Cowboys and Aliens II Interview (and Harlequin Kafuffle Thoughts)

[alanajoli]

I had an absolutely fabulous time at Anonycon this weekend! I got to play games with several gamer friends and substraters: I was a student at a special school reminiscent of PS 238 (the superhero kids comic by Aaron Williams), Emily Post (yes, Miss Manners edit: apparently Miss Manners was Judith Martin, who wrote in the 1970s, not, in fact, Emily Post, who wrote Etiquette [via holmes_iv]) in a horror game, and an epic level paladin in a 4e game. banana_pants puts on a heck of a party!

Now I'm getting back to my regular schedule, finishing up a review for PW today and working on obituary writing and coding the autobiographical essays this week. Just a few thoughts in the meantime.

Paul Green interviewed me and Jeremy Mohler about Cowboys and Aliens II on Encyclopedia of Weird Westerns. Pop by and see what we have to say (and what we're hoping for the future!)

As the Mystery Writers of America delisted Harlequin due to their new "self-publishing" (in actuality, vanity press) arm, the debate about whether Harlequin is in the right is still going on across the Web. (The RWA and SFWA have also spoken out about Harlequin's new "imprint.") I would hope that people who read this blog know I'm in favor of self-publishing, and that I think there are great scenarios where it's the best venue for the work. jeff_duntemann is, to me, one of the most sensible people on this topic, and I very much admire the work he's done through Lulu.com. eyezofwolf has done great work in both self-publishing and small press. Self-publishing makes it possible to market your own work when traditional publishing isn't working for you (for whatever reason).

Edit: Jeff commented below: "Your readers should understand that I've been as successful as I have as a self-publisher largely because I've worked in publishing since 1985 and did quite well at it, both on-staff for other companies and in command of my own. Now, in (slightly) early retirement, I have the time to pursue it with the energy that it requires. It's a lot tougher being a writer AND and a publisher AND a worker at a day job." He's right -- I probably should have mentioned that to provide the context. If I ever have questions about self-publishing, he's my first go-to person. :)

Vanity publishing is an entirely different creature. As Jackie Kessler wrote on her blog:

• Self-publishing: author keeps all the money after paying expenses.


• Vanity publishing: publisher keeps majority of the money and the writer pays all the expenses.

Given the information available online about what the new Harlequin imprint's process will be, I'm astonished by how many supporters it has. There are a lot of people reacting to the PW articles defending Harlequin as forward thinking and showing their willingness to try something different from traditional publishing. The thing is, vanity publishing is not new -- and a big, respectable house like Harlequin offering expensive packages to would-be and rejected authors while dangling the carrot that if their book sells well, they might bring it over into a regular Harlequin imprint seems unethical at best.

I do see that some of the publishing services that I respect, like Lulu.com and CreateSpace (with which I'm less familiar), also offer packages that would make me dubious, rather than the free option (which is the one I associate with the companies) where they just take the cost portion of the proceeds from each sale. I think I agree with Victoria at Writer Beware that one of the qualifiers of self-publishing is that you own your own ISBN. Short of owning your own POD press, however, Lulu.com and CreateSpace seem like the best options out there for DIY publishing. A company that's going to take your money for the same services a traditional publisher would front for you strikes me as taking the vanity press option, and it's a move that I'm sorry to see Harlequin making.

Comments

Harlequin

[(Anonymous)]

This is the sign of a publishing industry in trouble Alana. Only first-time and previously unpublished authors could possibly fall for the tricks they are using. If your manuscript has potential Harlequin would publish it free of charge. The fact you have to pay is proof Harlequin don't see it as a potential seller.
Another leading publisher has also adopted a Vanity press arm under the guise of self publishing. I self published my first book in 2000 when I still lived in England. I own the ISBN number, the copyright and the books. Self publishing is time consuming and requires money but you have creative control and ownership.
My last three books have all been accepted and published by a regular publisher. No fees involved.
This new trend by certain publishers is alarming. Could it result in all first-time authors having to pay for publication?

Re: Harlequin

[alanajoli.livejournal.com]

Could it result in all first-time authors having to pay for publication?

Egads. I'd hate to see that become the trend...

[violetwhisper.livejournal.com]

And you were phenomenal in each game you played! I think Emily Post was my favorite, talking crazy people back down to sanity! :)

West Bow Press

[(Anonymous)]

I now recall the name of the other mainstream publisher Alana. Christian publisher Thomas Nelson. They now have a self publishing arm West Bow Press.
http://www.westbowpress.com/

Only when new authors have spent thousands of dollars on their book only to sell a few dozen copies (the majority of self published books fail to sell 100 copies) and make a massive loss will they realize what a scam this is.

In case you're wondering who anonymous is it's Paul Green for Encyclopedia of Weird Westerns. :)

Re: West Bow Press

[alanajoli.livejournal.com]

These guys were mentioned in PW as well, but for whatever reason seem to have avoided the kaffuffle (possibly because Thomas Nelson never provided eligibility for any of the author groups?). There are apparently a couple other smaller branded partnerships with Author Solutions as well.

And yes, Paul, I did wonder who it was! :) Thanks for stopping by the blog!

[jeff-duntemann.livejournal.com]

Your readers should understand that I've been as successful as I have as a self-publisher largely because I've worked in publishing since 1985 and did quite well at it, both on-staff for other companies and in command of my own. Now, in (slightly) early retirement, I have the time to pursue it with the energy that it requires. It's a lot tougher being a writer AND and a publisher AND a worker at a day job.

I own a book of 100 ISBNs, but Lulu won't let me use them. This infuriates me, and may eventually force me to move to another service that does.

I think it was in Foucault's Pendulum that Umberto Eco tweaked vanity press by showing us a publishing house with two imprints: One a conventional imprint, and the other a vanity imprint, both located in the same building. The vanity imprint had luxurious offices and gave the impression of great success. The conventional imprint had cramped, shabby offices, and was subsidized by the clueless people who paid the other imprint to publish their writing. It was funny in a slightly painful way when I first read it in 1992, just before my company moved into book publishing from magazine publishing, and even moreso after I had spent more time working in book publishing and listening to stories from old timers about places like Vantage Press. The new Harlequin vanity arm may make money, and if it does, word will get around. It's not a new idea, but it may be about to get a lot more popular.

[alanajoli.livejournal.com]

Edited the above entry to provide your context to my readers who may not know. :)

That's really frustrating that Lulu.com isn't letting you use your own ISBNs. They *look* like they have it set up to accept them, and I'm sad to hear it's not as straightforward as it sounds.

I can instantly see the lit-class essay potential for a comparison between Foucault's Pendulum and Harlequin's new business model. :) I should pick it up!

[jeff-duntemann.livejournal.com]

Well, Lulu's been known to change policies, margins, and even the cover prices on my books without telling me, so I guess I should sniff around and see if they've changed their ISBN policy. My understanding is that if your Lulu book is to have an ISBN at all, it needs to be purchased out of Lulu's ISBN book, but I would love to be wrong about that.

Foucault's Pendulum has a certain tongue-in-cheek quality running all through it, or maybe I just naturally giggle at that sort of thing. He certainly laid it on with a trowel. Much fun; not a lot of heft compared to his other material.

[holmes-iv.livejournal.com]

Tsk. Judith Martin would be most displeased with your attribution, ma'am. ;-)

[alanajoli.livejournal.com]

That's what I get for just assuming that the rest of my table referred to Post by the proper nickname... :) Fixed above.