What were the biggest publishing stories of 2013?
December 31, 2013 | Written by Chip MacGregor
So we’re in a state of revolution in publishing — a season where everything about books is changing. The writing, the editing, the production, the marketing, the sales channels, even the way we read books is different from the way we did five years ago. In the midst of all that change, there has been a lot of debate over the state of the industry, with some people decrying the changes and other embracing them. Some folks (see the letter from Richard Russo that I shared on the blog last week) are worried about the decline of bookstores and the takeover by a handful of conglomerates. Others (see Konrath’s harangue via the comments section) are celebrating that power has begun to move from publishers and bookstores to writers. There are strong feelings on each side, and no doubt some truth to be gleaned from several sources.
In the midst of all the noise, I thought it would be good to review some of the biggest publishing stories of the last year (before we all start making predictions about what will happen in 2014).
Before I offer my thoughts, let me just state that I’m of the opinion there’s never been a better time to be a writer. There are more readers than ever before. There’s moire training available than ever before. The industry is producing more books than ever before. And the web has created more opportunities for writers than ever before. So consider me an optimist when it comes to the publishing future. With that in mind, here are what I consider the ten biggest publishing stories of 2013:
1. Flat sales for ebooks. While it’s true we’ve watched ebooks capture a huge percentage of the market over the past five years, the expected rise to a 50/50 split between print books and ebooks hasn’t materialized. Instead, ebooks make up about 20 to 23% of all books sales… and that number is pretty flat, and has been flat all year. I don’t see this as either good nor bad — it’s simply the market revealing itself. Ebooks have basically replaced the mass market book section.
2. The resolution of the DOJ court case with publishers. The publishers all capitulated and gave up on agency pricing, settling before the government’s case could go to court. Apple stayed in there and fought, but lost in a big way. This is significant because it lead to…
3. The dropping price of ebooks. One of the biggest stories for everyone in publishing has been the drop in ebook prices. It’s clear there’s roughly a $5 price point that is hard to exceed except for bestselling authors and in-demand titles. That has meant less earned income for authors and publishers. So while there’s more opportunity than ever before, the chance to make a good living at art is as hard as it ever was. And that’s significant because…
4. Advances continued to drop. The days of an author living from one advance check to the next came to a screeching halt for all but A-level authors. Everybody is saying, “Twenty is the new Forty,” and soon we’ll see “Ten is the new Twenty.” Because of this we’ve seen…
5. A huge change in the role of agents. There are fewer agents than there used to be, and that’s largely because the industry has given more freedom to authors to take their works directly to readers. Of course, most successful authors continue to rely on an agent for introductions, contract negotiations, book sense, and career advice, but few new agents are succeeding, and most of the old-time agents have radically changed they way they do business. One area where they are focusing is…
6. The rise of hybrid authors. Authors are finding they need to self-publish some titles, work with a small press for others, and work with a big publishing house for still other titles. The fact is, successful self-published authors are moving to traditional publishers. This is one of the most under-reported bits of news in the industry, probably because indies rule the blogosphere and tend to be negative toward legacy publishers. However, take a look around and you’ll see the most successful self-published authors are all finding the marketing and reach of a traditional publisher will make them more money. This is particularly true as we’ve seen…
7. The incredible growth of genre fiction in ebooks. It used to be that category fiction took a backseat to literary fiction with most readers. But a quick look at any ebook bestseller list will reveal that genre fiction is where all the money is being made digitally. That has been fueled by…
8. The rise of tablets. Dedicated e-readers are in trouble (the Nook is a wonderful device, but it looks like its days are numbered, and the Kobe reader never had any days to number), as the iPad and other tablets offer computing, games, and videos, as well as serving as an e-reader. Of course, the good news is that means the base of readership is broadening, as more and more tablet owners download books to read. And there will be more books to read than ever due to….
9. Google Books defeating the Author’s Guild in court. Love it or hate it, Google’s victory in court was a smack in the face to the Guild. After years of hearing how Google over-reached and authors everywhere were being cheated, the courts came down firmly on the side of Google, declaring it fair use. And I have no idea how that leads into my last point…
10. The merger of publishing houses. Penguin and Random House are becoming “the Random Penguin.” (Okay, not really, but that’s better than “Penguin Random House,” which doesn’t exactly trip off the tongue.) Rumors have HarperCollins and Simon & Schuster merging, possibly in 2014, and numerous mid-sized houses being gobbled up by the former Big Six.
Oh — and the one big publishing story that I couldn’t fit in here, because it doesn’t seem like a publishing story, but I think every writer needs to consider, is the implementation of Obamacare. You may like it or hate it, but the fact is it has finally opened the door for writers to purchase their own health care, without having to rely on a spouse to provide it, or risk going without insurance. I think this is going to lead to a bunch of new writers taking the plunge, and will be a boon to artists around the country. So while my fellow Republicans are right now crossing me off their Christmas card lists, I’m happy to see this change come about. No, it ain’t perfect… but it’s a heck of a lot better than the “nothing” we had in place for writers before.
- See more at: http://www.chipmacgregor.com/blog/the-business-of-writing/what-were-the-biggest-publishing-stories-of-2013/#sthash.dKTvlEwM.RZO0vp1c.dpuf
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