Friday, September 20, 2019

Why Would You Take a Trad Deal?

The lovely Phoenix Sullivan posted an interesting Twitter thread yesterday. She talks about her efforts to secure a trad deal to expand her revenue streams and the lack of enthusiastic response to her frank talk about money.

I wish I could say I was surprised by the responses she's received from agents and editors. Five years ago, I talked about a post written by agent Donald Maass. His opinions of the worthlessness of both midlisters and indie writers was derogatory at best. This attitude has infected nearly every corner of trad publishing now. There's a few areas that remain open-minded, but those generally involve pet anthology projects from what I've been seeing.

The problem from the trad publishers' perspective is that we indies are competing with them for the same dollars. It doesn't matter what kind of hard-earned savvy we bring to the table. To trad publishers, why pay a competitor when there are plenty of shills willing to accept $0 advance just from the privilege of having someone choose them?

And that's what it comes down to--what is the real reward you the writer wants for signing a deal?

Indies are often mocked for only caring about the money. In some cases, that's true. However, a lot of us love the freedom being indie affords us. I can write what I want, when I want, instead of being ordered to write in a genre I detest.

And having a book with a trad publisher isn't really broadening your income stream. They go through the same retailers and distributors indies do. To broaden our income streams we need to look at licensing our stories, characters, and worlds. (For more on this, check out Kris Rusch's blog series on licensing starting here.)

Overall, it always come down to the readers. As long as I'm entertaining them, they will be willing to pay for my stories. When I stop doing that, they'll move on. This is a truth that applies to both trad published and indie writers whether we like it or not.

6 comments:

  1. Interesting thread. I can't say I'm surprised by what she found trying to shop her book, or what indies said about whether they'd be willing to tradpub under current circumstances.

    The big NY publishers have built their business for generations by feeding on the newbies who'll do anything to Get Published!!!11!1!!eleventy!!! That's what looks normal to them, and a writer who knows what they're worth and wants to be able to buy groceries next month is a weird, money-grubbing anomaly to them.

    Oh well. [wry smile]

    Angie

    PS -- I also remember back when they were actively recruiting from the top indies, and it didn't work out for them. Who was that young woman who made a bazillion indie, then took a trad deal...? I don't remember her name anymore, although everyone knew it 5-6 years ago. Anyway, from what I recall hearing, they republished her big series, but edited it with a chainsaw and a belt sander, and... it didn't sell very well. Très surprise!! :P Never heard from that writer again, which is a shame.

    But it seems that what sells well indie, once pushed through the tradpub meat grinder, doesn't sell so well. I'm sure they blamed the writer, but no matter how tradpubbed authors burble about their close partnership with their editor, and How Much Better!! their books are after their editors have made them rewrite them six times, it seems there are at least a few times here and there [cough] when that kind of forced remodel doesn't serve the book, the writer, or the readers. With the result that neither the writer nor the publisher get what they wanted out of the deal.

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  2. Replies
    1. Yes! :) That was her name. I couldn't pull it up out of the basement of my brain. :P

      Angie

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    2. Too many plot bunnies living in the basement. LOL

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  3. Ugh. Dealing with meddling power structures...if there's a theme in my life, it's that I don't do well AT ALL with those things.

    To Angie: ELEVENTY!!! ahahha

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