I think Jenna Moreci gets into it a bit. Though as I haven't watched those specific videos, I am unsure. She does, however, talk unabashedly vulgar and swear enough to make a sailor roll their eyes, so if you're not inclined to listen to that, be forewarned.
Having read Jenna moreci, my takeaway is that she is a CZcamsr, not an author. She's entertaining fluff but I learned nothing from her I hadn't read on countless blogs. For more serious self-publishing oriented channels check out The Courtney Project, Chris Fox, Bethany Atazadeh and Heart breathings. They have some playlists that are specific to the industry and their (different levels of) experience.
First thing I said when listening was "Whaaaaat???" Next, wow! Unbelievable reveal and reality check. Thank you for this eye-opener and putting words to thoughts of many. Cheers!
INCREDIBLE....Michelle, I love your videos on real talk publishing. I don't understand why the algorithm hasn't favoured your channel yet....hopefully it's only a matter of time because your authortube is the best I've seen
@@MichelleSchustermanAuthor I appreciate all the work you put into your videos. Thank you very much! It may sound weird, but you have really helped me a lot ever since I discovered you a few months ago, and especially during the last days. My publishing house (one of Germany's big 5) has already sunk a romance series that would've had the potential to fly. As for the best book I've ever written (which hit the ... well, COULD have hit the shelves a few days ago, had the distributors done their respective jobs), I have a theory. Publishers do need tax-deductibles, don't they? And that's where I come in, so nice of me. (My agent tries to convince me they're not killing my book off on purpose, but it's hard to believe with all that went wrong.) Well, anyway, this is not about my sob story. I just wanted to say a heartfelt THANK YOU.
THANK YOU FOR THIS VIDEO!! i have a lot of issues with the traditional publishing industry, even though most of my books are indie. i had so many problems with throwing all the money behind american dirt... i didn't even read the book, but i have a problem with a company throwing A MILLION DOLLARS behind ONE book while other authors are out here struggling to find our next paycheck
Thank YOU for watching! And yeah - the AD thing was so upsetting. If the pub had just given it a lower 6-fig advance and promoted it as more of a thriller and not the next freaking Grapes of Wrath it wouldn't have been an issue. The waste of money is insane, truly - I would say it's a wonder these houses stay afloat but ~checks notes~ oh right, they don't
@@MichelleSchustermanAuthor You are very welcome. I think you have the best authortube channel and you need to go viral. Top-quality content here and the CZcams algorithm need to get a grip.
This was AWESOME!!! That whole “A-List” thing so needs to change. That practice of only giving time to the one percent has been going on forever while they’ve actually cut down the amount of time editors can spend working with writers over the years. The politics of big business is ridiculous.
AMEN. I mean, I fully understand that only a few books can be breakout hits. But there is just no reason to pour literally all the money into them. A healthy midlist would be so so much better for a house's bottom line then a flash-in-the-pan success!
@@MichelleSchustermanAuthor I’ve often said as much. Not sure why big business success is always based on the few things they can hold in the tight little hands and not at least slowly expand their efforts. A bit of forward thinking might’ve saved them from the current mess. Now I suppose they feel more justified in the sure few rather than taking risks.
This is a great video and so is the one about gaslighting. I've now subbed to your channel, looking forward to listening to some more! The focus on just a few titles is really frustrating and I don't think it makes good business sense.
I'm such an easy author, I don't want book tours, I don't want the movie deal, I only want audiobook and ebook priority, and I would totally do all the tours via online calls, aka cheaper! And yet... and yet...
And yet. I hear you. Ha, something I forgot to put in the video is how I told one publisher five times over the course of four years that I'd love to be on their Skype visits page - and those visits are free. They never added me. It really does seem to be all or nothing at these houses, in terms of marketing and support. That said, I really really hope you keep pursuing this, Dal. The industry needs authors like you!!
So... I'm gonna' guess that the one down vote is from someone in traditional publishing. LOL Oh, and... I'm diggin' that drum set. And a guitar too? Cool.
