The Business of Publishing The gap between a book’s cover price and what the author keeps surprises almost everyone. Here’s the chain of hands the money passes through — and why. Almost every new author is startled, sometimes shocked, by how little of a book’s price ends up in their pocket. You see a … Read more
The Business of Publishing Readers really do judge books by their covers — in about a second, at thumbnail size. Here’s what separates a cover that sells from one that quietly says “homemade.” “Don’t judge a book by its cover” is excellent moral advice and a terrible description of how book-buying actually works. Readers judge … Read more
The Business of Publishing A query is not a summary of your book. It’s a one-page sales pitch with a brutally short window to earn a “send me more.” The query letter is the gate almost every traditionally published novelist has to pass through, and it’s where a huge number of good books die … Read more
The Business of Publishing Neither path is “better.” They’re two different businesses with different trade-offs — and the right one depends on what you actually want. The question “should I self-publish or go traditional?” gets asked as if there were a single correct answer waiting to be discovered, and most of the advice you’ll find … Read more