Why Go Digital Only?
We made a conscious decision to go digital only for two reasons. 1) You get worldwide distribution with no inventory issues so it’s a lot less costly and less risky; 2) we still hold the options on physical distribution—if we’ve done our job, we’ll have proved that there is great potential for the novel and we can either find a partner who can really amplify this, or do it ourselves.
One other note, we went with INscribe Digital to handle our digital distribution. It cost us a percentage of revenue, but it also gave us the opportunity to be pitched to retailers for promotions. We recently were in the Big Deal promotion at Amazon. Amazon won’t consider titles not handled by distributors. This allows us to participate in promotions and be positioned alongside titles from Random House, Knopf and Little Brown. That’s the sort of company we want to associate with and without INscribe, we couldn’t have done that. INscribe also provides us a platform that scales, so we can add more books from me and other authors easily. Their dashboard provides excellent tracking worldwide.
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Feature
Make Books and Music, Not War
Musings of a Music-Industry-Exec-Turned-Author
Today’s publishing world reminds me of where the music business was ten or so years ago. Most of the top execs in the music world were in denial in regards to the impact of the Internet. I had a unique perspective because in 1990 I was part of a task force with EMI Music and Phillips, the Dutch conglomerate, looking at opportunities for digital downloading. We presented to the chairmen of both companies the tremendous upside of this new technology, but both companies were making a ton of money from CDs and there was no interest in doing anything to accelerate the demise of what was the Golden Goose.
At the time, the Internet was not a factor, nor did we foresee the piracy issue, but it was clear that the record companies were not interested in embracing anything new—ironic, given that you’d expect entertainment executives to be risk takers and at the forefront of change, but it’s the opposite. That same mentality is rampant in the publishing world.
Another parallel trend to music/publishing is corporate consolidation. As the major publishing houses become larger, they become less able to support emerging talent. They are dependent on blockbusters, and that means each release has more at stake, and so they are forced to be even more conservative. That doesn’t mean they don’t break in new talent, in fact, they have all the tools and expertise to do it well, and for the few that are fortunate enough to get their backing, it often turns out well. A great example is Kevin Power’s first novel The Yellow Birds published by Little Brown. It’s an amazing book and they did a great job of getting it out there. Unfortunately, there are fewer opportunities like that for new writers.
But even if you get a deal with a big house, there’s no guarantee it will turn out well. What happens when an editor falls in love with a writer and then there’s a merger of two imprints and that editor gets laid off? Best case, that writer is assigned to someone that isn’t as enthusiastic; worst, they get dropped before the book is launched. I saw this happen in the music business all the time. Aimee Mann, an incredible talent, got caught in the crossfire of consolidation twice!
Despite knowing all too well the pitfalls of getting a contract with a major, I still wanted a deal because I wanted legitimacy from the establishment. I was getting great feedback from writers like Barry Hannah and James Houston, and editors like Joy Johannessen (she’d worked with Alice Sebold, Michael Cunningham; and she ended up editing My Year as a Clown). And so I kept writing and writing and writing, but at some point I stopped sending work out because I grew tired of the rejection.
By 2012 the Kindle and the iPad had reached that Tipping Point where it was simply too tempting to ignore. A friend who’d been following my effort for years approached me and we talked about how together we might make something happen on our own. That’s when we formed Against the Grain Press. My Year as a Clown is truly an indie effort, but it hasn’t been produced by amateurs. In fact, just the opposite. I had the honor and privilege to work with an amazing group of industry veterans and that made all the difference.
Although doing a book yourself is easier and less expensive than a few years ago, the lower barriers to entry also mean it’s a much more crowded field. There’s a huge downside to this so-called level playing field and any Indie book’s greatest challenge is rising up out of the sludge.
Yes, you need money to bring attention to your book, but more importantly, you need a great book. I spent most of my time making sure that My Year as a Clown is a compelling read. Getting recognition from the Independent Publisher Book Awards validates this effort.
My executive career taught me to know what I was good at, and to surround myself with the best people and to make sure that they brought complementary skills to the party. In other words, don’t assemble a team that resembles yourself, and don’t surround yourself with a bunch of “yes” people.
I also learned that no matter how great your team is, things are going to go wrong. The true test of the team, individuals, and of course yourself, is how things are handled when the shit hits the fan. Under pressure is when you learn what you’re made of. I’ve worked hard on overcoming adversity by minimizing emotional responses and by having contingency plans. Most importantly, you need to be able to make a decision. You cannot believe how many people become paralyzed and opt to do nothing.
In this industry, where the rules are in flux, you need a team that can pivot fast, discuss and debate openly, but they must also respectfully work as a team once a course of action is in play and get behind it regardless of whether they agree or not.
Read Robert's previous articles here:
My Year as a Clown: IPPY-Winning Author Shares His Story
DIY - Create Your Own Imprint: The Pros and Cons of Starting Up
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Robert Steven Williams is the author of My Year as a Clown, a novel which won a silver IPPY in the Popular Fiction category. Learn more about Robert and his book at www.robertstevenwilliams.com/stories/novels/my-year-as-a-clown.