🙌🙌🙌 Incredible video, Michelle. You are fearless, and you are absolutely right on the money. (Literally and figuratively.) You just said everything that's been in my head forever, and you did it better than I could hope to. You're a total badass and I'll be sharing this everywhere.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you for this video! Oh my goodness does this help me so much! Over the last several years I've been researching both forms of publishing, so I knew that trad publishers wouldn't give you much money, and that you would be forced to promote your own work with next to zero (or literally zero) help from them. I also found via multiple sources that you can't choose your book cover or suggest a book cover even if you know what will fit your book. Neither will you be able to (likely) keep your title or even the original plot of your book. (I don't know if those are the way for every publishing company, but that's what I read) What I did not know was that clause about not publishing any book via any form of publishing that is not them. Or, if I read any of that right, that you can't agree to a movie or whatnot of your work without their say so. Essentially because you signed over your rights, the understanding of which never hit me till now. Like holy crap, I never realised how imprisoned you are when you sign a contract. I love to write, I love my stories, and I have many of them I want to share with the world when I am ready, not years from them when the publisher says "okay we have a slot for you. But don't give us any series about x. We already have one and think it's better than anything of yours (that we never read)" So yeah, I knew both indie and trad publishing would mean that I had to self promote, so that kept me lingering on the fence about which to choose. The (misguided) notion that with one I'd have help, or the one that would leave every daunting thing in my hands? I want to maintain control over everything in my stories not be told I don't know my own creation. And sure, indie published books might not sell loads, but like you said, books NOT backed by publishers are likely to do just as poorly. But at least with the pittance I might sell, I'll likely see a larger percent of the profits. So once again, thank you for showing us this hidden side if publishing, because anything online I could find was about stuff the writers said you could get over, like "edits that make your book sooo much better" and "a cover and title that your 'unartistic' mind could never dream of being so 'perfect" (I have been drawing and studying drawing and book covers and design for as long as I have been able to hold a pencil. I know what works for a realistic rendered cover in my genre and what symbolism might represent my story for an abstract cover [e.g. hunger games and divergent and the like that don't display people on the covers] I also know publishers chase title trends like "the x of x and x" and in so doing prove they don't know Jack squat about a good title either) This? What you told us? It makes me glad that my world views didn't/still don't mesh with the companies I questioned because it saved me years of heartache (and gave me time to edit the hell out of those books to make them better and give an ending that even I didn't expect) ❤🤗 I'm sorry you've had to go through this crap treatment, and I hope more people (ahem, publishers) see this video as opposed to just us aspiring authors. (I also hope more authors see it and realise the crap tonne of poor treatment they are likely to get before they sign their life's work away)
Your research ain't wrong, K! 😑 I mean, as far as book covers go I've had varying levels of input. I will say one publisher gave me a cover that I felt was totally irrelevant to the book. I responded and gave them samples of covers I envisioned, and to their credit, they totally took my advice and I loved the final results! But I've definitely had other cases with titles and covers that, well, didn't end so good. That non-compete clause can be a nightmare. Fortunately for me, my agent was able to craftily word most of them so that I could put something out on submission while under contract - for example, the contract would say I couldn't sell an MG standalone...but I COULD sell an MG series. But yeah, generally speaking it can really hold up or even destroy an author's career, especially when her book's pub date is significantly delayed. By far the biggest upside to traditional publishing is the money upfront. You (ideally) get a great editor, the book is well-packaged and distributed. If you want to get into brick and mortar stores, it's the way to go. But yeah, as you said, is it worth letting the publisher essentially dictate your creative output? I know that's not the case for a lot of authors - I've published many books that I'm immensely proud of and felt my editors and everyone who worked on them only made them better - but I've also put a lot of ideas/books/dreams on the backburner because of "the industry." And that...sucks. Anyway...I'm sorry this confirmed the worst for you, but I'm really glad you know exactly what you want and what path you want to take! The way you talk about your series, with such love and passion and care, makes it clear to me that it's really something special. And oof, I hope the powers that be start listening to the increasingly louder complaints, too. My worry is that they're so used to putting a bandaid on issues (ie 'day of action'/half-hearted statements promising to do better) and they don't realize how truly big and deep the work is going to be to start actually fixing these issues.
@@MichelleSchustermanAuthor my stories are extremely special to me. They're like a family and friends and a life, all of which I could never have or live. The series I'm talking about in particular I started writing when I was 17 (ahem in '07) and I just put the finishing touches on the end last year, nearly to the date that I started it. (Did I shed tears knowing it was over, yes, yes I did. But after mourning that end for a few days I was able to fully focus on putting my soul into another series while I let the time pass before getting back to putting the original one onto computer and getting the extensive edits done.) I hope, though, for you, in the meantime that you've at least been able to write and refine your backburner ideas. Self imposed restrictions of writing another story while writing my series has me bubbling with ideas that I'm itching to write. Oddly enough my work around to my restrictions was that I could piddle about writing on the computer while "trying" to make sure not to write anything on paper. My second work around having been that anything I was "too lazy" to get my computer on to write had to be a stand alone if it was going to take up binder space. Sufficed to say, I have at least seven binders of the series I finished and grew 2 of stand alone stories with another 3 for the latest series. Not to mention the binders and note books filled with scene and story ideas, or the enumerable start ups on computer that I've hemmed and hawed over through the years simply because I can never fully focus on writing when I know I can change and edit during that process. Anyway, that being said, I was insanely glad to see that even my province's library system has your books and, when covid restrictions let the library open again, I hope to be able to take a gander at them. (Though considering the intended audience, I may just end up getting a quirked brow. Ah well. Not like I'm not used to that.😅)
Aw, thanks so much! Hey, plenty of adults read MG/YA - if anyone looks at you funny, that's their own pretentiousness. :P That must have been so emotional, ending your series after all that time! Wow. If you ever decide to start making videos, I would LOVE to see your binder collection. I'm still just blown away that you do so much by hand.
