FROM THE HANDYMAN - Publishing and the Electronic Age
Welcome to the Electronic Age
By Danielle Ackley-McPhail
© 2011
Yes, I know…it’s been a while, but the Handyman is back. I hope you’ve enjoyed the posts by my Helpers, and I thank them for taking the time to share their knowledge.
What have I been doing with all that copious free time that cleared up? (Yeah, those that know me can stop laughing now.)
I’ve used my break to put a couple of books to bed. “What?” you say. If you didn’t know, I do typesetting as well. Quite a different process these days, not like it was in the time of movable type, or so I hear. (Come on! I’m not quite that old!). Still, the industry has gone through radical changes just from ten years ago, or even five.
You know what I’m talking about. EBooks. No, the word is not sacrilege. Publishing is a constantly evolving process and this is just the next step. Does that mean physical books will disappear forever? That they’ll once more become luxury items only owned by the exceedingly…okay…disgustingly wealthy?
No. Sorry, can’t really see that happening, or at least not anytime soon. If it does it will be a matter of resources, not because print books become obsolete. There are too many people either uncomfortable with the technology, or frankly, unable to afford the gadgets. On top of that, there are times electronic media is just not practical. Like, in third-world countries, or during a blackout (What? You’ve never tried to read by candlelit?)
(What do you mean, what’s a candle?!)
But that’s not what you care about at the moment, is it? You want to know how all of this impacts you as authors, right? Let’s take a look…
Submissions
I’m starting here because it isn’t just eBooks changing the industry, they’re just a product of the overall technology propelling the changes. The internet and email are really what started it all. Once consumers got use to near-instant everything through a digital medium the path of publishing was radically changed. What was more, people began to realize the path was two-way. Email is used for submissions, queries, and follow-ups; and for those publishers who do not take email submissions due to volume or security concerns, systems have been developed for electronic submissions via website forms that not only let you submit your work, but also track it without pestering the editors or leaving you in limbo (even if sometimes it still does feel like it.)
Pre-Production
It used to be authors received all kinds of paper from their publishers: contracts, edited manuscripts, galley proofs…etc. Now nearly all of that, even the contracts in some cases, have transitioned completely to an electronic medium.
Contracts - These can be sent as an email attachment usually in a non-editable format such as PDF. Some publishers even use a web-based service that authors access to review and approve the contract. The author then will print out two copies, sign, and return. Or at least they used too. A growing trend is that those publishers that send electronic contracts often accept a virtual signature as binding; just type your name or respond in the affirmative by email and you have a deal! (Not every publisher is that lax, and of those that are they are mostly small or micro-press) Of course, you do have the option of printing out that contract and using a real pen with ink to sign, then return it in a physical stamped envelope, but who doesn’t like to take the easy way out, at least until you get burned?
Moving along…
Editing - I am an editor as well and one of the best tools I have for giving feedback to my authors is the Track Changes feature of Microsoft Word (maybe you might argue there are other, better systems, but I haven’t used any of them, so I stand by this statement.) Using Track Changes allows me to send electronic feedback to my authors for them to review and revise accordingly. In fact, with a little more effort I can include feedback from multiple editors, allowing the author to see everything in one file. To take this a further step, I have heard of authors and editors that meet in an online private forum to go over manuscripts together in virtual real-time. This is particularly helpful when miles and even oceans are between the individuals, and it saves on printing and postage too. And, of course, the author can return their edited manuscript electronically as well.
Galley Proofs - For those not familiar with the term, these are rough proofs (or in this case electronic proofs, generally in PDF format) of the typeset manuscript before it goes into production. It allows the author to look for any glaring errors such as misspelled names or missing text. At this stage only corrections are made, not revisions. The drawback to the electronic format is that the file is not (generally) editable on the author’s end so any corrections must be listed by page, paragraph, and line of text, with the details of the change that needs to be made. The typesetter then has to go through the typeset file (created in QuarkXpress, InDesign, or some other page layout program) and use the author’s notes to find the error and correct it.
Publishing
Every stage and manner of publishing these days is touched by the electronic age; the pre-press, the printing, and the format…all of it. At this point is it just a matter of degree.
