I’m sharing some experiences in publishing. For a reason I wish didn’t happen, I find myself on the front lines of publishing’s upheavals.
Being published by a Big House is an author’s basic goal. That was my goal too.
It’s probably common knowledge that traditional publishing has been subsumed and relegated to a balance sheet entry in a multi-national conglomerate media empire. It would be hard to imagine otherwise … but people have been calm. Things are still within acceptable boundaries. Books do get published and enjoyed.
I fought the law …
Now I know the books were worthy of a big house–each title won independent national awards and had solid reviews and sales figures. It could have done well for them.
I didn’t need to spend years assembling rejection slips–though I got a sizeable sample–because things were pretty clear early on. I had written an adult-level book with horses … with no erotica or vampires. My story didn’t fit the preset BISAC publishing categories: there ARE no official publishing categories for “Teen” and/or “Adult” fiction for horses, only “Juvenile.”
My work was out of market and, barring luck I wasn’t finding, I could either make the decision to go independent or wait until Hollywood rediscovered horses. The novels were too novel. I don’t mind.
Books are not all one thing
It’s true the corporate blockbuster model (commodification) needs a certain pre-established popularity to lower risk for expensive marketing campaigns that dominate the field. Unfortunately this doesn’t enhance a diverse and free-flowing marketplace.
I don’t know the outcome, but what’s interesting about the corporate consolidation of traditional publishing is that everything that was feared and predicted came true. Maybe the next publishing convulsion will be about finding new and truly independent solutions.