@@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Thanks. But I don't understand how writing one way or another is anything more than personal preference. Both will get you a sore wrist after the first few hours and fingers that refuse to do your bidding. (I type one handed so it may be different for people who don't. But my fingers are just long enough that they get in each other's way the times I attempted regular typing, so my left is relegated to the shift key operator's job.😅 which is fine because I can reach all the needed keys with a bend of my wrist so long as it's centrally located on the keyboard.) Also, binder vs computer has their own pros and cons. Neither can be done in the rain. Both die if you spill coffee or some such on them. One you can do without worry of remaining battery (unless said battery is in a booklight that's used during a power outage. Speaks from personal experience) while one takes up far less space (e.g pocketable flash drive or easy to hold laptop vs shoulder ripping weight to drag around in a bookbag because you wanted to make it portable from room to room so that you'd have a change of scenery and still have your current WIP to work on with the finished books nearby as reference.) That all being said, I would love to make videos, but honestly I don't have much people would like to hear, that and I'm not published so people would likely pass on any info I give them on my perspective solely on the fact that I "must not know what I'm talking about" since I have no book/sales to back it up. One day, though. One day I hope to do something, and goodness knows I'll likely have to start a CZcams platform just to promote my books, considering I'll have to do all the marketing myself. I dunno. It'll all work out how it's supposed to in the end, and until then I'll enjoy writing. 😊
Ohh that makes sense - honestly, I'm impressed simply because writing by hand takes me SO much longer, and definitely cramps my wrist up much faster than typing. "Neither can be done in the rain." LOL yup! That and honestly, I'd be terrified of having my only copy of a manuscript NOT backed up in the cloud somewhere, even for a small amount of time. Hey, tons of authortubers are unpublished! I think there's a ton of value in just sharing your journey. But yes, writing (and enjoying writing) is absolutely the priority!
This was so straightforward and it felt vulnerably honest! Thank for you posting these videos! I didn’t know about the Royalties. Why does it always seem to be a no-win on either side of publishing? I appreciate your efforts and time to inform others, truly thank you!!!
You're very welcome, and thank you for watching, Jojo! I felt bad uploading a video that's more negative than usual, but I do think it's important for aspiring authors to know what they're getting into. Hopefully changes are on the way in the industry!
Michelle Schusterman Oh, I think your video was stern but ultimately comforting! Like I know I’m going into a maze but you’re telling us what traps to expect which can ease the tension! Being caught off guard can be worse at times! So thank you, thank you very much for always be honest and helpful!!!
Wow, I love that maze/traps analogy! You're totally right - being caught off guard sucks, and it makes it harder to protect yourself. That first book deal is such a huge, exciting thing - truly - but I feel like we're so grateful sometimes we don't stand up for ourselves later in the process.
There is a gif of Michelle Visage wagging her finger in approval and I wish that I could post it here. I also wish that I could like this video twice. You're literally the best Michelle!
This was such a great video. I’m in a querying phase now and every time I send out a package I wonder if a career in traditional publishing is where I should be investing my energy. Seeing this stuff is very helpful for me to detach to what I expect from publishing. Writers are workers who deserve to be valued and compensated well in a timely manner.
"Writers are workers who deserve to be valued and compensated well in a timely manner." -- yes! It's really that simple. I completely understand your hesitations - I will say, the first and best step you can take is getting an agent who's a fighter! I hope querying goes well and you find an agent who will discuss all of this with you and truly be your advocate. Most of the individuals in the industry are good people who love authors and books; and when you're getting into an industry like this, it helps so much to have someone like that on your team. Keep me posted on your journey, Alli!
Agreed on all points... here in Australia, chances here are really slim to get published or if you are chosen by a publishing house, even get royalties at all, or have it at least international. This applies if you want a literary agent to even get published and not to mention the money you will have to pay if you want them. Once, I attended a lecture about traditional, indie and self publishing and the pros and cons of it. By the look of it, they made it as though that if you want to write fully for a living, it must be trendy, a bestseller and pretty much their doormat and nothing else, which made me feel low and since I have very little money, I want to get a literary agent to help me publish the books the way I would like it. I hope that if they do make changes, I hope that change will eventually be passed around the world so that aspiring authors like me and them can get their works published as they like and how they want it.
A doormat...wow, yeah. That really kind of sums it up, Ayuki. I completely accept that only a fraction of all authors can be bestsellers, award-winners, etc - obviously! But while once upon a time it was possible to be a midlist author and still have a nice career, it's just not that way anymore. "Midlist" now means "failure." And I think that's going to be the reason the industry fails one day, unless they make some changes. It's just absurd to rely on a handful of books/authors to keep an entire industry afloat. I'm really sorry that lecture made you feel so low. I went the traditional publishing path for the same reason - I knew self-pubbing would be expensive and I simply couldn't afford it, especially not if I wanted printed copies in brick and mortar stores. I know a lot of aspiring authors feel that way today - and I hope these houses can make the much-needed changes they need to in order to welcome all of those voices in.
