Publishing Uncovered: Big Publisher vs Small Publisher
By Parul Bavishi | October 30, 2017 |
A big publishing house equals more clout, more marketing, more sales… right? I thought so, until I moved jobs from a small indie publisher to a publishing giant. Turns out, the answer is more nuanced than I thought. Here’s what I figured out:
A bigger publisher does not mean bigger sales.
My friend, a fellow editor who sat opposite me at our decorated desks, handed me an innocent piece of paper.
‘Depressing’ she said.
She’d just received the standard, weekly sales sheet. This was my first one, as I’d just joined Random House from a then-indie publisher called Quercus (now part of Hachette). I scanned the sheet — author names on the left, number of books sold that week on the right. We all had to sign it to show that we’d read it.
Not good. Only a few stand-out authors had sold books in the thousands, but they were the outliers. Some newly launched authors had sold well below a thousand copies, some sub-100, some weren’t even on the chart. On weeks where a new John Boyne or Jacqueline Wilson launched, obviously the sheet would look different, but that only happened a few times a year.
If you plotted all the sales on a graph it would be a hockey stick for the big hitters and a long tail for everyone else.
These figures didn’t look that different from the sales I had seen at Quercus. Back when I started there, there were just three of us, setting up a brand new children’s list for a startup publisher. And our Sales Director was snooty about children’s books. Yet the sales figures at Quercus were only mildly lower than what I saw at RH. (Maybe we just punched above our weight at Quercus.)
Publicity is down to the tenacity of the publicist.
I had the privilege of watching Nicci Praca at Quercus lead the campaign to get an unknown Scandinavian writer in front of reviewers, bloggers and journalists. The author was doing well in his home country but the UK was (back then) notoriously uninterested in translated fiction. But Nicci’s obsession for Steig Larsson was infectious, and spread to the point where I was having a competition with the marketing director about who could read the unpublished The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets’ Nest first. We were all talking about this great series we were publishing, and soon the obsession was too big for just our company; it spilled out everywhere. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo hit the bestseller charts worldwide, won awards and was made into a film with Daniel Craig and Rooney Mara. I make it sound simple, though obviously it wasn’t.
At the smaller publishing house, Quercus, the Publishing Director questioned me about the publicity plan for every book. At Quercus, I worked with Nicci to push hard for every single book on our children’s list. I called TV networks and radio stations; I befriended bloggers and threw them parties. I even tried to hire a wolf for a party for a paranormal book about werewolves–a ridiculous stunt but there was nothing I wouldn’t try.
At the larger publishing house, I was only ever questioned on the big-name authors. It was easy for the mid- to lower-list books to get lost and de-prioritised.
At the larger publishing house, I fought with time-deprived publicists to help my authors spread the word of their upcoming books. Sometimes we managed to get traction, sometimes we didn’t. Sometimes we were allocated zero budget to publicise a book, ZERO! Just because my authors were published by one of the largest publishers didn’t guarantee them anything other than the basics.
Marketing is a multiplier effect.
My friend Suzanne Riley, an ex-Head of Marketing at Penguin Random House, recently told me I was one of the few editors who took her out for coffee. I did it because I liked her, but also because I cared about my authors and wanted her to remember them and put them high on her list. It didn’t always work, but sometimes it did, and I got a good friend in the process too.
I remember her telling me in one of our first meetings that it made more business sense to put the big spend behind authors who were already big. ‘Think about it’ she said, ‘If I spend 50k on advertising and get 20% more sales on someone who normally sells 1,000 copies or 100,000 copies, who should I choose?’
Publishing is a business, and what she said made sense. I couldn’t tell the mid-list authors that at the time.
At Quercus, I faced similar challenges trying to convince the marketing department to put money on our titles. But though they had smaller budgets, they also took bigger risks on debut authors.
Bigger Publishing Houses have deeper pockets.
Everyone has a budget–the editor, the marketeer, the publicist. And they are all tight, whether they are the largest or the smallest publisher. For example, I spent the same amount on a book cover both at Quercus and Random House (circa £1000-£2000). But at the end of the day, the larger publisher can– if they decide it’s right –dig deep into their pockets for more.
One of the series I worked on was The Ranger’s Apprentice, a fantasy book by an A
ustralian writer. I got word from the boss’s boss’s boss (now Dame Rebuck) that I was to drop everything and repackage the entire series (10 books). She stuck a rocket up our proverbial. Why? Because the 10th book had been released in Australia only and had somehow hit the Top 50 books in UK — clearly there was incredible potential for the books in the UK. In the next month, the marketing team organised cinema ads and events; and we put new covers and bonus material in the books. It took focused time and money, but we could move fast, as we were large enough. The book rose up the charts.
