I was at Barnes & Noble signing books. A man came up to me. “You won’t believe my life. One day I’m going to write a bestseller,” he said.
“Go home, sit down and start writing,” I told him. I knew he wouldn’t, but some do, and some create excellent work that dies at the hands of dream killers. Big publishers turn away new voices, talented and experienced writers. Kudos to Elle Griffin for her expose, No One Buys Books. It exposes the brokenness of big publishing.
In 2022, Penguin Random House wanted to buy Simon & Schuster. The two would have had a 48 percent market share. The Justice Department’s Anti-Trust Division suspected a monopoly position and filed suit against Penguin. A 13-day trial ensued in which the heads of all major publishers and literary agencies testified. Their revelations painted a picture of hopelessness. U.S. District Judge Florence Y. Pan blocked the $2.2 billion purchase and was pleased with Stephen King, who had objected to the merger.
NPR reported: “For Penguin Random House and the New York publishing world, the trial in August was an often uncomfortable opportunity to lay bare business practices, internal disagreements and missed opportunities. Executives on the witness stand spoke of bestsellers they were unable to acquire and acknowledged that most books don’t make any money.”
The information from the trial provided Griffin with a treasure trove of data. Her conclusion: The Big Five spend most of their money on advances to celebrities like Britney Spears and franchise authors like James Patterson. They also sell a lot of Bibles, bestsellers like The Lord of the Rings and children’s books. These books fund the hopefuls’ books, which make no money and usually sell fewer than 1,000 copies.
Other authors criticize Griffin’s conclusions, but she hits the nail on the head. If you’re an unknown author hoping to land an agent and a “big” publishing deal, forget it. Yes, every now and then a breakthrough book comes out, like Delia Owens’ “The Crawdads Song,” but it’s rare.
Years ago, I wrote a novel. I had an agent in New York for a few months, but her accountant advised her to focus on her published authors. She dropped me. I searched again, a grueling process. Some agents insist that you send your work only to them. Then they tell you it can take six months for them to respond (if they respond at all). Multiple agents in a row can kill two years while you wait and wait. There are no requirements to become a literary agent—no license, no training—and it shows.
The tired, old model of the big publishers is simply no longer enough in the Internet age. The vice grip of agents and big publishers is loosening because the old is new again. Hemingway published “A Farewell to the Past” as a serial novel. Frank Herbert published “Dune”. Hunter S. Thompson published “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas”.
Substack, an online presence, offers journalists, writers, and authors the opportunity to publish their work to a subscription-based audience. Substack breaks through the complexity of traditional publishing and allows writers to share their work and earn some money. Authors simply make their books available to readers via email, but first, readers must subscribe.
I’m on Substack. If you want to read my work, subscribe to me. Search for Substack on Google and look at the search box on the homepage. Search for me. Read my backroad stories, reportage, nature photo stories, my upcoming novels, and unpublished new material. You can comment on the work and discuss it with me. Subscriptions range from free to various payment tiers for those who want a better, more comprehensive reading experience.
It’s a strange name, Substack, but it’s innovative and reader- and writer-friendly. No username or password required. Join me in experiencing other worlds and other times, all delivered to your home, to your favorite reading spot – home. It’s time to stop intermediaries from deciding who and what we read. It’s time to stop intermediaries from withholding fresh voices from you.
Tom Poland’s website is www.tompoland.net. You can email Tom at [email protected] with any questions.