Michelle Schusterman Yeah, it was for a course I participated four or so years back and they thought this lecture might put things into perspective. I understand that it is a gamble that you're going into (getting a readerbase, etc), but for them to set authors up to deliberately fail is not cool. And you may be right on the money: if the industry keeps up with that mindset as you outlined, it will burn and fail miserably. And a handful won't cut it. Customers can see the BS through it and as they say, "They'll pay with their wallets". I remember once that there was a former student that I went on a little bar run after class and asked me and a couple of others who were with him at the time about their future aspirations: where they want to live and what genre they liked to write. One of them said ,"New York, Crime/Mystery". There was nothing wrong with that, I thought. I don't know whether the beer got to him or not, he made a bold assumption that that particular author wasn't going to make it because apparently the combination was too overused and have been there, done that, too much authors to compete against. I said mine at random to ensure not to rage the drunkness in him, which was, "Canada, Fantasy." He was like "Mehhh..." before his drunken antics continued. But yeah, as an Aussie-Asian who loves books at a very young age and loves to write as well, the Aussie publishers are just as ruthless and diverse authors are very scarce. I mean, I saw an Indigenous female author in the annual Melbourne Writing Festival (and it costs you an arm and leg for it!) for a discussion on her book but I don't know her name or the title of her book, which I would've loved to read as it was about how the POW in WWII (I think it was) and how one Japanese man fell in love with an Indigenous woman and how they interacted with each other. That's the extent of it. My bet would've been that if her novel had gone international, she would be famous. She's quick witted and sassy for an author...
It really does feel like they're setting (some) authors up to fail - and the thing is, I know that's not the case. I have a lot of friends in the industry, in different departments, and these are by and large good, caring people who love books and authors. It's the system that's the problem, and it's just....insidious. The formula (or lack of one) for coming up with advances is maybe the best example. Everyone involved in the acquisitions process knows it's BS, not truly based on facts and figures. They have biases, conscious or not, that come into play and affect how much money and support an author gets. But fixing that is going to require so, so much work. Work that needs doing, don't get me wrong, but man, taking that first step is going to be tough. Wow, that guy sounds great. 😒 Ugh, I'm sorry to hear it's just as bad in Australia (although not surprised, I guess). I would love to hear more about that Indigenous author's experience - I bet she has some publishing stories to tell.
Michelle Schusterman Oh, yeah, definitely! I am aware it does take the dedication and the TLC in order to make the first step count, but it would encourage us a lil to actually publish if they understand what we want as authors and how we want to dictate things. And I hope that they do support us when we do need it: especially for new authors who want to do it as a possible career (well, one can dream, eh?). I originally wanted to be an artist but now turned author when my parents brought a kid friendly word processor (I think it's Crazy Writer?) and me and my sister would play on it for funsies. It solidified my dream as an author. And as a person who had language delays as a kid, that was a big step. A very big one. And yeah, it's bad publishing in Australia, it's a pretty much a dying breed here in terms of fiction. The books I see, in stores, nowadays are basically non fiction, biographics of famous people or cookbooks. I even tried to look for writing magazines to see if I can find writing competitions or advice on writing grammar, but that's pretty rare. And if you really want to subscribe to see the writing in Melbourne, you basically have to pay in order to "be in the know". Not quite encouraging if you're not in a position to do it. Not to mention the writing groups here. Not encouraging either. As soon as they see my talent, they want to try and do in what we call "Cut the Tall Poppy" sydronme. They were pretty jealous that I could make stuff on the spot, so they try to cut me down so they make themselves feel better for it. And that's why I ended up quitting groups because I felt unsupported in some ways. Also, lastly, that Indigenous author was answering questions left, right and centre and was pretty sassy and witty. She knew what to answer and how to answer it: I did it as part of an assignment and I do regret at times not taking her name down or what the title was, I would imagine her book being in the library, but yeah... she was (I think) one of the emerging authors on the scene at the time and how her Indigenious heritage and her writing made it interesting to read. Also, pretty rare for them to be published fully.
Cut the tall poppy, ha!! Yeah, finding a writers group that's actually genuinely supportive is so, so important. Have you looked for an online writing group?
On a totally unrelated note...if you have any favorite authortubers who really get into the indie publishing process, I'd love some recs!!
I think Jenna Moreci gets into it a bit. Though as I haven't watched those specific videos, I am unsure.
She does, however, talk unabashedly vulgar and swear enough to make a sailor roll their eyes, so if you're not inclined to listen to that, be forewarned.
Ha - that's definitely not off-putting for me. Thank you!!
iWriterly goes in-depth into indie publishing! Really great authortuber, and I enjoy her much much more than Jenna Moreci
@@leonacade7863 Thanks so much, Leona!! I'll check them out!
Having read Jenna moreci, my takeaway is that she is a CZcamsr, not an author. She's entertaining fluff but I learned nothing from her I hadn't read on countless blogs.
For more serious self-publishing oriented channels check out The Courtney Project, Chris Fox, Bethany Atazadeh and Heart breathings. They have some playlists that are specific to the industry and their (different levels of) experience.
🔥🔥🔥
First thing I said when listening was "Whaaaaat???" Next, wow! Unbelievable reveal and reality check. Thank you for this eye-opener and putting words to thoughts of many. Cheers!
Thank you so much for watching, JL!
INCREDIBLE....Michelle, I love your videos on real talk publishing. I don't understand why the algorithm hasn't favoured your channel yet....hopefully it's only a matter of time because your authortube is the best I've seen
Oh wow, thank you so much, Beatrice! That means a lot to me, and I really appreciate it!! :)
Love, love, love this. And your channel. And you. Whenever I'm fed up with things, I watch one your videos and feel ... seen.
Aw thank you! I really appreciate that!
