This post came about after an editor/publisher and I exchanged emails. I read a book and learned some things which added to it. Then I went to a con which pretty much sealed the coffin on this subject for me.
An Exchange of Emails
The editor/publisher accepted some of my work. YIPPEE!
The market folded before my work saw print. poo!
Such things happen. This exchange stood out because the editor/publisher shared some realities about their side of the house.
After [the first anthology] was published in January 2024 I expected the sale of at least 2,500 print and ebook copies. The anticipated royalties from those sales (that never came to pass) would have covered the production cost of the book. [the first anthology] cost $12,000 to produce—$10,000 of which was the permissions fees paid to writers since we paid pro-rates for that book as defined by the SFWA. All of that came out of my shallow pockets as a micro-press operator hoping to grow bigger.
Of all the reviewers, book bloggers, publishing industry trade journals, and [anthology related] specialty magazines — among other venues — we sent Advance Reader Copies and press releases to about [the first anthology] only two responded. Although their reviews were quite favorable, those kindly reviews did not result in sales. To date, only 28 print copies and 10 ebook copies of [the first anthology] have sold resulting in a total income of about $200 to cover the $12,000 production cost.
His missal got bleaker. You can read it in full
here
Did you read that part about recent NY Times article stating that 2/3 of all new books published by the big New York publishers each year fail to sell even 1,000 copies for each title?
Publish or Perish!
With data like that, is it any wonder more and more authors are going indie?
Indie authors and publishing is ancient, by the way. Most successful named authors throughout history ended up going indie and self-published because they had better control of their product and it put more money in their pocket! Hey, it served Edgar Rice Burroughs, Frank L. Baum, Mark Twain, and several others well. Why not get on board?
Afraid of self-publishing/indie-publishing because you don’t have the necessary marketing/art/promo/… skills?
Did you read the above about the Big 4.3’s lack of performance?
NOBODY HAS THE NECESSARY SKILLS!
{and this goes for every marketing come-on you’ve heard, seen, or read}
Plus most if not all the necessary skills can be found online, in Facebook groups, in writers’ groups, …
Basically, if you want to publish a book in 2025 and haven’t, then quit kidding yourself. You don’t want to publish a book.
Then I read this article…
Want some more salt on your deepening wound?
Daily reading for pleasure has plummeted 40% over the past 20 years, according to a new study published in the journal iScience. Here are the…um…highlights:
The report, which surveyed people in the United States about their reading habits between 2003 and 2023, showed that the decline has been sustained over time – about 3% a year.
African Americans, people with lower income or educational levels, and people in rural areas experienced the steepest decline, which highlights a growing disparity in reading access, according to the study.
The overall trends in reading for pleasure may be on the decline, but there have been successes in the wild popularity of series, book clubs and conversations about books on social media.
Genre books – romance, fantasy and mystery in particular – have had a surge in popularity, a trend that highlights two key strategies for more reading: finding what you like and creating community, said Cybil Wallace, managing editor at Goodreads, a website where readers track their reading and share recommendations with others.
But here is the kicker…
I attended a con and listened to some editors talk about accepting and rejecting material. I’ve known for a long time (due to taking lots of classes with editors, publishers, and agents (EPAs)) that what’s accepted and what’s rejected has more to do with the editor’s, publisher’s, or agent’s mood at the time of reading than the quality of what’s being read. I literally heard EPAs joking about rejecting work because of a bad night’s sleep, a partner’s inattentiveness, it being Monday morning or Friday afternoon, … pick a worthless reason to reject someone’s work, they said it.
And remember, I’m a Senior Fiction Editor!
I stop reading submissions when I know I won’t read them with an egalitarian perspective. I read for craft issues. Doesn’t matter if the story itself isn’t something I’d normally read. My question is much simpler; Is it a good story? (I’ll be sharing some of my editorial comments in another blog post).
Now for the goal kick.
One editor/publisher at the con said he never accepts the first submission of a author regardless of quality. Here’s his editing policy logically bulletized…
Author submits some work:
- Is this the first submission from this author?
- Yes? Reject and start a folder of this author’s work.
- Is this a submission from an author I have a folder on? Look through this author’s folder. How many submissions have they sent?
- Less than 20? Reject and add to folder.
- 20-40? See if their work shows improvement.
- Yes? Wait for more. See if they’ve reached a plateau or continue to improve. Wait for best work possible from this author.
- No? Reject and add to folder.
- 41-80? Has their work improved?
- Yes? Give the story serious consideration.
- No? Reject and add to folder.
This editor/publisher proudly stated the above conversationally. One author wanting to crack that market balked (as did I).
The editor/publisher offered “We pay SFWA rates” as the reason for their method.
The author accepted this explanation.
I didn’t.
Say an average story is 3.5k words. Yes, 10¢/word is a reasonable reward; 350$US.
But this editor/publisher won’t consider accepting anything until an author has submitted (on average) 40 pieces. WTF? That’s not SFWA rates, that’s 0.025¢/word. Do the math!
- 20 pieces before publication = 0.05¢/word
- 40 pieces before publication = 0.025¢/word
- 80 pieces before publication = 0.0125¢/word
I don’t know about you folks, and I generally submit the best stuff I have to a market.
This e/p is proud of the fact it doesn’t matter what an author sends, he won’t consider their work until they’ve “proven their serious as a writer.”
Forgive my indignation as both an author and an editor.
How I do it (in case you’re wondering)
I get a submission, I don’t read the cover letter or the author’s name. I go straight to the the work. Here’s my decision tree once I hit their work:
- Read the first sentence.
- Any good? Continue reading.
- No good? Reject.
- Read the second sentence. Ditto procedure.
- Read the first paragraph. Ditto procedure.
- Read until a serious flaw shows up. Make note. Does it repeat? Contact author with suggestions, invite to resubmit.
- Did I finish the piece?
- Yes. Accept!
- No. The work is close but not quite/good but not good enough. Contact the author with specific suggestions, invite them to resubmit.
I always either accept things I finish or contact the author with suggestions for getting it accepted.
Really, Joseph? You’ll reject on the first sentence?
Yes, because (and as stated above), as an editor I’m reading for craft. Does the author know how to tell a good story? Does the author have a good story to tell?
A poorly written opening line signals an author who either doesn’t know their craft or intentionally submitting crap.
Either way, not good.
No Responses