The Publisher's Dilemma

I have a possibly incorrect idea that people are interested in what I do. After all, everyone wants to write a book, and few people know that much about how a manuscript moves from the author's computer to the bookstore. This perpetrates myths, legends, and the occasional god (note: Max Perkins).

My career is the book business. I've interned at five publishing companies of various sizes (and spent a year working at a major bookstore in New York City); I've worked in editorial, marketing, and publicity; I run a freelance editing business and work directly with authors who wish to publish their manuscripts; I've published short stories in small literary magazines; and I am about two months away from graduating with a master's in publishing and writing.

All this, and I occasionally get paid. Not often though.

You see, books aren't like every other business. We're in it for the intellectual superiority. We purchase books that have little chance of selling because we think they deserve to be published. We pour our hearts and souls into poorly organized manuscripts like they're misbehaving children that will grow up right with just a little encouragement. And when a book does sell, it tends to be in the thousands, not the millions.

At least, that's the way it used to be. I'm entering an industry that's starting to actually be run like a business. Past sales and perceived market have as much of a say in what's bought now as editorial instinct. Perhaps more. Publicity backs the guaranteed successes, and the C and D list authors (those less important to the company) are lucky to get a tour or a single ad. Whether a book is going to be a bestseller is often decided before the book even hits the stands.

Many authors believe that getting a book published makes them successful, but fewer than 25% of books published actually make profit. While this seems a disastrously low number, at least it means that companies are still willing to take risks on new authors. But those risks are becoming fewer, and the amount of money put behind them is often nowhere near enough to launch a career. And if one book fails, then the author is unlikely to be able to publish another.

It's a cutthroat business, but it's my business. Despite the downfalls, it's still all I want to do.