Friday, May 03, 2013

Traditional Publishing v SP




I want to "toss this out there" and try slowly to get better figures (feedback appreciated)



What percentage of titles submitted to Traditional Publishers (including Indie Small Presses) get accepted?

For now I will guess at 1% meaning 99% DON'T get accepted.

For all intents and purposes the accepted 1% (plus 99% rejected) = the rejected (99%)

That is 100/99 or 99/100 it's a trivial difference.


Now in a simple world, if Self-Publishing was simply the slush pile being stuck on Kindle, we would roughly be saying (since the tops of the lists are 50% SP, 50% TP) that really, when Traditional publishing takes 1% cream (as it sees it) off the top, in fact it should take TWO per cent.

It still means 98% of submissions are junk.




Now add to eBooks

TP authors selling their back lists.

TP books being marketed on paper AND as eBooks

"Renegades" who would "never consider TP"



I am going to guess at figures for now and strengthen figures as we can find them



(001 Traditional) (From an original 100 Subs)

099 Slush Pile - Rejectees from Traditional
100 Vanity Style self-publishers who know they are not good enough so go straight  KDP
020 TP authors publishing their back-lists
050 Renegades. Independents, Free-Thinkers, Entrepeneurs



269 versus 1

or 269 versus 100 if you include slush pile rejects




Now IF the top of the lists are 50/50 (IF) 

and IF Trad and SP STAY THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME AT THE TOP (IF) 

but for now let's pretend they do...



That means FOR e-BOOKS ALONE TP is AT LEAST 2.7 times better.

Now, say TP-Paper is roughly equal = 50-50 with eBooks

For those sales TP is DOUBLED, (ebooks matched by the HB and paperbacks) so at the worst we are now saying TP does at least 5.4 times better. 


TP also has public libraries, Newspaper and Magazine reviews, TV and Film Connections, Kudos, street-presence in bricks and mortar, the ability to be given as physical presents.


TP also has better editors, better copy-editors, VASTLY greater marketing experience, top photographers, top cover designers, loads of marketing nous, conventions, launch-parties, networking, Radio & TV


Now consider that paper hangs around. Gatsby has been selling steadily for 88 years. 

Trad Paper books beget hundreds of thousands of films and spin-off toys.


And remember you don't pay out to a trad publisher. 

They pay you and they pay for editing, copy-editing, covers, publicity. And usually there's an advance. 

Trad has The Booker, The Costa and hundreds of other big prizes....


No comments: