Do you remember the 1982 sci-fi movie Tron? It’s about a computer programmer who is transported inside the software world of a mainframe computer, where he interacts with various programs as he tries to get back out. I feel like that programmer nearly every time I start working at my computer. An endless universe of cyber-choices, with tentacles reaching out, sucks me into a virtual vortex, devouring real time.
This dizzying experience happened again as I started preparing my blog about Self-Publishing. My original goal was to provide an update of industry statistics about newly published titles in 2012 and show the value of Book●ed as an innovative marketing concept. I started with Bowker, the official ISBN agency for the U.S. and its territories. “ISBN” stands for “International Standard Book Number”. An ISBN is a number that uniquely identifies a published book or book-like product, facilitating the sale of the product to booksellers and libraries.
Bowker’s report for 2012 says ISBNs show nearly 60% more self-published works than in 2011. Self-published titles in 2012 jumped to more than 391,000, up an astonishing 422% over 2007. Just one year earlier, Bowker had reported nearly 346,000 new titles published (traditional plus self-published), of which self-published titles accounted for 43%. Ebooks continue to gain on print, comprising 40 percent of the ISBNs that were self-published in 2012, up from just 11 percent in 2007.
Critics of Bowker claim the figures should be far higher because an increasing number of books are coming into the marketplace as direct author-to-reader sales without the ISBN numbers that enable tracking. That means self-published titles are even higher than reported!
The bottom line for authors is that it is easier than ever to get published but harder than ever to compete for sales and readership. This is true for traditionally published books but much more so for self-published works. Authors can no longer view themselves purely as artists creating literary works. They now have to also don the hat of business owner; the business is selling their book.
Our rapidly evolving literary marketplace has created a new service infrastructure in publishing to fill the needs of authors with books to sell. In addition to companies that actually produce print, digital or audio books, companies offer a variety of post-production services. For the uninformed author, the new infrastructure is a dangerous minefield. As I wrote on this Blog back in February, authors need to be aware of “the good, the bad and the ugly about self-publishing.”
And so we return to Tron, trolling the internet, seeking information about resources for authors and feeling overwhelmed with choices. It has never been easier for authors to get published, or to be separated from money without getting adequate help to sell their books.
If you have written a book you want to publish, whether you pursue traditional or self-publishing, print or digital, traditional booksellers or direct to reader, tread carefully! “Biggest” is not always best and “cheapest” is rarely a bargain.
Get a first, second and possibly third opinion from people with experience at successfully producing and marketing books in your genre. Join writing groups, attend conferences, talk with consultants and network. Read leading industry magazines, take classes, read the insides of books to look for names of publishers, editors, agents and others who helped bring the book to you. Get to know published authors. Immerse yourself in the literary world, including both the writing craft and the marketing know-how. Read the Book●ed blog! Feel free to contact me for more information. You may feel overwhelmed at times but, like the programmer in Tron, you will emerge victorious.