Printing - Whether the presses are conventional or not, most publishers now create and store their manuscripts as digital files. This reduces storage space, potential damage to films, and facilitates transfer of film from printer to printer. Once the digital file has been created there are several different possible fates for the data.
- Print production on an offset or web press. If physical books are being produced in mass quantity (1000 copies or more), the digital files are burned to printers’ plates, which are used on the industrial presses to create books in hardcover, trade paperback, or mass market trim sizes. Major publishers have to have a reasonable degree of confidence in a book to invest the capital involved in mass producing a print book, regardless of the format. They are also less likely to take chances on topics that don’t fit the traditional market.
- Print production on a digital press. To reduce storage costs and overhead expenses, publishers store book files digitally and use the equivalent of a photocopier on steroids to produce short-run printings of a book, generally in quantities of 400 copies or less. There is less cost and risk using this method. Large publishers use it to prolong the life of titles where there is still a demand, but sales are dropping off. Small presses use it for their better selling titles for which they can risk the expense of warehousing stock.
- Print-on-demand production. To cut expense and risk to the bare minimum, publishers create digital files without producing physical books until an order is placed. They either have an arrangement with a small digital print operation, or they house their files with a corporation like Lightning Source and orders are filtered through that third-party system, with books produced as needed. (Because this technology is heavily used by subsidy and vanity presses the term has become for many synonymous with those industries, which is unfortunate because almost every publisher from the major houses down to the small, but reputable start-up press also uses print-on-demand technology. What makes it unfortunate is that for the small and mid-presses it is the core of their business model and must continually battle the incorrect assumption that they are vanity press because they produce their books POD. There is virtually no risk for the publisher as the only expenses are production costs and upload/maintenance fees. Larger publishers use it to retain the copyright on titles for which there is still some demand, but for which they don’t want to invest in the cost of a conventional printing for.
- eBook production. Ah…eBooks, where all the buzz is coming from. It used to be that eBooks were looked at as the next thing to vanity press; a passing fad that was somehow substandard to print books. Sadly, that can sometimes be the case, but it is not an absolute given. Because of the low cost of producing eBooks just about everyone does them, either in conjunction with their print production, or by producing books only in digital media. In fact, another business model that is often adopted is for small publishers to produce books in eBook format first and transition them into print only after they have established themselves as a viable commodity. The quality of books produced by this method can at times be questionable as some eBook publishers sacrifice quality for quantity in the interest of generating profit quickly by releasing mass quantities of titles in rapid succession. This is not to say that eBooks are inferior, as the same things can occur with print publishers, and not all in the industry-or even most-adopt this practice. Adding to this unfortunate state with ebooks is the fact that businesses such as LuLu and Create Space have made it very easy for authors to self-publish in this medium and most people do not have the knowledge or skill to construct a professional quality book.
- Electronic production. Magazines and fiction published and distributed strictly via the internet. This provides an increased opportunity for writers to become authors, to get their names in front of the public which they continue to pursue publishing credits with print venues. There usually isn't much, if any pay, but it is a way to get started.
Distribution
In this advent of what seems the mass-extinction of the independent and even major chain bookstore I think it is clear that the majority of book sales have migrated to online sources such as Amazon.com, BN.com, and other third-party markets that will not only discount the merchandise, but also ship it to your door. The wonder-and shame-of the electronic age.
Promotions
This one is pretty evident, I would think. The free promotional opportunities for the beginning and established authors alike (though the opportunities are without doubt a bit skewed toward that latter) are astounding. For the cost of a little effort and time-okay, a LOT of effort and time-you can spread the work about your books through websites, blogs, social media, and a seemingly endless variety of websites. Some cost, many don’t, and once you’ve put in that time and effort, for the most part those promotions remain in place for your audience to find.
Summing Up
So yes, welcome (albeit belatedly) to the Electronic Age. As they say, you get out of it what you put into it, but in either case, I hope this has helped bring you some clarity on the subject of how the growing electronic technology impacts the publishing industry, and thus the author.
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Be sure to let me know what you think, or to suggest topics you want to hear about.