Summary of…

F164. The Future of Book Publishing: How Authors Should Navigate the New Market. (Mary Gannon, Dennis Loy Johnson, Jeffrey Shots, Michael Reynolds, Lee Montgomery, Julie Barer) Editors and agents will discuss the changes that have occurred in the practices and policies of literary publishing—from acquiring books, producing them in all of their incarnations, and marketing them. They will also offer timely advice on how authors should best navigate the changing industry and the new market.

This panel was a fantastic look into the varying opinions of the direction of book publishing. Dennis Loy Johnson played the role of the electronic book sympathizer to counterpoint the general physical-paper-book consensus of the rest of the panel (as you can probably guess, the ebook v. paper book debate claimed most of the discussion…and rightfully so, I think). Mr. Johnson embraces the digital revolution. His publishing house (Melville House) was essentially birthed from a blog, so “digital,” he said, “is in his DNA.”

The moderator, Mary Gannon, asked a series of questions. The one that got the most response was: what is the biggest change in publishing over the past five years?

Lee Montgomery: Electronic books and with that, trying to figure out how to use the internet to market. Ms. Montgomery does think the physical book is safe. Though, people should not turn their nose up at the different ways people can hunt down books. She liked the potential for ebook devices (Kindle, Nook, Sony eReader, etc.) to that of the iPod, commenting about how much more music she buys now that she has a device built to allowing just that. Personally, I completely understand this point.

Dennis Joy Johnson: The conglomeration of publishing houses and distribution is one of the biggest changes and is possibly the biggest downfall. The death of independent sellers, and with that, the growth and power of Amazon.com, has made it almost impossible for independent, local bookstores to survive. Additionally, the forced discounts that Amazon.com puts on publishers makes it extremely difficult for authors and publishers to make money.

Mary Gannon: Bookscan is the biggest change. Bookscan, according to Wikipedia, is a data provider for the book publishing industry, owned by the Nielsen Company. BookScan compiles point of sale data for book sales. According to Ms. Gannon, is that the industry relies too much on Bookscan to determine purchasing quantities of an author’s subsequent books. The problem is that Bookscan doesn’t track all channels, so the numbers are often incorrect. My feeling is that the rise of POD printing, micropresses, and the fragmented distribution channels, should be incentive to have BookScan get its act together and adjust to the changing market.

Finally, which this comment doesn’t fit perfectly into the flow of this post, I still feel it important enough to cram in here at the end. Dennis Joy Johnson says that word of mouth has traditionally been a bookseller’s favorite and most successful advertising outlet, and that book blogs are the new word of mouth. So, on that note, read lots of books, so says this blog.

A summary of…

R163. What’s Your Platform? What Agents & Editors Are Looking For in Writers. (Christina Katz, Jane Friedman, Robin Mizell, David W. Sanders) Yes, the quality of your writing still matters. But becoming visible and influential is more crucial to landing a book deal than ever, according to agents and editors in every facet of the publishing industry. Aspiring authors need to develop a platform in order to get noticed. Fortunately for emerging writers in all genres, there are more affordable, accessible tools available for platform-development and building, which make this important responsibility a pleasure and not a chore.

Much of this panel focused on what exactly a platform is, why it is important, and how an author should go about developing one. Many of the suggestions felt obvious (getting a website, establishing a Twitter feed, be on Facebook, Redroom, and various other social networks). Some, though, were new ideas to me.

Here’s a run-down of some of the best points:

Christina Katz would rather call this panel Harnessing the Artist’s Power. She explains this concept by saying that the author must use his ability to be passionate about his work to create passion among others.

David W. Sanders said that there is a connection between how known a writer is in the world and how well they succeed.  He went on to say, “a book may not sell because the writer is dead. Which is a valid reason; the only valid reason.” A writer must be a missionary for his work.” He also suggests writing fan letters to authors as a way to show investment in the literary community.

Robin Mizell says, “your platform is not your CV. Your platform is a continuing conversation with your audience.”

What are the ways to build platform?

Christina Katz offers…

• Build website/Facebook/twitter/etc.
• Publish eZines
• Teach classes (even online classes, or mentor via forums or email)
• Write for specific publications
• Give lectures, readings, and workshops
• Host a reading series
• Offer contests and giveaways on your blog

Robin Mizell offers…

• As an agent, she can guild the author, but her job is not promote the author (? Really?)

This question was posed: What are the biggest challenges with platform building?

David W. Sanders says time is the biggest challenge. An author only has so much time.

Robin Mizell  says that it is necessary to be “other focused,” which many wannabe authors aren’t. Engage in conversation before even telling someone you are a writer or have a project going.

Christina Katz offers…

• Confusing platform development with socializing
• Not communicating everything you offer
• Not focusing enough on your audience
• Thinking there is an end. Platform building ends only when your career ends.

The panel members then each offered resources for more information about platform building.

Robin Mizell recommends Christina Katz’s book, Get Known Before The Book Deal: Use Your Personal Strengths To Grow An Author Platform.

Jane Friedman recommends Seth Godin’s blog, “279 Days to Overnight Success,” and the “There Are No Rules” blog.

Ultimately, the panel left me wondering, if an author must have an established platform (re: a group of people willing to buy; a hyper-focused demographic) to sell a novel, then what is the point of a traditional publisher. Why not just self-publish?