What is a Publisher
[image error]You are an astute writer and have put together a timeless masterpiece that would rival Tolstoy novels, yet you are unable to find anyone to publish your book due to financial constraints or other hurdles that publishers may throw at you. Does this mean we reach across the desk and backhand the man that just told you he expects your book to flop? I think not. Instead, we'll look off into the distance and imagine a day in the life of a publisher, what they go through, their pay, and try to show compassion for their positions. Perhaps then we can see why publishers tend to be hard-nosed in acceptance of manuscripts.
Before It Hits The Publisher's Desk
Hopefully you were smart and sent your manuscript off to be edited professionally before considering publication; publishers would prefer that books ran through their system are an instant success (like Dianetics, that quirky L. Ron Hubbard book), although some may incrementally grow into New York Times best sellers instead of getting immediate raves. Once you have your final piece and have a few publishers lined up, it's time to beat down their doors, one by one, to sell the finer points of your piece and get some sort of deal struck. You may want an agent or corporate lawyer with you to help weed through legal brouhaha and get to the numbers. Because, yes, publishers are numbers people and care nothing about the fact you're 6 months behind on your lease or have starved your poodle due to your authorship.
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"Once in the publisher's office, they will toss a contract in front of you for an initial run which will consist of 15,000-20,000 books and offer you 10% royalties from the sales"
What The Publisher Does
The publisher is the first-line person you deal with in a book publishing company. It's his or her duty to take your hopefully edited manuscript, go over it with a fine-tooth comb, and decide if a deal can be made due to historical trends in your chosen niche. Expect to drop off your manuscript or mail it in to the publisher to review, getting a yay or nay within a week perhaps even two. If they are convinced they can turn a profit from your work, they'll bring you in for the deal – this is where the experienced agent or lawyer comes in handy. Once in the publisher's office, they will toss a contract in front of you for an initial run which will consist of 15,000-20,000 books and offer you 10% royalties from the sales (yes, the publisher makes 90% of which a share of that goes to the printer unless done in-house); Since books are generally set at six times the cost of production, we'll assume that your hardcover will begin at $20.00. So, you'll nab $2.00 a book of which 15% of that is standard for an agent, leaving the author with $1.70 per book which is also considered taxable income. Now, if your agent possesses some moxie, they will get you an advance of your royalties, at the 50% standard, to give you $15,000 to $20,000 up front. After letting your agent pluck their percentage, you'll be left with a taxable income of about $13 to $17,000. Reality says that you're efforts are worth more than that yet sensibility tells you to take it and run before the credit card company finds out you have money now. However, don't spend it all in one place – if your book doesn't sell out the first run, you'll be indebted to the publisher for the difference and they will aggressively collect even if they have to send Bruno to your house with a Louisville Slugger.
Now that the deal is done, the publisher will grab your manuscript and take it to the press for your first run. You, of course, will receive the second copy off the press (publisher needs their trophy) and you'll need to self-promote your book while in press because, unless you are a proven author to that particular publisher, they'll put little effort – if any at all – in marketing your book. Once the press run is done and your book is sent around the country, you'll want to keep in close contact with your publisher because they will have your running sales statistics. Publishers will keep your book under a microscope until the numbers get up there high enough to think about a second run, which is where writers now begin to really make some money because your agent will come back and get a higher royalty, the second run will be larger since the publisher is convinced you are good. The publisher will more than likely sign a multi-book deal that is even more lucrative than you'd imagined possible if an author's book makes it to a third run and stays off the bargain tables. Because, no, writers make zilch from bargain book tables while publishers make mere pennies and make nothing when it hits the dollar bin.
"Publishers are accountants, salesman, judges, and authors all wrapped into one, possessing one of the most painful, joyful and sometimes infamous jobs in the world of writing."
Definitely Not An Easy Job
As you can see, publishers are accountants, salesman, judges, and authors all wrapped into one, possessing one of the most painful, joyful and sometimes infamous jobs in the world of writing. A true publisher will never make an author pay to read a manuscript as they know they'll make theirs in the end regardless. They are judgmental, by all rights, because they know the industry well enough to give authors an idea of where their book will fall on the book ladder's many rungs. Publishers do make a substantial salary, yet it's completely merited as their skill set in the English and business fields needs to be substantially better than a college-grade English professor. The next time you decide to author a book, have it edited and send it to a publisher, keep these things in mind before you head to their office and threaten bodily harm or slash their tires for refusal to accept what you thought was the best manuscript on the planet when, in essence, the publisher is just doing his or her job in telling you 'not this time'.