Bigger Publishing Houses have a greater pool of resources.
The first cover I ever briefed for a book was a joke — if I manage to find it, I’II dig it up and show you just how bad we got it. I heard rumours it was used for dart practice at an literary agency. Problem was we were using our in-house designer who was brilliant at adult books but not children’s design.
We fixed the problem; we found freelance designers, and our covers were good. But when I moved to a larger publisher, my experience was that:
- There was a larger sales team that could show the cover to their bookstore contacts
- We had a dedicated, larger team of designers who specialised in children’s books
- I had a whole team of specialist editors I could go to for advice
For me, the real answer lies with what ranking or importance you’re given at the publishing house, how dedicated and enthusiastic your editor is, and whether you have champions in the marketing and publicity department. The more people on your side, the better your chances for getting the best help you can in getting your book out there.
What about you? What experiences have you had at a larger or smaller publishing house?
[coffee]
Parul Bavishi has been an editor at Random House, Quercus and Cornerstones, and a Literary Scout. For an editor’s view on indie-publishing and a look at publishing uncovered, follow her on Twitter @paruledits or visit her site, Publishing Uncovered.
I’ve always been drawn to small publishers when sending my work out. Since I’m new at this I know my chances are small when it comes to being noticed by the larger ones but there’s something about a small publisher that makes me, an author, feel as if my voice might be heard. Your article does not surprise me when it comes to the experience you shared. Thanks!
Bryan, that’s interesting. I wouldn’t be put off submitting to a large publisher. If you find the right editor who champions your work and truly ‘gets’ you, that is also worth its weight in gold. Having said that some of my fondest memories in publishing were at a small publishing house, because it felt like I was part of a ‘family’.
Thanks so much for sharing this. It’s what I suspected but nice to have it confirmed. Your authors are very lucky to have someone like you advocating for them. :)
Thank you Amy!
Parul–thanks for your post, although I’m not sure I see what the takeaway is. Most of us who visit Writer Unboxed know that bigger publishers have more resources–because they’re bigger–and that they use those resources mostly to develop/promote big-name, known-quantity authors.
You can’t be expected to take up every aspect of the big-small debate in your post, but one matter of importance you don’t address has to do with platform. My understanding is that all publishers great and small are mindful of if not actively trolling for writers who have used social media successfully to develop lots of followers, friends, etcetera. In fact, writers are now encouraged to begin developing these online relationships before they even publish a book.
The Steig Larsson example doesn’t count, because the author was already a big success in in own country. As for the Australian writer whose book “somehow” hit it big, five will get you ten the writer’s success had to do with self-marketing.
It’s analogous to “analytics,” the current approach more and more baseball teams are using to make decisions about how to rotate pitchers, hitters, etc. It’s strictly by the numbers. In publishing, the book itself seems to matter less than the author’s knack for self-promotion. You could say the new tail–self-marketing–is wagging the old dog, the book.
Barry, thank you for your comments.
You’re right it is common knowledge that larger publishing houses might have more resources, but I was trying to explain the hidden strengths of both the larger and smaller publishers. My point is that small publishers can still compete with the larger publishers on sale, and that having a team/ editor who champions you can be more important than the house itself. I also believe that when a larger publishing house wants to aim its resources (either for a debut or large author), it can be powerful. There are merits for both a smaller or a larger publisher and I simply wanted to add to the debate. If you have any other specific question, I’d be happy to answer them.
I haven’t addressed platform here you’re right. I tried to address this in a previous post: https://staging-writerunboxed.kinsta.cloud/2017/04/16/what-an-editor-at-a-publishing-house-looks-for-6-myths-truths/ where I tried to debunk myths about what Editors are looking for.
I respect that your experience might be different to mine. All I can tell you is that I have friends who are Editors in the industry and they do not spend their time looking for writers who have a large following. They might keep an eye out for someone who has a great following (particularly in non-fiction) but most of their submissions will come from Agents. They are, as far as I can see, not seeking the best self-marketers but rather looking authors with potential. Yes, it helps if the writer is media friendly and willing to engage with their readers.
