Publishing and Writing

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Greetings, Geektimes! Today I want to talk with you about the publishing and writing kitchen, to talk about what is really happening in the CIS publishing market and how the manuscript goes from the author to the end reader. On this way, we will have to dispel several established myths, briefly go over the statistics and find out why there are many books on the shelves, but there is nothing to read. In addition, you will learn how much writers earn and how to survive a novice author in RuNet. First of all, my post will be of interest to lovers of science fiction and fantasy, since it is about this segment of the market that we will discuss below. Nevertheless, it will allow you to make a brief idea about the "average temperature in the hospital."

And before starting our dialogue I have to make one more important clarification. In this post, I deliberately introduce one not entirely correct generalization, meaning fiction as a whole set of genres and directions, from hard fiction to urban mysticism. This was done on purpose, so as not to list every time that "... I mean in this case fantasy, a fantastic action movie and a panopticon of literature about fellow soldiers."

GENERAL MARKET PICTURE

What is the share of the fiction market in the publishing business?

The share of science fiction in the publishing "common fund" is negligible. Yes, I understand that this does not fit the head of the average resident of the fandom, in whom all friends read NF (science fiction), but in reality this is the case. For you to understand the scale, you have to turn to the statistics of the Russian Book Chamber for 2014. So, the share of fiction accounted for only 13.3% of the total number of published books and brochures - or 14,895 items from 111,126 items. Similarly, with circulation - 12.6% (61 million copies) of the total circulation of 485.5 million copies per year.

Hurray, do we own 1/10 of the market? Sooner rejoice. Science fiction owns 1/10 of the 1/10 of the market (according to surveys, only 6% of the purchased fiction accounts for fiction and another 5% for fantasy). And our readership is much smaller than that of female novels, action movies or detective stories, each of which already occupies 10-20% of the market for published fiction.

Why am I saying all this? And the fact that any publishing house is primarily a commercial enterprise, which is focused on making a profit. And if calendars, booklets, cookbooks from the “100 Tips” series and school literature, rather than NFs, make the cash desk, then priorities will be allocated accordingly. This concludes the debunking of the first fandom myth called "everyone buys and reads fiction."

How much do publishers make on fiction?

Pennies. In any case, in Ukraine. And in Russia things are about the same. Yes, I understand that when you look at the gift edition of “Game of Thrones” by Martin, which costs about two salaries of an average resident of the outback, it’s hard to believe. But in fact, publishers receive a very small percentage of this money. Further I will tell you with concrete examples why it happened, but I want to immediately clarify that all the numbers in this paragraph will be taken from the ceiling, just to illustrate the situation.

So, let's go figure out why this happens. Imagine a chain: a publishing house - a large wholesale network - a small wholesale network - retail stores. It is from this chain that we get the final price of the novel on the counter, which can be 5-10 times higher than the selling price of the publisher. Roughly speaking, the cost of printing a brochure, well, let it be 5 tugriks, the publisher sells it for 20 tugriks, a large wholesale network - for 40, small - for 80, and in the Petrovka book market we see it for 160 tugriks.

I understand that the first question that arises is why the publisher will not make its own network of bookstores? Yes, because it is expensive, even for large publishers, not to mention the kids. Do not pull. And the second question right away - why can not you limit the price increase by intermediaries? It is possible, for example, in France, and it was done - there the final price of a book cannot exceed the selling price by more than 50%. But have you ever seen deputies who, in their right mind and sober memory, would limit their profit? Me not. That is how we live. This concludes the debunking of the second myth that "publishers earn millions from science fiction."

How many fiction authors make a profit for the publisher?

Units. If you mean real income, not a couple percent margin. We construct (imagine) a conditional pyramid from any ten authors of any publishing house. Of these dozens, one is stably successful. This is our venerable science fiction writer, brand, the face of the publishing house and the “train” of future literary series - Oldie, Lukyanenko, Valentinov (underline as necessary). They are published in circulation, for example, 300 thousand a year, and they are a plus, dragging the rest.

Another 2-3 authors are published with a circulation of 10-40 thousand copies per year (after the crisis of 2008 and the civil war in Ukraine, we can safely divide these numbers by 10. Now Masters can also be published in 5 thousand copies). These are the ones who make the publisher profit. We also have a certain pool of middle peasants, which are shaky or swirling to zero — let four more people.

The remaining 4-6 authors from our top ten are not sold at all and bring only losses. About why this happens is a separate conversation on many pages and cups of tea. This concludes the debunking of the third myth that "publishers earn millions from science fiction writers."

An important remark is that if your first novel turned out to be a commercial failure for the publisher, then consider that you got a brand or black mark for life. Very few publishers will risk working with you after that.

How much does a science fiction writer earn for publishing his novel in the CIS?

Negligible. Yes, there are exceptions - the authors of the first novels of the STALKER series earned very well due to the huge print runs. Yes, real Masters, who have been writing for more than a dozen years and systematically work with their audience, make good money. Yes, there are legends, as one author widely known in narrow circles was offered to write a hack, for which he bought an apartment in London for himself. But there are not many such success stories among the writers.

About a thousand dollars can be offered to a novice author at a Russian publishing house. That is my average monthly salary of the times of life in Kiev. And the novel is written for a year (in any case, I would write it so much). And if you take Ukrainian publications, then even less than that - barely enough for a bottle of good cognac. So, alas - dreams of earning your favorite thing can be put aside in the long box. Well, or you can get 3% -5% of the SALE price of each SOLD item.

PUBLISHING KITCHEN

How to break into the publishing house?

I. Think with your head.

It is clear that you need to write in accordance with the relevant requirements. Fortunately, any publisher on the site, as a rule, has all the necessary requirements and data for potential authors (for annotations, synopsis, design of the novel, etc.). But this is not enough.