@@MichelleSchustermanAuthor I appreciate all the work you put into your videos. Thank you very much! It may sound weird, but you have really helped me a lot ever since I discovered you a few months ago, and especially during the last days.
My publishing house (one of Germany's big 5) has already sunk a romance series that would've had the potential to fly. As for the best book I've ever written (which hit the ... well, COULD have hit the shelves a few days ago, had the distributors done their respective jobs), I have a theory. Publishers do need tax-deductibles, don't they? And that's where I come in, so nice of me. (My agent tries to convince me they're not killing my book off on purpose, but it's hard to believe with all that went wrong.)
Well, anyway, this is not about my sob story. I just wanted to say a heartfelt THANK YOU.
THANK YOU MICHELLE! THANK YOU!
Whenever disabled authors get support, whenever that is... Thank you! 💜
Thank YOU for watching, Dal!! I really appreciate it. 😀
Say it for the people in the back!
🙌
THANK YOU FOR THIS VIDEO!! i have a lot of issues with the traditional publishing industry, even though most of my books are indie. i had so many problems with throwing all the money behind american dirt... i didn't even read the book, but i have a problem with a company throwing A MILLION DOLLARS behind ONE book while other authors are out here struggling to find our next paycheck
Thank YOU for watching! And yeah - the AD thing was so upsetting. If the pub had just given it a lower 6-fig advance and promoted it as more of a thriller and not the next freaking Grapes of Wrath it wouldn't have been an issue. The waste of money is insane, truly - I would say it's a wonder these houses stay afloat but ~checks notes~ oh right, they don't
👏👏👏
*bows*
OMG! You are amazing, so eloquent, and honest. This needs thousands of views!
Thank you so much, JP! :)
@@MichelleSchustermanAuthor You are very welcome. I think you have the best authortube channel and you need to go viral. Top-quality content here and the CZcams algorithm need to get a grip.
@@jpch8814 Ha, thanks! From what I can tell, that usually takes a lot of time. It's been growing steadily though! :)
Bravo!
This was AWESOME!!! That whole “A-List” thing so needs to change. That practice of only giving time to the one percent has been going on forever while they’ve actually cut down the amount of time editors can spend working with writers over the years. The politics of big business is ridiculous.
AMEN. I mean, I fully understand that only a few books can be breakout hits. But there is just no reason to pour literally all the money into them. A healthy midlist would be so so much better for a house's bottom line then a flash-in-the-pan success!
@@MichelleSchustermanAuthor I’ve often said as much. Not sure why big business success is always based on the few things they can hold in the tight little hands and not at least slowly expand their efforts. A bit of forward thinking might’ve saved them from the current mess. Now I suppose they feel more justified in the sure few rather than taking risks.
This was great! Rant away!
This kind of honest real talk is so important for creators to share!
Thank you so much, Rebecca! :)
This is a great video and so is the one about gaslighting. I've now subbed to your channel, looking forward to listening to some more! The focus on just a few titles is really frustrating and I don't think it makes good business sense.
Thank you so much! :D And yup, I couldn't agree more.
I'm such an easy author, I don't want book tours, I don't want the movie deal, I only want audiobook and ebook priority, and I would totally do all the tours via online calls, aka cheaper! And yet... and yet...
And yet. I hear you. Ha, something I forgot to put in the video is how I told one publisher five times over the course of four years that I'd love to be on their Skype visits page - and those visits are free. They never added me. It really does seem to be all or nothing at these houses, in terms of marketing and support.
That said, I really really hope you keep pursuing this, Dal. The industry needs authors like you!!
So... I'm gonna' guess that the one down vote is from someone in traditional publishing. LOL
Oh, and... I'm diggin' that drum set. And a guitar too? Cool.
ROFL I hadn't noticed it. We see you, Rupert Murdoch. 😂
🙌🙌🙌 Incredible video, Michelle. You are fearless, and you are absolutely right on the money. (Literally and figuratively.) You just said everything that's been in my head forever, and you did it better than I could hope to. You're a total badass and I'll be sharing this everywhere.
Thank you so so much, Lisa!! That means so much to me! (Typing this during your livestream btw 😂)
@@MichelleSchustermanAuthor I did almost no writing during LS today -- all responses :-)
Go OFF, Michelle! haha get em. I LOVED this.
ROFL thank you so much, Lindsay!
Me too. Publishing houses are hot messes.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you for this video! Oh my goodness does this help me so much!
Over the last several years I've been researching both forms of publishing, so I knew that trad publishers wouldn't give you much money, and that you would be forced to promote your own work with next to zero (or literally zero) help from them. I also found via multiple sources that you can't choose your book cover or suggest a book cover even if you know what will fit your book. Neither will you be able to (likely) keep your title or even the original plot of your book. (I don't know if those are the way for every publishing company, but that's what I read)
What I did not know was that clause about not publishing any book via any form of publishing that is not them. Or, if I read any of that right, that you can't agree to a movie or whatnot of your work without their say so. Essentially because you signed over your rights, the understanding of which never hit me till now. Like holy crap, I never realised how imprisoned you are when you sign a contract.
