Will ‘Snow Angel’ ever see print?
I’ve been asked this numerous times for my book ‘Snow Angel’ and it’s shorter sequel ‘Angel Heart’ (see the relevant page of details by clicking HERE), and I’ve never been able to give a satisfactory answer. I’m amazed that so long after publication, I still receive messages asking this question to this day.
So, for anyone still wondering, the answer is…maybe. No, seriously, that’s the best I can do. The simpler answer is yes, because if all else fails ‘one day’ I will self-publish the book myself. The trouble with that is I cannot tell you how far away ‘one day’ may be.
It’s official and Snow Angel is a bestselling book, doing better than many conventional printed paperbacks, with its sequel closely following in the rear. So why hasn’t the publisher taken these titles to print? The reason an ePublisher chooses to produce a print book is long and convoluted, and as easy to answer as how long is a piece of string. There is one answer I can give and that’s because both books fall out of the range of the publisher’s ‘normally accepted’ length for a print book — one being too long, the other too short, and together being completely impossible. So will the current publisher ever likely take the book to print? The answer to that is no.
In fact, the print option in the contract has long since run out and there’s nothing to stop me trying to find a publisher that will print the book. This is difficult and unlikely. The markets most willing to print this book will likely want electronic rights too. Fine, if I can find someone to do that, but then I’d have to work to negotiate with the current publisher and remove the book from them at the first available time — a thing I can only do once a year when the contract comes up for renewal. When a title is still selling, it’s a fine balance to know when to pull a book from the existing market. I could, of course, inform them that I plan to put the book out in print myself, but they could then decide not to renew the electronic option, and once I self-publish it could though won’t necessarily make it more difficult should I wish to try another publisher in the future. Once upon a time books were forever, but nowadays many have a more immediate shelf life — a commodity just like a loaf of bread.
It’s not easy is the thing, and it’s a fine balancing act to know what to do and when to do it, and I’m a ditherer at the best of times.
4 Comments
It does seem like a tricky process. Many authors refuse to have their books in e-format as well. Which I can understand considering it is much easier to pirate e-books.
Loose Id is NOT a print-mass producing publisher, so even the books they do print I’m sure they do it with consideration. However, I have always found that LI have a pattern on whom them publish. This is of course how I perceive the situation, and I would never ask you to indugle me in my own gossip. But considering that “Snow Angel” is a BIG seller, it still confuses as to why it would not be printed. I remember I got a tad peeved when Z.A. Maxfield released her first novel…(the title, I forget) and her book was released via print. All credit to the author, her sales must have been amazing. But it did irk me a little considering I am amongst the MANY readers who’d love to have “Snow Angel” in print. Again, I don’t know what thought-process the bosses at the publisher go through to say who gets an in and who gets an out. But to me it depends on who makes the most money for them. Simply put, again that’s just how I see it.
I like Samhain, I think they publish their e-books after an 11 month period or something. MLR press are a print-producing publisher, but allow to have their books be published in e-book elsewhere. Mostly I’ve only see that happen with Samhain Publishing. Maybe they have an agreement, or not. I’m not sure. I know MLR have started their own e-book line now, so I doubt any author would need to re-sell over to some other e-publisher.
Torquere Press is more of a vanity press, publishing a select few authors in print. They kind of remind of how LI piblish print books actually. But I give LI more credit, because I truly believe they only print publish if they have too.
I suppose Dreamspinner Press is a good place to publish, considering they do e-book, print and audio now. They’re touch-and-go for me, but they do have some good authors/stories in their midst.
Anyway, enough of my ramblings. I’d appreciate a print copy of Snow Angel and Angel Heart anyday.
Well because of print costs for a start they won’t print Snow Angel because it’s over 75,000 words. That is one stipulation I can do nothing about. And no — and don’t ask me to explain — they don’t always put their top sellers in print. That’s definitely not the sole criteria. In fact a book selling well as an ebook may be what keeps it in that format. It’s a strange decision process I confess I don’t understand. I have considered other publishers, but have mostly written elsewhere owing to a book’s subject fitting the relevant market. Some readers seem to object to writers spreading their work around — that’s a whole other blog/subject there — but there’s many reasons why a writer would work for more than one publisher, one being fitting work to the readership. And then some publishers have stipulations where I can see a headache waiting to happen and/or their sales aren’t good enough to consider.
