Self Publishers and Libel

I just read the story in PW about AuthorHouse losing a libel suit. At first I was surprised because from my slightly snobby publisher perspective, I always just thought of places like AuthorHouse as glorified print vendors for the masses.

Since beginning my freelance venture I have done some more research on self-publishing companies. I want my job to be connecting authors with readers using my publishing knowledge without necessarily being a publisher. Self-published authors seem like the perfect market for such a service.

My research lead me to start changing my opinion of self publishing.  Each company has a slightly different version of the same racket, and honestly some aren't so bad. I am particularly intrigued by Lulu. Basically some of these places are very good tools for authors to approach the publication of their book in a different way. Some authors, such as Lars Clausen have used the self publishing system  in a very effective manor. And any book blogger worth their salt knows about POD-DY MOUTH, a blog dedicated to reviewing the best and worst that the self publishing world has to offer (bless her heart, as that seems like a very onerous task to me).

The problem is that self publishing companies need to promote themselves as "publishers" in order to attract clients. But "publishing" is hardly what they do. Self-publishing companies print, they design (sort of), and they open distribution channels. More than anything they dedicate their time signing more authors to feed the machine. What they don't do is read the books they produce. I wonder if AuthorHouse didn't refer to itself as a "publisher" if they would still be held responsible. When I worked at Barricade Books we were sued more than a few times, but no one ever sued our printer.

The last thought on this is unrelated to libel, it is how eerily similar the self-publishing experience is to many author's experiences at "real" publishers. I bet there are some publishers out there that don't even read their own books.  As a matter of fact, I know it.

This all really begs a question of what is publishing? Is it editing? Printing? Designing? Distributing? Promoting? Marketing? I have long argued that publishing is a process of developing a great idea or a great writer into a valuable product. Printing, designing, distributing, and marketing can all be part of that process. But those things can also confuse publishers about what they are really here to do.

Comments

[Peter L. Winkler]

Dear Jeff:

You wrote, “Self-publishing companies print, they design (sort of), and they open distribution channels.”

The problem is exactly that they don't open distribution channels. Bookstores and reviewers abhor self-published books, especially POD books, because for the most part they aren't returnable.

In PODDY MOUTH's interview with iUniverse CEO Susan Driscoll, Driscoll said, “One has to assume that the big publishers get their books stocked in stores, which means there are only 2,000 spots left for the other 150,000 titles published. If an author isn’t traditionally published then his/her title is not likely to get stocked nationally on bookstore shelves. Anyone who tells an author otherwise isn’t telling the truth.”

[Peter L. Winkler]

I think that publishers have a function similar to the major record labels. They have long established reputations and therefore retail outlets will stock and shelve their products.

For their frontlist titles, publishers spend money advertising and promoting the books.
Most don't get that treatment, so I suppose for most authors, only advantage a reputable, trade publisher has over self-publishing is quaranteeing access to the bookstores. Since 90% of books are sold there, that access is eseential.

[Jeff]

I agree w/ Driscoll in that getting books in the store is as much a problem as it is a solution. As soon as you put a significant amount of books into stores the returns clock is ticking. In approximately six weeks, if you haven't sold through a significant chunk of books on shelves, they start coming back. Once they come back you can pretty much stick a fork in the book.

For unestablished authors or niche books the POD model of responding to demand is a much better option. I could write for days about why this is not something publishers are ready to engage in, but suffice it to say, they are not.

If you are an unestablished author and you can just open up online distro channels (which all of those self-publishing houses offer, no?), then you have all the tools you need to get your book moving. If you find yourself in a position where demand exceeds your distribution, trust me, someone will want to help increase your distribution. That is a good problem to have.

If you are not an established author and you sell books to .5 percent of the 10% of book buyers that shop online, you will be a very successful author.

And, as for the comparison to record labels--having had some experience on that front as well--I can tell you that (pardon the French) the record industry is REALLY fucked. The publishing industry is just slow to adapt. Record labels are awful.

[jan morgan]

i am totally confused now, after reading all the bad stuff about self publishing i dont know to do now.. i have been ripped off already by author house by the way, for £180, they were very rude and kept my money when i told them i didnt like their attitude, they had my cash for a week. your info is very helpful, i am now considering lulu.

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It's rare for publishers to lose on libel case. Maybe the freedom of speech is too strong.