I love to write, I love my stories, and I have many of them I want to share with the world when I am ready, not years from them when the publisher says "okay we have a slot for you. But don't give us any series about x. We already have one and think it's better than anything of yours (that we never read)"
So yeah, I knew both indie and trad publishing would mean that I had to self promote, so that kept me lingering on the fence about which to choose. The (misguided) notion that with one I'd have help, or the one that would leave every daunting thing in my hands?
I want to maintain control over everything in my stories not be told I don't know my own creation. And sure, indie published books might not sell loads, but like you said, books NOT backed by publishers are likely to do just as poorly. But at least with the pittance I might sell, I'll likely see a larger percent of the profits.
So once again, thank you for showing us this hidden side if publishing, because anything online I could find was about stuff the writers said you could get over, like "edits that make your book sooo much better" and "a cover and title that your 'unartistic' mind could never dream of being so 'perfect" (I have been drawing and studying drawing and book covers and design for as long as I have been able to hold a pencil. I know what works for a realistic rendered cover in my genre and what symbolism might represent my story for an abstract cover [e.g. hunger games and divergent and the like that don't display people on the covers] I also know publishers chase title trends like "the x of x and x" and in so doing prove they don't know Jack squat about a good title either)
This? What you told us? It makes me glad that my world views didn't/still don't mesh with the companies I questioned because it saved me years of heartache (and gave me time to edit the hell out of those books to make them better and give an ending that even I didn't expect)
❤🤗
I'm sorry you've had to go through this crap treatment, and I hope more people (ahem, publishers) see this video as opposed to just us aspiring authors. (I also hope more authors see it and realise the crap tonne of poor treatment they are likely to get before they sign their life's work away)
Your research ain't wrong, K! 😑 I mean, as far as book covers go I've had varying levels of input. I will say one publisher gave me a cover that I felt was totally irrelevant to the book. I responded and gave them samples of covers I envisioned, and to their credit, they totally took my advice and I loved the final results! But I've definitely had other cases with titles and covers that, well, didn't end so good.
That non-compete clause can be a nightmare. Fortunately for me, my agent was able to craftily word most of them so that I could put something out on submission while under contract - for example, the contract would say I couldn't sell an MG standalone...but I COULD sell an MG series. But yeah, generally speaking it can really hold up or even destroy an author's career, especially when her book's pub date is significantly delayed.
By far the biggest upside to traditional publishing is the money upfront. You (ideally) get a great editor, the book is well-packaged and distributed. If you want to get into brick and mortar stores, it's the way to go. But yeah, as you said, is it worth letting the publisher essentially dictate your creative output? I know that's not the case for a lot of authors - I've published many books that I'm immensely proud of and felt my editors and everyone who worked on them only made them better - but I've also put a lot of ideas/books/dreams on the backburner because of "the industry." And that...sucks.
Anyway...I'm sorry this confirmed the worst for you, but I'm really glad you know exactly what you want and what path you want to take! The way you talk about your series, with such love and passion and care, makes it clear to me that it's really something special.
And oof, I hope the powers that be start listening to the increasingly louder complaints, too. My worry is that they're so used to putting a bandaid on issues (ie 'day of action'/half-hearted statements promising to do better) and they don't realize how truly big and deep the work is going to be to start actually fixing these issues.
@@MichelleSchustermanAuthor my stories are extremely special to me. They're like a family and friends and a life, all of which I could never have or live. The series I'm talking about in particular I started writing when I was 17 (ahem in '07) and I just put the finishing touches on the end last year, nearly to the date that I started it. (Did I shed tears knowing it was over, yes, yes I did. But after mourning that end for a few days I was able to fully focus on putting my soul into another series while I let the time pass before getting back to putting the original one onto computer and getting the extensive edits done.)
I hope, though, for you, in the meantime that you've at least been able to write and refine your backburner ideas. Self imposed restrictions of writing another story while writing my series has me bubbling with ideas that I'm itching to write.
Oddly enough my work around to my restrictions was that I could piddle about writing on the computer while "trying" to make sure not to write anything on paper. My second work around having been that anything I was "too lazy" to get my computer on to write had to be a stand alone if it was going to take up binder space. Sufficed to say, I have at least seven binders of the series I finished and grew 2 of stand alone stories with another 3 for the latest series. Not to mention the binders and note books filled with scene and story ideas, or the enumerable start ups on computer that I've hemmed and hawed over through the years simply because I can never fully focus on writing when I know I can change and edit during that process.
Anyway, that being said, I was insanely glad to see that even my province's library system has your books and, when covid restrictions let the library open again, I hope to be able to take a gander at them. (Though considering the intended audience, I may just end up getting a quirked brow. Ah well. Not like I'm not used to that.😅)
Aw, thanks so much! Hey, plenty of adults read MG/YA - if anyone looks at you funny, that's their own pretentiousness. :P
That must have been so emotional, ending your series after all that time! Wow. If you ever decide to start making videos, I would LOVE to see your binder collection. I'm still just blown away that you do so much by hand.
