Authors have this perception that working with a traditional publisher is “making it.” They think once they get that advance, they are on easy street. Wrong. We hear authors angry at their traditional publishers all the time.
You would be surprised how many authors come to Scribe because they aren’t happy with their traditional publishers.
Sometimes their first book launch didn’t go as planned. Or they’re looking over the contract for their latest book and don’t like what they see.
Authors are hesitant to complain about traditional publishers in public. Shouldn’t they be grateful to their agent for getting them a book deal? Isn’t that publisher the only way their book will see the light of day? What if the publisher gets mad and withdraws the contract? What if they never give them another contract? Maybe it’s better to just keep quiet and accept whatever the publisher offers, no matter how small the advance, restrictive the contract, or limited the support.
Authors who come to Scribe and open up to us about their dissatisfaction with traditional publishing have a lot to say. Here are just a few examples: authors who quit their traditional publishers and turned to Scribe for a better experience. I’ve changed their names to protect their identities because even though they told me how unhappy they were, they’re still not ready to speak publicly about the real deal in traditional publishing.
Angela
Before coming to Scribe, Angela had several publishing deals. For her last book, her traditional publisher insisted on using a photo of her on the cover. Angela did not want her picture on the book, and she hated the one they chose. She didn’t want to lead with her appearance or make her image her brand. Angela is an attractive woman, but that is not what her book is about. When push came to shove, the publisher reminded Angela that signing the contract also meant signing away all creative control. The book was published with Angela’s image on the cover, and she swore off traditional publishing forever.
Robert
Similarly, when Robert’s publisher decided to turn one of his books into an audiobook, he was delighted. However, after hearing the narration, his excitement turned to disappointment. The narrator didn’t sound the way Robert thought the book should sound, but the publisher refused to hire someone else. Robert even offered to pay for a new narrator out of his own pocket. His traditional publisher told him that would delay the launch and he was going to have to live with the original narration. Needless to say, Robert was very unhappy with the outcome, butbecause his publisher held the rights to the book and the audiobook, he couldn’t do anything about it.
Gary
Gary had a very successful book launch, selling tens of thousands of copies. Because he has other lines of business and customers who could benefit from the book, he was looking forward to giving them away as gifts. Until he discovered the cost.
Gary expected a decent discount, but his traditional publisher charged him full price, plus shipping, amounting to roughly $30 per book. Sending all his clients hardcover copies was cost-prohibitive, so Gary had to abandon that idea. When he proposed publishing a less-expensive paperback version of the book, his publisher refused.
Like Angela and Robert, Gary’s hands were tied. Unless his publisher relinquished the rights to the book, allowing Gary to publish it in paperback form and get it for a lower cost, sending copies to his clients didn’t make financial sense. If he owned his own rights and could buy books directly from the printer, he could likely print and ship paperback copies for much less than $10 per book.
Gary can’t use his book to build his business. Robert is stuck with an audiobook he doesn’t want to listen to. And Angela has a book with a cover that makes her cringe.
In the coming weeks, I’ll unpack what we know about traditional publishing and why so many authors are turning to Scribe—even authors who have previously gone the traditional route.
I’ll also tell you why, for some books, traditional publishing may be the right choice, and what Scribe can do to improve authors’ chances of landing a book deal.
Stay tuned!
