Thanks Lev very interesting. I'm guessing appearances in these venues ranks low in the writer's ability to sell books, but ranks high in the venue's prestige. So of course they want you : )
Actually, universities, conferences, and even private groups have usually sold books because people want a souvenir of the occasion. But even if they do sell books on site, if you get 1K or more for an evening talk, how many hardcovers or paperbacks would I have to sell to make that much in royalties?
It's not all about cash, though I won't turn cash down : ) But before money I want book sales and name recognition, and not for the usual reasons. I want to be able to dictate to the industry, not the other way around.
I get that. I've been publishing for forty years and have plenty of recognition, enough that one university library bought my literary papers in a major deal. Well, major for me. I'm not Allen Ginsburg. :-)
As for the industry, given the realities of publishing now, I'm not venturing out into the book market again after my 27th book came out. It's too competitive and most books simply don't sell well. I also don't want to do the publisher's work for them. Publishing has truly become awful as this senior editor recently laid out: https://ideas.bkconnection.com/10-awful-truths-about-publishing
Glad to see this. My only freebie is to our local public libraries who always offer to pay but I decline. I have a huge affinity, they're small and operating on very small budgets and it pays off in good will because my books get featured and highlighted and picked and posted on social media. Otherwise it's show me the money :)
My local library has never invited me to speak and I'm okay with that. I've gotten plenty of newsprint and on-air PR, used to appear as a regular book reviewer for a decade on one station, and I had my own radio show on another.
My local library where I live now is on my street several doors down. I'm in a rural setting surrounded by little rural towns and I happily go to those when they call which isn't often.
I have no problem getting regular, ordinary PR when something is released. I too used to work in media, print though. Weekly art column, etc.
I still review but only on my blog. I used to have an insanely heavy review schedule balanced between print, on-air and online for a now-defunct magazine and I gradually withdrew form various outlets on-by-one when I hit fifty. I needed more time to write. And to live!
I have done sporadic reviews. I'm real good at reading the books, not so good at writing the reviews. I don't know, it's nice for reading not to have a work element to it.
My priorities have shifted around work too. Now I have a nice editing contract, part time and do some other things in between writing.
I love editing writers of all kinds at writewithoutborders.com. The variety and maturity of their work is often inspiring.
But man, reviewing as a gig was hard. And I had to quit working for one newspaper because the new book editor actually said, "I'm not a book person." 😱
I haven't done nearly as many speaking engagements, but I remember with horror an offer to teach a class for one semester for about $65. The pitch was that the school would do all the work of finding students, enrolling them, and collecting payment. I couldn't believe what I was hearing, so I explained that I had no time to add on one more task: I was running a one-day workshop and would earn over $1,000. And this was in the 1990s.
It tells you how screwed up our culture is when people expect they can snag writers cheaply--and should feel grateful they were asked!. I stopped going to mystery conferences because spending all that money and selling few books didn't remotely compare to being invited to a university or JCC to speak, be wined and dined, have all expenses paid *and* get a juicy honorarium.
I like your spouse's rules.
:-)
Thanks Lev very interesting. I'm guessing appearances in these venues ranks low in the writer's ability to sell books, but ranks high in the venue's prestige. So of course they want you : )
Actually, universities, conferences, and even private groups have usually sold books because people want a souvenir of the occasion. But even if they do sell books on site, if you get 1K or more for an evening talk, how many hardcovers or paperbacks would I have to sell to make that much in royalties?
It's not all about cash, though I won't turn cash down : ) But before money I want book sales and name recognition, and not for the usual reasons. I want to be able to dictate to the industry, not the other way around.
I get that. I've been publishing for forty years and have plenty of recognition, enough that one university library bought my literary papers in a major deal. Well, major for me. I'm not Allen Ginsburg. :-)
As for the industry, given the realities of publishing now, I'm not venturing out into the book market again after my 27th book came out. It's too competitive and most books simply don't sell well. I also don't want to do the publisher's work for them. Publishing has truly become awful as this senior editor recently laid out: https://ideas.bkconnection.com/10-awful-truths-about-publishing
I'd think one awful truth would be enuf : )
It's worthwhile, though, to understand the industry and have no illusions.
Thanks Lev you're preaching to the choir. My 'stack might be the only one finding humor in the whole thing, and questioning beliefs.
Glad to see this. My only freebie is to our local public libraries who always offer to pay but I decline. I have a huge affinity, they're small and operating on very small budgets and it pays off in good will because my books get featured and highlighted and picked and posted on social media. Otherwise it's show me the money :)
Amen to that last thing!
My local library has never invited me to speak and I'm okay with that. I've gotten plenty of newsprint and on-air PR, used to appear as a regular book reviewer for a decade on one station, and I had my own radio show on another.
My local library where I live now is on my street several doors down. I'm in a rural setting surrounded by little rural towns and I happily go to those when they call which isn't often.
I have no problem getting regular, ordinary PR when something is released. I too used to work in media, print though. Weekly art column, etc.
I still review but only on my blog. I used to have an insanely heavy review schedule balanced between print, on-air and online for a now-defunct magazine and I gradually withdrew form various outlets on-by-one when I hit fifty. I needed more time to write. And to live!
I have done sporadic reviews. I'm real good at reading the books, not so good at writing the reviews. I don't know, it's nice for reading not to have a work element to it.
My priorities have shifted around work too. Now I have a nice editing contract, part time and do some other things in between writing.
I love editing writers of all kinds at writewithoutborders.com. The variety and maturity of their work is often inspiring.
But man, reviewing as a gig was hard. And I had to quit working for one newspaper because the new book editor actually said, "I'm not a book person." 😱
"I'm not a book person" is about the WORSE thing a book editor could say! OMG!
I haven't done nearly as many speaking engagements, but I remember with horror an offer to teach a class for one semester for about $65. The pitch was that the school would do all the work of finding students, enrolling them, and collecting payment. I couldn't believe what I was hearing, so I explained that I had no time to add on one more task: I was running a one-day workshop and would earn over $1,000. And this was in the 1990s.
It tells you how screwed up our culture is when people expect they can snag writers cheaply--and should feel grateful they were asked!. I stopped going to mystery conferences because spending all that money and selling few books didn't remotely compare to being invited to a university or JCC to speak, be wined and dined, have all expenses paid *and* get a juicy honorarium.
:-)