@@MichelleSchustermanAuthor Thanks. But I don't understand how writing one way or another is anything more than personal preference. Both will get you a sore wrist after the first few hours and fingers that refuse to do your bidding. (I type one handed so it may be different for people who don't. But my fingers are just long enough that they get in each other's way the times I attempted regular typing, so my left is relegated to the shift key operator's job.😅 which is fine because I can reach all the needed keys with a bend of my wrist so long as it's centrally located on the keyboard.) Also, binder vs computer has their own pros and cons. Neither can be done in the rain. Both die if you spill coffee or some such on them. One you can do without worry of remaining battery (unless said battery is in a booklight that's used during a power outage. Speaks from personal experience) while one takes up far less space (e.g pocketable flash drive or easy to hold laptop vs shoulder ripping weight to drag around in a bookbag because you wanted to make it portable from room to room so that you'd have a change of scenery and still have your current WIP to work on with the finished books nearby as reference.)
That all being said, I would love to make videos, but honestly I don't have much people would like to hear, that and I'm not published so people would likely pass on any info I give them on my perspective solely on the fact that I "must not know what I'm talking about" since I have no book/sales to back it up.
One day, though. One day I hope to do something, and goodness knows I'll likely have to start a CZcams platform just to promote my books, considering I'll have to do all the marketing myself.
I dunno. It'll all work out how it's supposed to in the end, and until then I'll enjoy writing. 😊
Ohh that makes sense - honestly, I'm impressed simply because writing by hand takes me SO much longer, and definitely cramps my wrist up much faster than typing.
"Neither can be done in the rain." LOL yup! That and honestly, I'd be terrified of having my only copy of a manuscript NOT backed up in the cloud somewhere, even for a small amount of time.
Hey, tons of authortubers are unpublished! I think there's a ton of value in just sharing your journey. But yes, writing (and enjoying writing) is absolutely the priority!
10:50 - bingo!!
This was so straightforward and it felt vulnerably honest! Thank for you posting these videos! I didn’t know about the Royalties. Why does it always seem to be a no-win on either side of publishing? I appreciate your efforts and time to inform others, truly thank you!!!
You're very welcome, and thank you for watching, Jojo! I felt bad uploading a video that's more negative than usual, but I do think it's important for aspiring authors to know what they're getting into. Hopefully changes are on the way in the industry!
Michelle Schusterman Oh, I think your video was stern but ultimately comforting! Like I know I’m going into a maze but you’re telling us what traps to expect which can ease the tension! Being caught off guard can be worse at times! So thank you, thank you very much for always be honest and helpful!!!
Wow, I love that maze/traps analogy! You're totally right - being caught off guard sucks, and it makes it harder to protect yourself. That first book deal is such a huge, exciting thing - truly - but I feel like we're so grateful sometimes we don't stand up for ourselves later in the process.
This was good. Three years have passed and I don't think they've implemented any of these.
New subscriber here! Found you through Lisa Daily’s live stream. Such an important video, thank you for making this video 🙂
Sylvia!!:D So good to see you - and thank you so very much for watching!!
OMG you’ve just reminded me of why I chose indie publishing. Great video! *again* :D
Ha, right? It's a messed up business for sure.
Woooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooow!
That is a I can say.
LOL thank you so much, Carrow!!
Are all of this still a problem? Have publishers gotten better? This made me really curious! Good video! =D
There is a gif of Michelle Visage wagging her finger in approval and I wish that I could post it here. I also wish that I could like this video twice. You're literally the best Michelle!
Ha! I just looked it up and yes 😂 Thank you so much, I really appreciate it! And thanks for watching - hoping for another writing vlog from you soon!
This was amazing 👏🏼 👏🏼 👏🏼
Thank you so much, Laura!! I really appreciate it, and thanks for watching. 😃
I really liked this, really appreciated that you've spoken out.
Thanks so much for watching, Joey! 🙂
I almost feel rebellious liking this video, but WHERE WERE THE LIES?
LOL but SERIOUSLY THO. 😂 Thanks so much for watching, Leona!
Michelle Schusterman thank you so much for making this!
Thank you, Michelle. You risked quite a bit with this video as trad published author.
Ahh thank you for watching, Joan!! I really appreciate it.
This was such a great video. I’m in a querying phase now and every time I send out a package I wonder if a career in traditional publishing is where I should be investing my energy.
Seeing this stuff is very helpful for me to detach to what I expect from publishing.
Writers are workers who deserve to be valued and compensated well in a timely manner.
"Writers are workers who deserve to be valued and compensated well in a timely manner." -- yes! It's really that simple. I completely understand your hesitations - I will say, the first and best step you can take is getting an agent who's a fighter! I hope querying goes well and you find an agent who will discuss all of this with you and truly be your advocate. Most of the individuals in the industry are good people who love authors and books; and when you're getting into an industry like this, it helps so much to have someone like that on your team. Keep me posted on your journey, Alli!
Michelle Schusterman I will! Thank you for the support and feedback.
Tell them what's up.
😆 Thank you so much for watching, Tamara!!
Agreed on all points... here in Australia, chances here are really slim to get published or if you are chosen by a publishing house, even get royalties at all, or have it at least international. This applies if you want a literary agent to even get published and not to mention the money you will have to pay if you want them.
Once, I attended a lecture about traditional, indie and self publishing and the pros and cons of it. By the look of it, they made it as though that if you want to write fully for a living, it must be trendy, a bestseller and pretty much their doormat and nothing else, which made me feel low and since I have very little money, I want to get a literary agent to help me publish the books the way I would like it.
