Industry Panel: Beyond Big Publishing - Jane Friedman

Jane Friedman has spent her entire career working in the publishing industry, with a focus on business reporting and author education. Her book, The Business of Being a Writer, is used as a classroom text by many writing and publishing degree programs and received a starred review from Library Journal. As part of her work at Writers Digest she was on the 'self published' beat and has been watching that side of the book world for decades. 

Moderator Laurie Miller explains this panel will look at the four main paths to publication outside of big trade houses: self-publishing, hybrid, book packaging, and small or indie press deals and asks Jane to give brief definitions of each. 

Jane defining self-publishing: To take on all the responsibilities of the publisher for yourself. That includes who you work with to edit, print, host, and market the book. You set the budget, incurring all costs and all profits. 

Jane sees that self-published adult books still do better in sales than children's books, but Young Adult, or any book that is just text in black and white can earn profits since you can still be more competitive in your pricing. Adding color imagery to a self-published book increases the cost per unit, especially if it's a print-on-demand title, and kids still prefer physical picturebooks to their ebook versions.

Jane mentions Darcy Pattison is a great resource on making a living self publishing for kids. 

Hybrid publishing defined by Jane: The author pays a firm to assist them with the publishing process. These firms are called: 'paid publishing services', 'assisted', or 'partner' besides hybrid. What they all have in common is the author is paying to get the book printed and distributed by the hybrid publishing partner. Jane advises authors to please not spend money they don't have. If budgets approach five figures, Jane finds that the likelihood of an average title making a profit with a hybrid publisher disappears.

Jane defines small press and independent publishing as still on the traditional publishing side of the business because the author does not pay anything up front. That said, there may be lower advances or maybe no advances. And there may not be the same range of support that is available at a big name, big budget publisher. 

Jane briefly describes book packagers: Companies that put together projects for other publishers to then print and distribute. A company might be putting together the talent and idea and pitching it, or the publisher has the idea/owns the IP and is looking to the packagers to team up creators that can work on assignment. Like Sweet Valley High, Nancy Drew, or Pretty Little Liars, the writing or art is often work-for-hire on existing IP, but there are many, many scenarios for book packaging projects.

NANCY DREW covers! Book packagers have been around since the 1890s?!