I’m not sure why you think the Larsson example doesn’t count. Perhaps I wasn’t clear. To me, Larsson becoming a hit in the English speaking world has everything to do with a small publishing house’s passion. Christopher Maclehose (who acquired the rights for Quercus) said that a Stockholm Publisher brought him “two very large, and very battered typescripts and told me another was on its way soon. They then asked if I would be really, really kind and read this thing that they thought was very good, but absolutely nobody else in the English-speaking world agreed. It was by Stieg Larsson.”
You can read more about the phenomenally talented Publisher Maclehose here https://www.theguardian.com/books/2012/dec/28/christopher-maclehose-life-in-publishing
Back then nobody was that interested in Scandinavian crime. I remember from the early days (before the film deal) at Quercus that this was a book that we hoped would do well, but it was by no means expected. Everyone at the publishing house was mad about it, but the outside world didn’t care at first. I watched my former boss put her heart and soul into getting the word out there – calling bloggers and the media non-stop. Of course, the book itself is wonderful and won over reviewers etc but I believe the team’s passion and hard work contributed to its success.
As for the Australian writer, John Flanagan, we knew him and his Australian publishing team well. I don’t believe that his book was doing well in the UK because of self-marketing. As you can imagine we did research at the time to work out why he was performing so well. The simple answer was that he had amassed a following in Europe and the UK through word of mouth. His die-hard fans wanted more and weren’t willing to wait till the UK published the book, they started to buy them from Australia.
On your final point on self-marketing, I think I might take another position here. For fiction, I believe that once you have a publishing deal, being able to connect with your readership is important. For non-fiction it’s critical. Yes, marketing is important, but I don’t believe that the book is less important than the author’s knack for self-promotion. Of all my time in publishing, that simply hasn’t been my experience.
Warm wishes,
Parul
This makes me sad for a number of reasons. The industry isn’t like it once was, and there are new ways to do things– better, with less overhead, which is what most houses really need right now.
For instance… £1000-£2000 for a cover? This isn’t about quality, it’s about tradition. This is about doing it “the way it’s done”.
There are established freelancers who can provide GOOD covers, quickly and reliably, for less than half the price. VividCovers.com comes to mind, but there are many others.
That’s several books with really good covers, for the price of what the houses are apparently paying for one.
I know there are other considerations, but I don’t think they’re insurmountable, and I wonder if there are other areas where “the way it’s done” really needs to change, for the benefit of all.
You make a good point, that one can find cheaper designs elsewhere and I imagine that some smaller, newer publishers might look to use such services.
In defence of publishing houses, I do believe with budgets being ever tighter that the design departments would be aware of the options available to them. The demands of a publishing house cover might be different though, they might want a more customised look and a higher number of drafts. They also have a larger number of people to please (author, sales, editorial, marketing author, agent).
I think it’s worth paying the right price (if you have the resources) to get the right cover. I shall take a look at your suggestion. Thank you!
Thank you for a concise primer on big vs. small. I made the decision that I had time to read it and feel rewarded. I actually clicked to get to the webpage so I could buy you a cup of joe … but I don’t see a link for that.
Thank you for your kind comment! I shall ask the team about the cup of Joe button.
Picture two indies sitting across from each other. One hands the other an innocent printout of this insightful post and utters the word ‘depressing’. The truth is apparent, right there in black and white.
Regardless of our spectacularly-creative freelance cover designs, professionally formatted, edited-to-perfection, polished compelling stories, we are doomed because other than the intervention of serendipitous timing, the unprecedented buzz of a well-placed human champion, a celebrity handle, or plain blind luck, it seems it will take a concerted campaign of paid resolute team players to strategically position an unknown indie in front of reviewers, bloggers and journalists. Depressing.
I apologise if my post made you feel this way Veronica, that certainly wasn’t the intention! I’m simply trying to point out the strengths and weaknesses of a smaller and larger publishing house. But perhaps I could have phrased my post differently.
I found your comment insightful: ‘it seems it will take a concerted campaign of paid resolute team players to strategically position an unknown indie in front of reviewers, bloggers and journalists’. I don’t know if this is a formula, I simply know that it’s possible for a small publishing house to launch an author to a large audience. But it takes a concerted effort.
I see that you’re a self-published writer? I don’t know enough about marketing for indies, from everything I hear you certainly have to take charge of your own marketing campaign.
If I were to self-publish, I would consider following someone like Nick Stephenson who teaches indie writers how to build a following. From the few articles I’ve read, I think he has found success this way and taught people like Joanna Penn.
