tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post5594576717629510354..comments2024-03-25T09:56:16.164+00:00Comments on An Awfully Big Blog Adventure: Publishing as a business - is it time to revolt?Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-15630690503072806402016-04-21T08:55:48.539+01:002016-04-21T08:55:48.539+01:00This was really interesting - and I enjoyed readin...This was really interesting - and I enjoyed reading all the comments afterwards.Anne Boothhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17160915179685300264noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-14219788901425743802016-04-08T07:49:40.555+01:002016-04-08T07:49:40.555+01:00I did a workshop at one literary festival which wa...I did a workshop at one literary festival which was very well attended- but the bookshop didn't bother to get my latest book because it was hardback and 'wouldn't sell' though I had about twelve people out of twenty wanting to buy it. Then I didn't even get a present cos I was a sideshow! I felt well exploited. I've had other good experiences at festivals, usually when I was paid. I did enjoy doing Oxford with the History Girls but if I'd come down from Scotland to promote a book I'd have been seriously annoyed about the clause prohibiting me from doing events in the area for- I think- four weeks? But as regards publishers, I think the problem is that they expect quick and unrealistic profits, so don't give authors time to build up. It's to do with the stock market and how money people expect their shares to perform. So better to try the next new hopeful than build up a promising but not spectacular start. Graham Greene would have been chucked by his publishers nowadays, before he made it big..,Leslie Wilsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15105465949970430998noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-57078966070126114492016-04-07T15:15:08.026+01:002016-04-07T15:15:08.026+01:00Too many authors, too many books? But festivals ar...Too many authors, too many books? But festivals are not really anything to do with writing them. I'm quite happy not to get invited these days - it leaves more time and energy for the actual writing and means I'm not out of pocket for travelling, either. Though, to be fair, my publishers always paid travel expenses and sometimes overnight stays for me to attend festivals, and I did get paid for my 'Great Pyramid Robbery' talk at Edinburgh where the curse in my book famously broke the microphone. So I don't think I've ever felt exploited.Katherine Robertshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17196712319655603442noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-35400569896564197302016-04-06T21:03:59.118+01:002016-04-06T21:03:59.118+01:00Lari, you're right about the basic problem and...Lari, you're right about the basic problem and I've been thinking about ways to get round it. I may have more to say in my next blog...! And Linda, ideally I do think festivals should pay, but it seems curious to me that we are so willing to hold them (and schools and libraries) to account while letting publishers get away with such blatant exploitation.C.J.Busbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12288574235370421625noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-87354767053284899962016-04-06T20:07:21.692+01:002016-04-06T20:07:21.692+01:00Interesting post, Celia.
I am not sure the campai...Interesting post, Celia. <br />I am not sure the campaign to get festival to pay is missing the point. They should pay authors who they ask to come and speak so they can sell tickets! It may interest those south of the border to know that all the main and many of the smaller festivals in Scotland pay their authors, and some have just increased the fee. Why would they organise a festival and plan a budget without having included in their initial costs the authors' fees? It makes no sense. It is the same argument as with schools and others who invite authors to speak and seem to think it should be free, they would not ask their own staff, or a plumber or electrician to come in and do a job for free so why should an author. <br /><br />With publishers, especially the bigger ones, the question I think we should ask is why they spend so much of their marketing budget on the high profile, bestselling authors whose books already sell well, and celebrity books rather than nurturing their mid-list authors who continually sell and would benefit more, and of course their new authors. Smaller publishers who may be struggling to survive often do an excellent job for their authors but could find it almost impossible to fund festival appearances as well as travel costs.<br /><br />The society of authors campaign has had some success in that many of the festivals who had not paid authors in the past seem to be rethinking.<br /><br />With publishers the Society of Authors is pushing for better terms with its C.R.E.A.T.O.R. campaign.<br /><br />CONTRACT TERMS<br />C.R.E.A.T.O.R.<br />The SoA has called for authors and other creators to be protected from onerous contracts. All creator contracts should comply with the following minimum requirements:<br />C. CLARITY Clearer contracts including written contracts which set out the exact scope of the rights granted.<br />R. Fair REMUNERATION. Equitable and unwaivable remuneration for all forms of exploitation, to include bestseller clauses so that if a work does far better than expected the creator shares in its success, even if copyright was assigned.<br />E. An obligation of EXPLOITATION for each mode of exploitation, also known as the 'use it or lose it' clause.<br />A. fair, understandable and proper ACCOUNTING clauses.<br />T. TERM. Reasonable and limited contract terms and regular reviews to take into account new forms of exploitation.<br />O. OWNERSHIP. Authors, including illustrators and translators, should be appropriately credited for all uses of their work and moral rights should be unwaivable.<br />R. All other clauses be subject to a general test of REASONABLENESS.<br /><br />Linda Strachanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04354324158228109351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-42557966009277713262016-04-06T14:51:31.751+01:002016-04-06T14:51:31.751+01:00You are completely right to identify that the fina...You are completely right to identify that the financial rewards within publishing are distributed extremely unfairly, and that as a business model it's probably dysfunctional and possibly unsustainable. BUT you also identify why it works, for the publishers. Because there are always other writers happy to accept that unfairness to get their first book published, hoping that the deal will get fairer as their career develops. But almost all of us stay trapped in that 'will accept anything to get first book published' model, because if we do revolt later on, someone behind us will grab the deal with both hands. (Unlike a marquee rental company at a book festival, say, or a printing company bidding to print our next novels...) So Celia, if you can think of a way to revolt that deals with the fact we are driven to write, and hundreds of thousands of others like us are driven to write, and that we are therefore our own worst enemies in negotiations, both collectively and individually, I would love to hear it. Fascinating post. Well done for saying it. Long live the revolution! <br />Lari Donhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13290918954317744377noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7780182174577095197.post-55865145551659175112016-04-06T10:02:47.019+01:002016-04-06T10:02:47.019+01:00Interesting!Interesting!Sue Purkisshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09084528571944803477noreply@blogger.com