I also have to confess that for me while it would be wonderful to see Snow Angel and Angel Heart in print, financially there’s a huge difference. The writer is the one that loses out on the cost of printing, and then take into account the exchange rate etc and Ouch! If all my books had gone straight to print in the US market it probably wouldn’t have been worth writing them — except from the aspect of creativity. And before anyone sneers, many print books in the mainstream market never sell more than 500 copies. New writers are often shocked when they get into this business. Do any professional writing course and the first thing they’ll talk to you about is unrealistic expectations.
If there’s ever a hint of the books in print, you’ll be the first to hear. LOL.
I’ve heard about the fact authors lose out on print publishing because it is more expensive. I guess, that’s why the books that are published via print are so expensive. Which I confess annoy me to no end, but alas I am a customer first and foremost and I want my books/DVDs to be a decent price. I ca’t justify spending £10-12 for a paperback, when I can buy another book from a print-publisher for £5.99
People will always think less of e-books. E-books are not my choice of reading, but most (and I mean non-depressing) M-M comes in e-format, and 90% my reading IS e-book (mainly because I’m always on my computer). But I have to say, I find more dud with e-books than I do with print. I don’t think I’ve ever come across a print book I have hated or disliked. LOL.
Have you ever though of publishing in a UK based publisher. Isn’t Total e Bound a UK publisher, and Wayward books…?
Royalties vary with different publishers but the most a writer will get from print is 10% of the price and it’s more likely to be 7 or 8%, and when I say price I mean the price the book sells at. That means if there’s a sale you’ll get that from the sale price and not the full cover. The same applies to the higher royalties for eBooks — books sold via sales or third parties rather than the main publisher simply means less income for both the publisher and the writer. Oh…and these figures and percentages are the same no matter what the book’s format. So a £6 print book would likely earn the writer 42p — if that’s in another currency from a different country you have the conversion rate so expect to lose up to half and then there are other deductions.
Print on Demand is more expensive than a mass produced print book, which is why it’s more likely to cost £10 for that book instead of £6. Oh…and there are ‘noises’ that many mainstream print publishers will one day go to P.O.D., and some have declared their entire range of mainstream books will be available in both print and electronic formats if not now then soon. Dean Koontz’s books are appearing in electronic formats already. There’s even talk of technology where you’d go into a book store and order from a catalogue at a desk instead of browsing books on a shelf — punch in your order and it will be waiting for you, Printed On Demand, as you walk out the door. This technology exists — now! This may not catch on for many years, but who knows. People said CDs would never catch on. It could either raise the price of books or, once the technology advances enough, bring the cost of books back down making POD paperback more cost effective. The cost of POD at present is why LI have set word limits on those books that go to print. Namely anything too short or too long means they have to set a cover price too expensive for most readers.
I’ve mixed views about eBooks. Mainstream books are now in electronic formats and I love an electronic ‘library’ of classics simply because of a space issue. Unfortunately, for the electronic market to take off they had to offer something a little different, which is why so many of the books contain a high percentage of sex (there are a few offering milder titles now). Equally unfortunate, many unscrupulous people jumped on the bandwagon. Also many well-meaning people thought it would be a simple matter to produce eBooks and so set up in business only to discover that they actually had to ‘run’ a business and that wasn’t as easy as they’d assumed, which is why many folded overnight. You’re right and even the best of the ePublishers have put out bad books, but if you’ve never read a bad print book you’re lucky. I think I’ve read loads. LOL. Also, every writer has a pull out the hair and grind the teeth moment when a lousy book gets rave reviews, and that happens in print and electronic books.
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There’s a lot to consider when choosing a publisher (and yes, I said ‘choosing’ a publisher because it’s just as important the writer choose them as they choose you), including their codes of practice and sales. A higher selling market in the US can still earn a UK writer more than a poor selling one in the UK, despite the resulting financial losses.