When I first started moving successful publishing, nary 1 questioned nan worth of a publisher.
Now they do.
When I tell nonfiction writers they request to show to nan agent/editor they person a large capable platform—enough visibility—to waste books without nan thief of a publisher, they’ll ask, “What’s nan patient for then?”
When I tell fiction writers that their activity needs to beryllium compelling, polished, and fresh for publication earlier they query, they’ll ask, “What’s nan patient for then?”
For first-time authors who person nary readership, nan reply is easy. Quality considerations aside, a publisher raises your floor plan and makes you look bigger than you’ve ever looked before. Someone is taking a financial risk to motorboat your activity into nan world and make your sanction recognizable, and nan consequence tin beryllium taken only for a finite number of authors, truthful group make rather logical assumptions astir value that are successful your favor.
Of course, publishers neglect astatine launching authors each day. But authors promoting themselves thin to neglect astatine it much dramatically. It’s not that publishing is hard. It’s nan expertise to dispersed nan connection astir your work’s beingness astatine nan correct clip to nan correct group that’s crazy-difficult. So far, astir publishers are still amended astatine doing that.
So far.
If you’re an writer who tin make influencers jump erstwhile you ask, aliases person a siren telephone that lures readers to your door, past each bets are disconnected connected what nan patient is for. You’ll person to decide.
Jane Friedman has spent astir 25 years moving successful nan book publishing industry, pinch a attraction connected writer acquisition and inclination reporting. She is nan editor of The Hot Sheet, nan basal publishing manufacture newsletter for authors, and was named Publishing Commentator of nan Year by Digital Book World successful 2023. Her latest book is The Business of Being a Writer (University of Chicago Press), which received a starred reappraisal from Library Journal. In summation to serving connected assistance panels for nan National Endowment for nan Arts and nan Creative Work Fund, she useful pinch organizations specified arsenic The Authors Guild to bring transparency to nan business of publishing.