I hope that if they do make changes, I hope that change will eventually be passed around the world so that aspiring authors like me and them can get their works published as they like and how they want it.
A doormat...wow, yeah. That really kind of sums it up, Ayuki. I completely accept that only a fraction of all authors can be bestsellers, award-winners, etc - obviously! But while once upon a time it was possible to be a midlist author and still have a nice career, it's just not that way anymore. "Midlist" now means "failure." And I think that's going to be the reason the industry fails one day, unless they make some changes. It's just absurd to rely on a handful of books/authors to keep an entire industry afloat.
I'm really sorry that lecture made you feel so low. I went the traditional publishing path for the same reason - I knew self-pubbing would be expensive and I simply couldn't afford it, especially not if I wanted printed copies in brick and mortar stores. I know a lot of aspiring authors feel that way today - and I hope these houses can make the much-needed changes they need to in order to welcome all of those voices in.
Michelle Schusterman Yeah, it was for a course I participated four or so years back and they thought this lecture might put things into perspective. I understand that it is a gamble that you're going into (getting a readerbase, etc), but for them to set authors up to deliberately fail is not cool. And you may be right on the money: if the industry keeps up with that mindset as you outlined, it will burn and fail miserably. And a handful won't cut it. Customers can see the BS through it and as they say, "They'll pay with their wallets".
I remember once that there was a former student that I went on a little bar run after class and asked me and a couple of others who were with him at the time about their future aspirations: where they want to live and what genre they liked to write. One of them said ,"New York, Crime/Mystery". There was nothing wrong with that, I thought. I don't know whether the beer got to him or not, he made a bold assumption that that particular author wasn't going to make it because apparently the combination was too overused and have been there, done that, too much authors to compete against. I said mine at random to ensure not to rage the drunkness in him, which was, "Canada, Fantasy." He was like "Mehhh..." before his drunken antics continued.
But yeah, as an Aussie-Asian who loves books at a very young age and loves to write as well, the Aussie publishers are just as ruthless and diverse authors are very scarce. I mean, I saw an Indigenous female author in the annual Melbourne Writing Festival (and it costs you an arm and leg for it!) for a discussion on her book but I don't know her name or the title of her book, which I would've loved to read as it was about how the POW in WWII (I think it was) and how one Japanese man fell in love with an Indigenous woman and how they interacted with each other. That's the extent of it. My bet would've been that if her novel had gone international, she would be famous. She's quick witted and sassy for an author...
It really does feel like they're setting (some) authors up to fail - and the thing is, I know that's not the case. I have a lot of friends in the industry, in different departments, and these are by and large good, caring people who love books and authors. It's the system that's the problem, and it's just....insidious. The formula (or lack of one) for coming up with advances is maybe the best example. Everyone involved in the acquisitions process knows it's BS, not truly based on facts and figures. They have biases, conscious or not, that come into play and affect how much money and support an author gets. But fixing that is going to require so, so much work. Work that needs doing, don't get me wrong, but man, taking that first step is going to be tough.
Wow, that guy sounds great. 😒 Ugh, I'm sorry to hear it's just as bad in Australia (although not surprised, I guess). I would love to hear more about that Indigenous author's experience - I bet she has some publishing stories to tell.
Michelle Schusterman Oh, yeah, definitely! I am aware it does take the dedication and the TLC in order to make the first step count, but it would encourage us a lil to actually publish if they understand what we want as authors and how we want to dictate things. And I hope that they do support us when we do need it: especially for new authors who want to do it as a possible career (well, one can dream, eh?). I originally wanted to be an artist but now turned author when my parents brought a kid friendly word processor (I think it's Crazy Writer?) and me and my sister would play on it for funsies. It solidified my dream as an author. And as a person who had language delays as a kid, that was a big step. A very big one.
And yeah, it's bad publishing in Australia, it's a pretty much a dying breed here in terms of fiction. The books I see, in stores, nowadays are basically non fiction, biographics of famous people or cookbooks. I even tried to look for writing magazines to see if I can find writing competitions or advice on writing grammar, but that's pretty rare. And if you really want to subscribe to see the writing in Melbourne, you basically have to pay in order to "be in the know". Not quite encouraging if you're not in a position to do it. Not to mention the writing groups here. Not encouraging either. As soon as they see my talent, they want to try and do in what we call "Cut the Tall Poppy" sydronme. They were pretty jealous that I could make stuff on the spot, so they try to cut me down so they make themselves feel better for it. And that's why I ended up quitting groups because I felt unsupported in some ways.
Also, lastly, that Indigenous author was answering questions left, right and centre and was pretty sassy and witty. She knew what to answer and how to answer it: I did it as part of an assignment and I do regret at times not taking her name down or what the title was, I would imagine her book being in the library, but yeah... she was (I think) one of the emerging authors on the scene at the time and how her Indigenious heritage and her writing made it interesting to read. Also, pretty rare for them to be published fully.
Cut the tall poppy, ha!! Yeah, finding a writers group that's actually genuinely supportive is so, so important. Have you looked for an online writing group?