The Young and
the Profitable
FROM PUBLISHING
TRENDS (MARCH 2001)
It’s
a two-way street for young writers in today’s book biz,
contends Marian Wood, vp at Putnam and
publisher of Marian Wood Books. Here’s an excerpt
from her essay, “Is Publishing Dead?”, which appeared
in the LA Times Book Review.
It
is easier today to publish a first novel than ever before.
Armed with the necessary endorsements from their famous
writer teachers, these young novelists are gaining lucrative
contracts. That’s because they come with no track records:
There are no bad reviews, no mediocre sales. They are
tabula rasa. It’s also because there have been enough
success stories of “literary” first novels becoming
commercial blockbusters to make management hungry for
more. Many of these books disappear without leaving
much more than a remainder sale (if they get that) as
a trace, but the fact remains that the doors have never
been so open. The real question is why is it so hard
to publish second or third novels, and the answer is
obvious. Too little return for too much money on the
first: There is no incentive for the publisher to continue
the relationship. And every publisher knows what those
sales were. It’s all in the computer. Once upon a time,
publishers paid rotten advances, nurtured their writers
regardless of sales, and waited for the book that broke
the writer out. Today, the cash nexus of publishing
— begun, I would add, by agents seeking as much money
up front as they could get (and that is their job today)
— makes such touching loyalties a thing of the past.
(That is an overstatement: There are still editors and
houses who fight to keep the connection going.)
Writing is hard, lonely work. Great writing calls for
resources few very young writers have. It’s a rare young
writer who has the freedom from his past, the originality
of voice, the independence of mind, and the iconoclastic
spirit needed to make a contribution. Publishers always
knew this and made space for young writers to grow and
learn. The game has changed, but the fault isn’t that
of publishers alone. Publishers may prefer short-term
profits, but writers lust for instant fame. These are
perhaps the most telling and destructive factors to
emerge in the last 30 years.
©2001
Publishing Trends
