tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11209022.post-1111694436963965932005-03-24T14:51:00.000-08:002005-03-24T12:00:36.966-08:00So after debating the point for a solid 20 minutes (which, when you are the Production Manager, Managing Editor, and VP of Sales translates into 3-4 days in corporate publisher time) this morning, I felt the need to weigh in on the subject of the failure of "Cry From the Deep."<br /><br />Knowing little about what actually went on in the publisher's office in regard to this title (though I could make a few good guesses) I tend to take <A Href="http://www.livejournal.com/users/karin61/">Karin Gillespie's </a> view that the book just didn't "capture the public's imagination."<br /><br />What people need to understand is that the idea of stranding a book that has sold 1500 copies is a notion that is not fathomable in the business model of a small publisher like Barricade. It may not capture the public's imagination, but it would seem you could squeeze a few more sales out of the title before leaving it for dead. I think that was really Jennifer's point (though I shouldn't speak for her).<br /><br />Due to in part to our small advances, doubling that number of sales could be the difference between the book being a dog and it making a profit (if only a small one). I understand the big publisher mentality of going big or going home, but that doesn't mean it doesn't seem crazy to me. It is certainly not something I want to be involved in. But that is how HC does business, and the author should have had an inkling that that is what he was getting into when he signed on. <br /><br />There is a lot of talk about wanting to develop a new generation of "branded" authors--new Grishams or Kings. But the crazy thing is that those authors didn't happen over night, and if publishers continue to lose interest in authors that don't earn out their bloated advances immediately, they'll never develop that next wave of authors. I think it would be great for the industry across the board if everyone stopped paying enormous advances and invested the money instead in developing quality books and quality authors.<br /><br />Being a rock and roll junkie, it reminds me of what Bono said (I can't believe I am quoting Bono - what a blowhard!) during his inductioon speech for the RnR Hall of Fame last week. He made salient point when he noted that if U2 were to come out today, they never would have gotten to the point where they were able to build a legendary career. <br /><br />The good news is that the music industry suffers from much greater misdirection. Hopefully publishers can learn from the music industry's mistakes and right the ship before we are all forced to consume the literary equivalent of Ashlee Simpson - truly a fate worse than death!<br /><br />A question: In college I took a class on the History of Rock and Roll. My professor, "Crash," traced the music industry's current problem back to the release of "Frampton Comes Alive!" A compelling point. I wonder if anyone out in the blog world can point out the specific book that marked the shift toward the current publishing morass.<br /><br />-Jeff Nordstedt<br />Production Manager / Managing Editor / VP of Sales / IT Director / Resident Rock Historian<br />Barricade Books Inc.Barricade Books Inc.http://www.blogger.com/profile/13390359344172929634noreply@blogger.com