but those that break through succeed powerfully. The only job you have to do is make sure you’ve got a spot in the latter group.
As far as this “buy new” push goes, I’m going to take a hard line on the publishing industry for a moment. Nathan (not picking on you, but this is your blog), what should we do with the books once we’ve read them? In a culture that is slowly coming around to the idea of reduce/reuse, it seems culturally irresponsible to advise against reuse. I am well aware that authors only make money off of the first sale, but as an aspiring author, I think that putting such emphasis on that sale is something we should work to change. I confess that I don’t know yet how to go about affecting that change, but I am thinking and working on it. And let me tell you, the person who figures that out, the person who discovers how to recycle books and make that a profitable endeavor, will bring the publishing industry back from whatever form of glory it has apparently fallen.
Jonathan-
Not to be too contrarian, but Steinbeck wrote his best books post 1940, Arthur Miller wrote his great plays in the 1950s, and Tennessee Williams in the late 40s and 50s. Hemingway actually didn’t even publish much of anything during the Depression except for short stories (which were admittedly some of his best work).
Back on the first Earth Day in April 1970, I heard Gov. Nelson Rockefeller say in Prospect Park, “If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the pollution.” (Hey, we were hippies then!)
If you’re not recycling books, you’re part of the global warming problem. It is irresponsible not to sell, trade or give books away unless you intend to use them in some way (reread them).
Perhaps the U.S. Supreme Court needs to revisit the first sale doctrine in order for publishers and authors to recoup money from subsequent sales. That would allow them to share the bounty. If I were a smart lawyer (I’m just a stupid one), I think I could make a case that the first sale doctrine is no longer productive in the current environment.
The banks have problems which they brought on themselves — and consequently us.
How much of the publishing industry’s problem is due to the industry itself?
A five million dollar advance for a ghosted memoir of a very tedious man??
How many books are being bought compared with a decade ago? How many publishers are there? If the big fish go on gobbling up the little fish, can one be distressed on behalf of the big fish?
Unfortunately publishing has ceased to be an “arts” industry and has become a “botton-line” industry. It will undoubtedly get worse before it gets better, and the weak and humble will go to the wall.
Reasonably one can then expect a phoenix, but that bird only rises from ashes.
I would think in tough economic times more people would buy books because (a) they’re afforable and wonderful gifts (b) they’re cheaper than a family trip to the movies or going on vacation, etc. (c) in tough times people tend to (or so I’ve heard) hunker down at home and there’s only so much tv you can watch, right?
I know the economy will affect every part of our lives, but really isn’t this the time for bookstores and publishers to review their return policies?
Of course, there’s a lot of preaching to the choir here. People who visit a lit agent’s blog buy new books shocker! ;^)
What might be a good idea is getting to the tens of thousands of schools and universities across the country and telling them to assign new books by new-ish authors for their students to study instead of the same old classic retreads. Classics are great, but are dinos like Camus, Joyce, Fitzy, Orwell and their ilk really any more relevant and accomplished than Dick and Disch (both of whom are dead, but you get my point) Gibson, Tartt and Ellis?
Not trying to create a pissing contest, but an infusion of newer authors might not only benefit those properties, but also ignite a hunger for contemporary works across the board.
Actually, Richard, a printed book is an excellent sequestration of carbon, if you want to be green. Recycling the book merely uses energy to convert it to another form. Passing the book along reduces the likelihood that another reader will purchase a book and capture a bit more carbon.
I think Borders continues to do stupid thing after stupid thing. And I think they will be the first major chain to completely crash and go the way of the DoDo. Which is an apt term.
Also, I think we all should blog about this and start a blog chain/meme. Maybe someone could design a graphical banner people could put up to show their support in the “buy new” concept.
This idea should go viral. Because so many people are talking about how they’re going to the library more, or buying their books at the used bookstore, and yeah, that’s not going to work well.
I get what Nathan is saying. I do support the authors I love by buying their books, in hardback. I also try to give new authors a try, and also buy them in hardback as I know how much the push of sales can mean to an author trying to establish themseleves.
But I'd also like to put a comment out there to the publishing industry itself. I think readers and writers care FAR more about the fate of writers than publishers do, by this one simple fact: "Lead titles" authors — get all the buzz, advance money, and marketing. So called "mid-list" authors, get tossed by the wayside when it comes to promotiion. It's this lack of marketing that makes authors irrelevent.
James Patterson who stopped being relevent years ago, and now has a "co-author" write at least half of his books gets DISPLAY TABLES. TV COMMERCIALS. That Daniel X book of his and a "co-author" was a joke — the vomit-inducing amount of money spent on marketing that vapid book could've provided a decent advance and some marketing to 5 new YA authors.
I recently read a YA book that received a starred review, and came out in hardback by a major Pub. I had to order it from Amazon because both B&N and Borders opted not to carry it because it didn't have enough publicity. So a starred review debut author gets screwed by her own publisher while Daniel X gets a display table?
