Making Enemies of The People You Need

I'm on a list for Avalon writers.  Most of them just love everything about it.  I don't get it, to be honest (and you know I'm honest).  

Say it takes 6 months to write a book.  Say you can't get it published anywhere else.  Then a flat fee of $1000 and a professionally (I had to look for a word) produced hardcover book as the result, under certain circumstances can seem to be a good thing.

But, still, it's nothing to rejoice over.  You sold your hard work for a pittance, you've experienced a parade of editors and you're not going to reach the public.  You're going to reach library sales.  Of a certain kind.  You're not getting any royalties and if you are so misguided is a possible word you would sell them forthcoming books as well, you have dug a hole for yourself.  You now have no money and not much of an audience.

Avalon has certain procedures which benefit them (as if it all doesn't benefit them) and don't consider the writer at all.  Blah blah blah.  Like they don't pay in a timely fashion.

Someone wrote a long rant against the publisher recently (well-founded and well-stated) crickets chirped in response.  I think most of the very nice ladies were shocked into silence.

I would think this is the very last thing you would want is to have authors really furious with you and praying you will hate their next book so they don't have to deal with the right of first refusal.  I've said it before and I'll say it again.  We are moving to a point where the only people who will submit work to traditional publishers will be unpublished writers or those who haven't been....(searching for a word) mistreated (didn't think I could find something that wasn't a vulgarity did you) by tradpub already.

Joe Konrath had a good post about the numbers of it all.  You make money FOREVER on an ebook.  That book that the publisher gave you $1000 or $100,000 was underpriced.  It will be remaindered, pulped, forgotten in less than a year if traditionally published.  It will never earn back its advance.  I don't know what more to say.  

So I wrote to Ms Ranter and told her my situation.  Ebooks aren't attractive to her and they're so much work, time, investment in promotion.  She has a niche market and she could well be right.  For now.  We don't know what's going to happen in 6 months or a year.  No one knows.  Not even Joe.

But promotion?  I don't do it.  I should.  I still don't.  I put The Virgin Warrior up this week to no fanfare.  Someone found it and bought it.  If you have a good book, readers will find you.  That's not true in traditional publishing.  Books aren't given time to find an audience.  Difficult, challenging, off-genre books aren't published at all.

Have I said this before?  Not Low Maintenance is all about Jews.  No one wanted this book because it was too nichey.  It's not only my bestselling adult book, it grows in strength every month.  And readers either don't realize all the characters are Jewish or it doesn't matter.  It's just a good book (although very far-fetched as we've discussed earlier).

the great Helen Hokinson