Books Are Magic: Pet Peeves of the Publishing Industry

Thursday 28 March 2013

Pet Peeves of the Publishing Industry

- Guest Post by James Robinson Jr.

I see the publishing industry broken up into two sections: 1. Traditional Publishing and 2. Digital or online publishing. I’ve tried both and I do have pet peeves with each one. In terms of traditional publishing, I always hated the fact that the author has to write polished query letters and generally jump through hoops to secure an agent just to get to the publisher who, in most cases, eventually turns down the author. Traditional publishers now offer very small advances—if any at all—and maybe 5% royalties.

But when it comes to online publishing, the author has total control over his/her work. They have control over all of their writing, editing, artwork, marketing, and sales. The problem is, most of us are laymen. We don’t know what the heck we’re doing—it’s learn as you go. And, if you sell online, you’ll never see your book sitting on that table with the other bestsellers when you walk into the book store. But, not to worry, soon there won’t be any bookstores.