(rant over)
Nathan–
Sorry, I should have clarified. The writers I mentioned got their starts during the Depression. Miller particularly credits the Depression with starting his career, basically insinuating there would have been no opportunity for him to write without the government projects instituted by the New Deal. Now that I think about it, those were probably bad examples since we’re talking about established writers, but since I’m an up-and-coming, I guess that’s where my mind went.
jawahara is most likely spot on in her assessment that cheaper entertainment will likely prosper during these times. That said, I’m still not convinced the solution is to encourage people to purchase the most expensive form of writing, i.e. the new book.
richard, too, might be on to something with the subsequent sales issue.
Agreeing to disagree, and all that, I’m really enjoying the conversation. Congrats on getting all these voices out there.
Jonathan,
Interestingly enough, the depression brought us the hated “bookstore returns” policy, which makes the entire publishing industry basically sell to bookstores on consignment rather than wholesale.
It’s a goofy idea that sounded good at the time, but here it is 2008 almost 2009 and we’re still following this system. It’s a big waste of money and trees.
PETA people are protesting practically everything. If you put eyeliner on a rabbit, they’re protesting it.
But where are the environmentalists on the book pulping issue. Trees are dying here. All for books that get returned by the bookstores.
Just bought a friend of mine two new books for her birthday present. At least half of my Christmas list (in my family, we do lists)is books!
I never read a book unless it is a library book, a free download, or an Aftermarket Wonder. I just simply absolutely, positively, no-two-ways-about-it don’t like for authors and publishers (and agents, too!) to get any of my money. If God wanted agents to make a living, He would not have invented the After Market. It is a theological matter, an expression of personal piety, not to buy anything new.
I don’t read new writers at all. Drop all of them is what I say.
May every month from now on be another October, 2008.
Easy, Ms. Palin. We’re bi-partisan here.
I brought some books (new) over the weekend. I don’t know if my purchases will really help the industry at a whole, but it’s helping me. I love to read, and I love to write, and I realize that reading is apart of being a good writer. Will my purchase save the publishing industry, no. The publishing industry has a long outdated broken model, that it needs to fix, and what can’t be fixed can be replaced.
Every year I choose one of my favourite books and buy it new for special people on my Christmas list. In spite of the economy forcing the reins in on spending this year, I’ll keep up my little tradition. This year it’ll be Boys in the Trees, by Mary Swan. The other stuff can wait until better times. Books can’t.
This whole year I’ve gone out of my way to buy my books new instead of used. I just bought 8 new books this week, and a record (for me) 16 new books last month. It doesn’t seem to be helping the overall scene, but hopefully my favorite authors will at least get to keep on writing.
“Poe’s Children” (Peter Straub, ed.) and “More Information Than You Need,” by John Hodgman, will be purchased this week by self, brand-new
believe we are all on the same page when it comes to helping out the Publishing Industry. I also read Moonie’s blog, and forwarded a link to all my friends, encouraging them to buy books to give a presents for the holidays. I included this information on my blog as well. Thanks Nathan, for mentioning it on yours. With the traffic that visits your blog, and the word of mouth from all your followers (and Moonie’s), maybe we all can collectively influence people to buy more books.
Yesterday you mentioned that you weren’t sure about how well books sold during the Great Depression, and today GalleyCat had an article mentioning that Gone With the Wind sold a million copies.
Here’s the link:
https://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/bookselling/gone_with_the_wind_will_save_us_100259.asp
Regarding Borders. I held a signing at a local Borders store. Great event and sold out of the 20 books they had ordered for the event in the first hour. At their request, I had brought a supply of books and brought them in.
I invoiced the store on August 6th, 2008. I have yet to see payment. I even tried to get the store to re-pay me in books, but for some reason they were unwilling to do that.
My publisher mentioned the payment delay and it doesn’t only come from Borders, but other big chains as well.
anon, you don’t want AUTHORS to get any of your money?
Seriously?
Do you understand how much work it is to write a book? How much crap most authors have to go through? And you think they shouldn’t be paid?
Maybe you should just watch TV instead.
Writers deserve compensation for their work. Most of them have full time jobs AND they write and market.
Zoe said, “But where are the environmentalists on the book pulping issue. Trees are dying here. All for books that get returned by the bookstores.”
While paper does take resources (energy, chemicals, etc.) the trees, themselves, are renewable. All or most paper companies in the US, like the lumber industry have re-planting programs and set aside enourmous plots of land for regrowth.
In commonly used buzzwords, the trees used for the industry are sustainable.
Lorelei Armstrong said…
Actually, Richard, a printed book is an excellent sequestration of carbon, if you want to be green.
Ms Armstrong, I’d like to know a bit more about your method of CO2 accounting. Sounds a bit like Reganomics to me.
FYI
8. USE LESS PAPER. The third largest industrial emitter of global warming pollution is the pulp and paper industry. Use paper made from post-consumer waste, and recycle your newspapers.