Every month, the publisher’s editor receives several hundred manuscripts in the mail. Now (in the age of the Internet) everyone rushed to graphomania - both cooks, managers, and schoolchildren. The most fierce spam begins in the depressive-melancholic autumn-winter season. Then 300 and 800 letters per month can be sent to the mail of a “happy” editor. So if your letter was answered in six months, this is normal.

II. Hanging out.

If you don’t feel like waiting for months and being tormented by the unknown, the easiest way is to get out to some kind of writer's party or convention and agree there personally in a relaxed atmosphere. Publisher is not your enemy. He is constantly looking for fresh authors "in the clip" and is primarily interested in himself, so that you write a good novel. Good romance = sales = profit.

III. Write in a series.

Small items are now published a little. The main profit now comes from the generation of serial new products. The longsellers are now extinct like dinosaurs, giving way to bestsellers. A rather striking example of this process is the story of the confrontation between the two book giants AST and EKSMO, which ended in the bankruptcy of AST and its transition to the external management of EKSMO. As you know, the former were oriented towards a piece book, while the latter drove a shaft of serial novelties.

Simply put, publishers are now focused primarily on novels that have a reserve for continuation. It's just business, where the novel is seen as a commercial product, from which you can make a long-playing franchise with sequels, prequels, etc. Summing up the above: the novel must be written well, but if you want it to be published, it must be presented as a commercial product, and not like creativity.

How to make more money?

I. Sit down to write the next novel.

I'm serious. The process of publishing the novel is long. It may take about a year for your novel to go through “all the circles of hell”, from a letter in the mail to the release of “gold” (until the corrector subtracts it, the editor reads the novel, until the cover is drawn, until it is his turn in the series ...).

II. Read the contract carefully.

Firstly, not a single publishing house in Runet can really work with the electronic market. Therefore, thoroughly brainwash whether you intend to give the right to distribute electronic copies of your novel to the publisher. And if so, then under what conditions and for how many years. Or you will negotiate with electronic libraries yourself / open your e-shop, like Zorichi.

And secondly, ... carefully read the contract. Who will own the pseudonym under which the novel is published? Who will own the universe? For how many years do you specifically give this publisher exclusive rights to your work? What fee do you want - a fixed or a percentage of sales? Etc. Just in case, I’ll clarify that throwing thunder and lightning at the editor who sent the bonded, in your opinion, contract is not worth it. He just sends out a model contract.

III. Write to order.

To get started, you can pay attention to commercial collections and write thematic stories to order. It’s clear that where a famous writer gets $ 1,000 for his name on the cover, you’ll get $ 100. If you have the strength for a big form, welcome to the serial literature (hi “STALKER”, “Ethnogenesis” and other series). True, without a personal acquaintance with the releasing editor and remarkable talent, it will be difficult for a newcomer to get there. If you're lucky and the series shoots like the first Stalker novels, then you can earn very well. Another thing is what then to do with the reputation of a “literary Negro” ... But here, as they say, “everyone chooses a woman, religion, path for himself ..”

IV. Do not work with Ukrainian publishers.

They sell science fiction very poorly and they have few good marketers, unlike Russian ones. In addition, they almost do not promote their authors. And one more important nuance - Ukrainian publishers generally do not have their own retail chains, therefore they will not be able to lobby the appearance of your book on book shelves. An exception is the “Family Leisure Club”.

Why can't I see my novel on bookshelves?

Because the publishing house of the novel is not at all a guarantee of its appearance on bookshelves. I described the scheme “publisher - wholesale warehouse - bookstore” a little in the previous paragraphs. Now let’s dwell on it in more detail so that you understand where your novel is stored.

First, the publisher publishes a novel and sells it to large wholesale warehouses. Wholesale warehouses take the price of publishers (which can contain 100-300 books / authors, and if you take the CIS market, then 800 positions per month) and choose what the reader will buy according to them. Representatives of wholesalers may simply not read up to your name / title of the novel in the list.

Further, the book lies in the wholesale warehouse until retail chains (Family Club, Book Club, Izba-reading room, Read the city, etc.) reach it. They act on the same algorithm. And what remains after them is swept by small shops and private sellers in book markets. Naturally, they also proceed from their belief that the reader will read.

Why is no one buying my genius novel ?!

Because the modern reader is guided by a very peculiar logic when choosing books for purchase. Do not believe? - Talk to any book seller and ask what they most often buy and how book lovers are guided in their choice. The first to take apart promoted writers, whose name is well known (fans + pop fans). Similarly - serial literature (lovers of chewing gum for the evening) and literature / authors from the “golden series”, for example, the same “Founding Fathers” (gourmets). Then comes the purchase of books of a certain writer or a certain series for the sake of the collection (collectors). And only of the few book lovers who remained may be someone asks, they say, “have you ever had a young and unknown author with a good novel lying around on the counter?”

Still sales of the novel may be “buried" by pirates if the novel was previously posted on the net. Many publishers do not want to work with such novels. Of course, Oldie can afford to post on the network “Collection of his school essays“ How I Spent the Summer ”, and then publish it and fans will buy it anyway. And for the young author, this is the guaranteed death of the novel.

Although opposite cases are known - when the author spun the novel online, and then the publisher came to him. In fact, the issue is controversial and depends purely on the author’s ability to benefit from any situation.

How do I sell my first novel in a good print run?

Learn to work with your potential audience Before publishing a novel, from social networks to conventions. The survival of the first novel with a modest circulation of a couple of thousand copies can calmly provide a fandom. That's it, the novel is sold. Further, (if he is good and the target audience is chosen correctly), word of mouth will already do his job.