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Showing posts with the label reversion of rights

A Publisher's Conversation with Authors: I wrote two books; do I need two publishers?

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  It is Tuesday. Monday's madness is over, and Wednesday will take us over the hump, so Tuesday it is--for some serious discussion with authors. Tuesday talks mean to address authors in waiting and self-published authors who would like to go a more traditional route or who would at least like to take their steps with a publisher by their side.  This week we consider the frequently asked question, "I have written two books; do I need two publishers?" The answer, of course, is "that depends." The books are part of a series. If the books are part of a planned or ongoing series, then it is best to stay with the same publisher (unless, of course, something about how the publisher handled the first book was disappointing). Series need to have a similar look-and-feel among the books. That is easier to effect if the publisher is the same. Series also benefit from marketing that develops mailing lists of the earlier book(s) to promote the later books. If, however, the di

A Publisher's Conversation with Authors: Why Do Publishers Backlist Books and What Does That Mean for Authors?

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  It is Tuesday. Time to tall turkey. Monday's madness is over, and Wednesday will take us over the hump, so Tuesday it is--for some serious discussion with authors. Tuesday talks mean to address authors in waiting and self-published authors who would like to go a more traditional route or who would at least like to take their steps with a publisher by their side. Today's topic addresses backlists. What are they? Why do publishers use them? What do they mean for authors? What is a backlist? Publishers have a front list of books that they are actively selling. Among these are books that "earn their keep" at the very least (i.e., costs of printing, advertising, promotion, distribution, royalties, warehousing, share of overhead, legal requirements such as copyright and permissions, etc., do not exceed the revenue they produce.  Of course, publishers would prefer that books do more than "earn their keep;" they would like them to make a profit. Working against bo