If you want to see what the future of book publishing looks like, check out my classmate’s post on the subject. What interests me most is what Tom says about small publishers and niche markets. In his view, small publishers will continue to suffer from a lack of marketing and sales force unless their product is of interest to niche consumers.
A chronic marketing and sales deficiency is something all small publishers struggle with and Ooligan Press is no exception. Our difficulties are compounded as a teaching press, part trade publisher, part classroom. Add to that a cultural distaste for salesmanship and advertising, lack of funding, and a shocking rate of staff turn-over.
But wait, there’s more…
One of my greatest frustrations at Ooligan is the expectation that we mimmic other publishing houses, even when it’s clear we are not like other publishing houses. The question is often asked: How can we, with our limited resources, do what they do? The answer, of course, is we can’t.
The future of publishing will include big publishing houses, and whether their sales force is selling to online or offline retailers, they will have the advantage. We will also see a rise in small businesses and freelance professionals, empowered by accessible and user-friendly technology. It would be foolish, however, to think that this technology is some kind of secret passage allowing small publishers to transcend their limitations, or that the viral nature of the Web can, like a wildfire, spark instantaneous success.
In a recent discussion during my online marketing class, it was decided that what Ooligan Press needed was better submissions that would lead to better selling books. This was during a visit by Jeffrey Selin and came after he mentioned how great it would be if Ooligan landed an author like those in Chuck Palahniuk’s writing group.
(Yeah, and maybe God would let us publish His memoirs, too.)
The truth is, a run-away best seller can sink a small publisher. If you don’t have the money on hand to pay for printing, you can’t expect people to wait until you do. And if you can’t provide proper marketing support, what incentive do you have to entice authors of a certain calibre? Still, the lottery game mentality of capitalism persists, as if we’re all just six numbers away from total financial glory.
The true inspiration in Selin’s visit, at least for me, was his attitude toward his own small business, Writer’s Dojo. Designed as a writer’s room and a creative-fostering community, Dojo is, by Selin’s own admission, “Not a business plan you’d use if you want to make a lot of money.” He’s driven instead by his passion for writing and his desire to provide a meaningful experience.
In the digital world of long-tail commerce, large publishers will sell less of more. They can sell more products in more forms, but they will sell less of them. For small publishers, the key may be just the opposite. Narrow the focus (find a niche, or create one) and apply all of your efforts there. If the perfect submission does not land on your doorstep, then go out and find it, or commission it. Otherwise, you’re a magpie chasing every shiny object that passes before your eyes and will end up with a nest full of shiny objects, none of which cuts glass.
This is not a matter of lowering expectations, but of taking pride in what you do, however humble. Using the big boys and their blockbusters as our standard of success will only make the rest of us losers. Being honest about what you do best, and continuing to do it well, is not the same thing as failure.
