Books & Media
Author, Strategist, Chief Bottle Washer
Non-blockbuster writers find modest success in publishing their own work
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Seattle writer Joshua Ortega broke into print the old fashioned way: working day jobs and writing at night. But his technique was decidedly modern. Inspired by indie musicians, he set out to control his own work. He self-published his novel – and oversaw the cover design, typesetting and marketing, too.
“A lot of the musicians I knew were actually doing quite well launching their own stuff,” said Ortega, 32. “Outside of the literary world, self-publishing is more a badge of honor.”
Ortega didn’t strike it rich – he said he made about $10,000 from “Frequencies,” his sci fi novel, over three years, by selling it at book fairs and at the cash register of the grocery where he worked. But he was satisfied.
“My goal was never to make a publishing empire,” he said. “But I also didn’t lose any money.”
Three years later, a publisher came calling. Jodere Group of Los Angeles funded a new printing, and sent Ortega on a 40-city book tour. He has since written comic books and video game scripts for big names like Marvel and Xbox. And he’s talking with various publishers about a “Frequencies” sequel.
Success stories like Ortega’s are still relatively rare. But the publishing world is segmenting: as established publishers focus on celebrity names and potential bestsellers, small specialty publishers and online venues are catering to everyone else, said Bill Strachan, editor-in chief of Carroll & Graf, a label of the Avalon Publishing Group.
Since discounters sell giant titles at cut rates (an advance order of “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” for example, costs $20.99 at Barnes and Noble, and $17.97 at Wal-Mart), bookstores can no longer count on big profits from big names to carry smaller titles, Strachan argued.
When Strachan started out in the business in the 1970s, a book that sold 75,000 copies was considered a huge success. Today, that’s defined by sales of millions of copies.
“The gap is increasing, like mad, between the bestselling authors and everybody else,” he said.
“Publishers look for authors with notoriety or celebrity more than they used to, because that’s the vehicle that will launch [the writer] in the marketplace,” Strachan added. “The good news is that, since larger publishers increasingly go for books of mass appeal, there are many more smaller or independent publishers to do niche publishing.”
But small booksellers and publishers are starting to demand more of self-published authors, too.
When Russ Lawrence, president of the American Booksellers’ Association and owner of Chapter One Book Store in Hamilton, Mont., accepts solicitations from self-published authors, he demands the same terms as from publishing houses: 40% of the cover price on sales, and shared costs for book signing ads.
That helps educate authors, he argued.
”Many [authors] are good at the writing part, but not so good at the business part,” he said.
In theory, self-publication could be lucrative; instead of accepting 8 percent to 10 percent of the cover price (a typical profit share), the author can potentially bank all but the cost of printing. But without the help of a marketing machine and contacts, sales can be extremely modest.
Most authors who work with the New Jersey self-publishing firm Long Dash, for example, don’t even recoup their costs, said managing partner James Potter. (A 10-book order from Long Dash costs about $200).
“We try to manage expectations,” he said. “We usually say ‘look, most who get their work published barely make any money, let alone those who self-publish.’”
Many Long Dash clients have non-commercial motives: they’re writing a family history for their grandchildren, or memorializing an event.
Some do aim to make a profit, ordering as many as 500 copies. But only a handful of the some 350 authors Potter has worked with have broken even.
Long Dash doesn’t usually stay in touch with customers, and Potter has heard of only one client, 30-year-old Jason Gehlert, whose venture led to a traditional publishing contract.
A small publisher, Stonegarden Publishing, published Gehlert’s werewolf-themed novel “Quiver,” in 2006; then a sequel in 2007. The novels together have sold just 350 copies. But like Ortega, he seemed pleased.
“I just wanted to get my book out there,” Gehlert said.
Though Ortega and Gehlert used self-publishing to attract a publisher, others see traditional publishing as a dwindling part of society.
“I’m not sure if publishers will remain relevant,” says Kate Newlin, a business consultant and writer whose “Shopportunity: How to be a Retail Revolutionary” was published by Harper Collins, and who also self-published a poetry collection, “Passenger Hearts,” via Long Dash.
“There is a kind of disintermediation happening,” Newlin said. Those who cannot stand the pressure and competition of the publishing world can put out their own work, and eliminate the unpleasant process of submitting manuscripts.
But Strachan pointed out that publishers can still attract big audiences, command expensive digitizing resources, and afford to keep books in print.
“Publishers can add value to a project,” he said. “And if you look three weeks or three months or three years down the line, we’ll still be here.”
Inspired by indie musicians, Joshua Ortega self-published his sci-fi novel, and sold it at the grocery store where he worked. Now he has a publishing contract. Photo Courtesy of Joshua Ortega.