Yes, yes, we all want to write books that move people and change the world. But, uh, how exactly do authors get paid? Read on, friends. Here’s how authors make money. In this post I’m going to cover all the different ways authors make money from their books: Traditional publishing Advances Royalties Subrights (through a […]
Publishing Economics
What Beyonce’s New Album Says About Marketing
Unless you live under the Rock of Gibraltar you probably heard that Beyoncé released a new album. Instead of the usual massive fanfare, with advertising, talk shows, billboards, sandwich boards, carrier pigeons, mimes, and cereal box prizes, Beyoncé’s new eponymous album just appeared on iTunes. Her entire advertising campaign for the launch of the album […]
Who Owns E-book Rights From Old Publishing Contracts?
Old publishing contracts are usually silent on electronic rights and e-books, which of course may not have been invented when the contract was signed. So. Does this mean that those rights belong to the original publisher, who can be presumed to have all book rights even if the specific technology wasn’t invented yet? Or does […]
The Publishing Industry Is Not Deserving of Special Protection
It’s rare that I disagree with or don’t defer to the experience and wisdom of publishing industry sage Mike Shatzkin, who has been prescient about the transition to e-books and adept at explaining its effects and future effects on the industry. But in a recent post, he expressed frustration at the failure of recognition on […]
Is There a Self-Publishing Bubble?
There has been a lot of talk lately about a self-publishing “bubble.” There was the Guardian article in January, a response by Melville House, and the idea has been percolating around the Internet ever since. Having emerged from a decade of bubbles in our economy, it may be natural to see some parallels between the […]
DRM Isn’t the Answer, But It’s Not Not the Answer Either
In a recent column in Publishers Weekly, Joe Wikert made the case for a unified e-book market and suggests that publishers consider getting rid of DRM, those digital pesky restrictions that, among other things, prevent you from easily taking your Kindle book collection over to a Nook. He also references Steve Jobs’ famous letter to […]
