Editorial | The Way Things Are Publications

Jennifer Havenner on Huffington Post: Four Reasons a Publisher Will Want Your Memoir

On August 24, 2010, in Blog, Editorial, by The Way Things Are Publications

Director of Publishing for The Way Things Are Publications, Jennifer Havenner, published an article on Huffington Post regarding author queries and autobiographies.

Excerpt:

I‘m drowning in memoirs. Not only are they slowly taking over the bookstores, but they are also crowding my inbox. I get countless queries concerning memoirs from hopeful authors every week, and I have several life stories staring at me in manuscript form right now. Don’t get me wrong, I like memoirs — but I don’t think everyone should be writing one. I can’t speak for all publishers, and I certainly can’t begin to speak for all readers, but I can tell you what makes me care about your memoir, what sets it apart from the rest and gets my attention.

Efficiency As A Roadmap For The E-Reader Revolution

On July 22, 2010, in Editorial, by The Way Things Are Publications

Excerpt:

Recent trends and tech economics have made it abundantly clear that 2010 was the year digital books ousted traditional books as the leading format. Just this month, Amazon.com Inc. reported that it sold more eBooks for the Kindle than hardcover books for three consecutive months.¹ While Amazon is only about 10% of the book business, it is representative of a larger trend. In December, Random House reported that eBook sales increased by “triple-digit percentages,”² and in January, the Association of American Publishers (AAP) reported that eBook sales jumped 370% over January 2009.³ This explosion of sales is not entirely resting as a windfall within the publishing world as the industry doesn’t know yet if these sales are cannibalizing traditional books.⁴ However, Amazon’s recent news is a certain indication that this is the next phase of the industry, if not a long-term trend.

Although in a time of transition with many unknowns, publishers now must look at their business models and determine how best to navigate these uncertain waters. Should the eBook trend be a boon to sales without chewing up sales of the printed book, then publishers have a new format to manage, along with vastly different marketing processes, distribution channels, copyright infringement concerns, and the immense task of breaking through the clutter and reaching their target audience. If, on the other hand, eBook sales are cannibalizing print sales, even to a minimal extent, the publishers will need to readjust their distribution channels, fall back on print distribution, and somehow keep price points competitive on the eBooks without losing the bank to high marketing costs and distributor discounts. In either case, the existing model is inadequate to support such a massive shift in consumer behavior.

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A Case for Eliminating Returns in the Publishing Industry

On June 21, 2010, in Editorial, by The Way Things Are Publications

Excerpt:

It has been well established practice in the book industry for the past seventy years that publishers accept unsold books as returns from booksellers. While it is not generally known when the practice specifically began, one primary source, Bill Gladstone, stated that returnable programs began with his father at Simon and Schuster during the Great Depression as an incentive for booksellers.¹ Gladstone went on to state that the practice was “the single most detrimental policy in the history of book selling, one from which the industry … never recovered.”² If Mr. Gladstone’s assessment of this practice is true, then why would it be the mainstream modus operandi for so many decades? More importantly, if the practice is detrimental to the industry, how can returnable programs be retired in favor of a method that works for the industry as a whole?

A returnable program for books, magazines, and newspapers is a deeply-rooted de facto process in the publishing world. It is common practice for booksellers to return unsold copies, allowing them to merchandise books en masse and attract more sales. The industry maintains that a higher quantity of books is needed to trigger additional sales and that when too few are ordered, potential sales are lost. This type of marketing encourages booksellers to order more books than they will sell for the sole purpose of merchandising them in the store in a visually appealing way.³Studies have shown that customers respond strongly to these merchandising techniques and tend to buy more when more books are displayed.

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The Role of Printed Books in a Digital World

On May 19, 2010, in Editorial, by The Way Things Are Publications

Excerpt:

If Amazon was responsible for letting the world know eBooks were available, then Apple is responsible for making eBooks the new normal. The book industry’s shock at the unexpected popularity of the format was paralleled only by the shock of how consumers chose to read those eBooks. The future of eBooks is now in a solid upward trend, even as traditional book sales stay flat.¹ From the tone of this discussion, there seems to be the possibility that the book industry will be in permanent demise and that the fate of physical book is all but determined.²

Should the industry, as some expect, fall apart in favor of a consumer-run online publishing world with no chance for profit, then one wonders if there is a place for the printed book. If there is a place for the printed book, then what is its role in the grander media landscape? Will the printed book retire like VHS, cassette, and eight-track players? Will our great grandchildren reminisce about the tactile days of pre-2010 when book bags actually carried books and libraries had bookshelves? Or is there still a profound and culturally significant role for the printed book that transcends technological and consumer advancement? If this is the case, then what is the publisher’s role in supporting the printed book in the coming generation? How does the publisher adapt and maintain relevancy and profitability?

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Jennifer Havenner on Huffington Post: Four Reasons a Publisher Will Want Your Memoir

Efficiency As A Roadmap For The E-Reader Revolution

A Case for Eliminating Returns in the Publishing Industry

The Role of Printed Books in a Digital World

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