With best wishes,
Parul
Veronica, I think a lot of indie authors feel this way, but I don’t think that’s the right takeaway. Information like this is important, because a writer well-armed with knowledge is more likely to make the right choice for their specific goals (and all of our goals are different).
Often, a big argument for traditional publishing versus indie is that with traditional publishing, you have a large team preparing and pushing your book. However, the indies that ultimately succeed have similar teams.
Many of them employ multiple editors (trusted developmental editors, and those who specialize in polishing and proofing). Parul herself offers very well-reviewed editorial services. They make use of professional cover designers (as I mentioned in a reply above, this is not nearly as expensive as it once was). Those who don’t wish to become their own publicists hire others. Some of the more successful independent marketers/publicists offer full-launch packages (editing, formatting, release, marketing), though you need to be cautious there that the person you hire knows what they’re doing. This can also be expensive, though I’ve heard some rumors of one company that is about to begin offering the services with no up-front cost (they take royalties off the back end to a set dollar amount, and then the book is completely yours again).
The ones who need to do it themselves seek out the best advice from others who are succeeding–a huge amount of this information is free, it just requires more (non-writing) work than many authors are willing to put in.
I know indies that began publishing last year, and this year have hit the bestseller lists and are writing full-time. Others have been building a slow-but-sure following over the past few years, and are now starting to break out. The more I see, the less convinced I become that luck is a major factor here. There’s a great deal of strategy, planning, and persistence that goes into it.
Indie writers do have to work very hard, as they are wearing a lot of hats–but the ones that succeed almost NEVER do it all themselves. As intimidating and expensive as this sounds, it’s not insurmountable, even for an author that’s living paycheck-to-paycheck at their day job. I know two authors, one of whom is an excellent illustrator, and another who is an editor, who trade their skills. The designer I mentioned above occasionally provides free covers for new authors as a service to the community.
The resources and the information are out there. They may require some digging, but publishing isn’t a short game. This is absolutely doable, and it has less to do with luck (or money) than you might expect.
I agree–one would hope that this would be the case, that everyone would stay on top of the best developments in their industry to stay both relevant, but having been on the business side of a number of industries (video game development, dentistry, and graphic design… an odd bunch, I acknowledge) this is just rarely the case.
It’s much easier to simply do what one has always done, because it’s comfortable. The workflow is predictable. It’s a little scary to move outside that box, because what if something goes wrong? Generally speaking, we humans don’t like to do new stuff.
This trait tends to multiply with the size of an organization–especially, as you noted, when the top rung becomes far removed from the day-to-day of the industry.
It is definitely worth paying the right price to get what you need. I just don’t think it necessarily requires what it once did. For instance:
A premade stock cover might suit an indie author with a tiny budget, though it probably isn’t the way to go for a larger publisher–but there are excellent, reputable designers who will build something entirely unique from the ground up, to exact specs.
Having more indie authors in the market going direct to designers has actually increased the customization available (and lowered the price of it) as authors tend to want the hairstyle and eyecolor to be exactly right, as irrelevant as this is for all practical purposes, and sometimes for entire scenes from the book to be precisely rendered (sadly, even if that leads to a weaker design!)
Many designers offer unlimited drafts. Single designers may not be able to put out 10 covers in a month, as was necessary for the Ranger’s Apprentice series, but other companies employ multiple designers that can handle the workload, and put out a high volume even under incredibly tight deadlines.
Forgive me if I sound pedantic! Ultimately, with all the changes in the publishing industry–regardless of all the sturm und drang that accompanies those changes–I want us all to succeed. I really do think that’s possible. We may just need to reach outside those boxes–whatever they are, and as uncomfortable as that can be.
Thank you for another enlightening article. I enjoyed your Myth/Truths article in April, and am always excited to see more from you.
Apologies! The above was intended to be a direct reply to Parul regarding our discussion on covers above.
This was certainly helpful. As soon as my new debit card arrives, I’m buying you a cup of coffee! Haha.
Really, thank you for this, I’m looking to publish and I was having trouble deciding whether a big publishing company, with the connections and the resources, would be best for me, or a smaller publishing company, with the personal connection and more focused interests, would be a better fit.
While I still think it depends on just how good ones book is and how one sells it (and I, as any other sanguine author out there, would like to believe mine is, “THE NEXT BEST SELLER!!!) this indubitably brought focus and clarity to my thoughts. Thank you!!! You will never know how much I appreciate this ^.^