end of representation...

as mentioned in a previous post, i love what's going on w/ podiobooks, a great and natural progression for podcasting...

but there's one aspect that i'm not grokking when it comes to some of the authors who are leveraging podcasting to get their works out there - why do so many of them still want to attract traditional agents and publishers when they've been frustrated and rejected by these same folks so often in the past?

now i do understand that today, if an authors desire is to get an immediate return on investment for their stories, traditional pulp publishing methods will provide the quickest way to do this, though lets be real here, there is a very small percentage of published authors who make a full-time living off of their creative passion...

my pov is not regarding whether a podcasting author attempts monetization or not - but rather that they are already in a leadership position showing the way via this nascent trend to a legacy industry - a trend that allows direct interaction w/ ones audience which is much more powerful than what goes on between an author and readers traditionally, at most authors meet some readers at book signings and readings - as podcasting authors, you are directly engaging w/ your audience and fans, viewing your podcasts, blogs, twittering, etc... why the desire to add a clueless agent into the middle of your creative process if you don't have to?

today the top podcasting authors are doing something very different than their traditional publishing only peers - they are fully in control of their creative process, production, marketing, fan interaction and distribution - yes they are early adopting leaders, and from what i can tell most started podcasting their stories out of frustration w/ the traditional gatekeeper hierarchal processes - so now that you have a successful podcasting audience and fan-base, why would you want to re-subject yourselves to the agent/publisher jerk-around...

now, granted everyone needs advise from knowledgeable subject matter experts from time to time, such as help w/ the legal aspects of contracts, guidance on website development, audio and video production recommendations, etc... - but very shortly (if not now for early adopters) the need for clueless gatekeepers such as agents and rep firms just won't be needed anymore - these legacy minded middleman representatives are a complete waste of time and money for podcasting authors...

however, if an agent or publisher comes to you because of your podcasting, than that is a powerful thing indeed - these will be the few who get where this is all going - they should want to help you create multiple channels of opportunity to get your stories out, not just audio, but others such as video, pdf, mobile and traditional publishing  - yes, i do know that a huge percentage of mainstream folks do not yet grok podcasting and alternate forms of media interactions - but shift happens right - even for mainstream folks, the book publishing industry has had a shelf space limitation problem that the industry still hasn't figure out how to extend via online, even w/ the advantages that say an amazon should be able to bring to this meatspace problem - electronic availability of books via podcasts and ebook just should become the norm - creates unlimited shelf space right...

jc hutchins & michael stackpole touch upon the issues in this 7th son hiatuscast episode, as do john federico and the odm crew when talking about the changing landscape of the book publishing industry - the focus to date has been on maintaining control and creating defensive boundaries instead of understanding and embracing the changes that will happen w/ or w/out them - so drop the need for others to represent you to the powers that be, you are the sign of the new power, represent yourselves and show the laggards the way...

Comments

[PaulJ]

'New media' in general, and podcasting in particular, is a way that creators can gain exposure and feedback for their work without waiting for the snail's pace of traditional publishing to get around to even reading submissions, let alone responding.

But new media has yet to crack the monetization puzzle. Scott Sigler is blazing the trail here -- his 3-book deal as a result of his novel Ancestor blasting up the Amazon.com bestseller list is clear evidence that traditional publishing WILL take notice of a new phenomenon.

We lesser creators wait in the wings, watching with fascination and longing. Although new media has great potential, it's still the traditional route that leads to wide recognition, multiple book deals and film rights (not to mention fame and money).

[mike dunn]

agreed paul, obviously scott is working very hard and has attracted traditional publishing folks that seem to get it (not sure that amazon did though given all the ordering and fulfillment gremlins that occurred)...

[Seth Harwood]

I've been thinking a lot about this very issue myself, and here's what I've come up with: I think part of what Scott was able to accomplish with Crown was in large due to the fact that Ancestor was a paper book and selling on Amazon, documenting real sales. I'm not sure that Crown would ever (or at least not for a long time) see the possible sales potential of what Scott and many of us are doing without that.

So a) I think it's necessary to work toward finding a publisher no matter how big or small, just so you have an opportunity to promote the sale of the *book* through your podcast when it comes out. b) Though many of us may think of agents and editors as a knee-jerk idea when it comes to this (I know I'm guilty of this) I agree with you that we don't need them. Truth is, they don't get it and don't see the facts, and even if they did get behind you their lag time is really long. So I've come to the decision that publishing ourselves or by whatever means we can is a big part of the trick to monetizing and getting larger recognition from traditional publishers. Since I'm not spec fic, I don't have the ability to go to Dragon Moon and so I'm left with a hole for who I can get to help me publish my Jack Palms Series. It's a hole I'm looking to fill and I'm increasingly starting to look away from agents and editors.

[Pete Prodoehl]

In a similar vein I'm still amazed at musicians who are looking to "get signed" when it's so damn easy nowadays to get exposure and make people aware of yourself, your music, your presence. 15-20 years ago you had to rely almost completely on fanzines and word of mouth, but with the power of the internet today, coupled with the ability and relative ease to record, mix, produce, and release music with a common desktop computer... Well, I find it staggering.

[mike dunn]

right on seth, and agree your jack palms world doesn't fit in dragon moon's sci-fi focus, you'd need a similar niche publisher focused on crime noir - which should exist sooner rather than later since its a huge area of focus for mainstream - i think you're just the first to take off w/in podcasting...

[mike dunn]

concur pete - the music industry has the same shift happening...

[Seth Harwood]

So I might have to create that publisher myself, or work with some people I know. It's definitely a market that seems to be right to get into sooner, rather than later. Thing is, even the small crime places I've contacted, even one with their own podcast--they still don't get it.

[Charles Sheehan-Miles]

Seth,

That's exactly the route I went. I set up my own house, and published the books, and now I'm taking submissions from other authors who are writing in my own very specific niche. Go check out Aaron Shephard and Morris Rosenthal -- their blogs and books -- about self-publishing with a digital, online focus.

Dragon Moon is actually a perfect example of the phenomena -- based on the two titles I've purchased from them so far (both by Scott Sigler) -- they use Lightning Source to print their books one at a time when orders come in. Perfect model for someone like me who wants to get a publisher off the ground but focuses on a tiny niche (not to mention being undercapitalized).

Charles

[Rob Safuto]

I jumped on the Podiobooks bandwagon early on in the process with my Welcome To The Beehive audio book.

IMHO the best way for a new author to promote their work is to give it away. This is the investment phase. You invest in creating and distributing to the widest audience possible with the fewest barriers possible.

Once people are aware of a work, authors should then build a community around their brand. Engaging with the audience just like bloggers and podcasters can bring great benefits.

New web services like Podiobooks and Ning make it easier than ever to distribute content and build communities.

Once an author has a body of work and a community to back it up, publishers will start to take notice. This takes some time, effort and a little bit of money. I think its a worthwhile process though.