Can writers & musicians make a living in the digital age?

Before he signs a new band to his independent music label, Franz Schuller usually gives aspiring musicians bad news: They’re probably not going to be famous. This bitter pill is briskly followed by another: “Whatever they think they knew about the music industry from what they’ve heard, or read, or seen on television, that really doesn’t exist any more,” says Mr. Schuller. “It’s really, really hard for artists out there now. It’s an insanely huge challenge to actually make a decent living playing music these days. That’s the reality.”

That’s a perceptive quote from today’s Globe and Mail which delves into the problems Canadian indie musicians face while attempting to build careers and make any money in today’s Internet age.

One quickly sees the parallel problems faced by Canadian Christian indie writers (that is, writers not contracted to big American or multinational publishers) in the October 15th article by Karen Pinchin, titled “Bands see Web as friend and foe in quest to make it big.”

A group of international music industry types recently gathered in Victoria, B.C. for the fourth annual Transmission conference for music and technology leaders to debate the current challenges facing musicians. Here’s an excerpt from the article:

Mr. Schuller, singer and guitarist for the Montreal-based punk bandGrimSkunk and founder of indie label Indica Records, was one of Transmission’s attendees. He says technology has had innumerable positive effects on the music industry, ranging from band websites, MySpace pages and Facebook accounts that aid promotion and publicity, to digitized songs that can be easily distributed across international borders.

But he also insists that the music industry needs a fundamental rethink, and suggests the allure of social technologies may eventually prove to be a Trojan horse for aspiring bands.

“For all the massive opportunity that the Internet and mobile phones and devices give us by reaching millions and millions of people, there’s also a gazillion bands. It’s really hard to get noticed or to get anyone’s attention,” says Mr. Schuller. “It’s allowed people with absolutely no business competing in the same space to complicate the careers of people who do have a lot of talent. There’s way, way too much stuff out there.”

Read the rest of the article here. As a writer, what do you think about Schuller’s comments? Are there too many mediocre or poor writers self-publishing books, or posting blogs, or jostling for the attention of agents and editors, to the point that more talented writers can’t get attention? Is the Web  making it impossible for most writers to earn a living at it, unless they’re the lucky few who win the publishing lottery? Is there any way that Canadian indie musicians and writers facing parallel issues could work together on finding solutions?

– Wendy Nelles

What Bookstores Offer That Online Retailers Can’t

It’s hard for any bookstores, especially the smaller ones, to match the prices of online retailers, but you’re paying for services that big box stores and online retailers can’t offer, argues John Stackhouse, Canadian author, commentator, theologian and professor at Regent College in Vancouver.

Stackhouse makes some great points on his recent blog, including:

We pay to have books right there on the shelves to buy now, not in a few days or weeks.

We pay to have books available to pick up, inspect, and decide about purchasing in a way websites can never emulate, no matter what cool features they add.

We pay for the wisdom and taste of professional theological booksellers who pick out the good books from the many, many bad ones. (Anyone up for some serious religious book buying at Barnes & Noble or Borders? At Wal-Mart?)

We pay for staff to advise us on what else might interest us on a topic, and also what might interest Uncle Fred or Cousin Wilma or Nephew Barney or Reverend Betty for a birthday or graduation or study leave or retirement.

We pay for information on why a book is not currently available, and perhaps on other ways of getting it (e.g., from the U.K. when it’s not available over here, particularly if it’s been published under a different title elsewhere).

We pay to be able to return things easily and confidently.

And we pay for the serendipity—not a trivial thing—of coming across books we never knew existed and for which we would never have thought to search on a website.

Stackhouse’s argument that ethical decisions of where to buy need to be based on more than just price parallels the increasing trend of people deliberately choosing to buy locally-grown produce, or fair-trade coffee and chocolate, or supporting family-run businesses rather than big box stores.

But that still represents a small minority of consumers. Will enough people support Christian and theological bookstores so that they survive?

Read Stackhouse’s entire blog post, titled “Good Bookstores: If We Ignore Them, They’ll Go Away” — and be sure to see the comments from booksellers and customers that his blog is generating.

For example, one person comments that it’s common for browsers to ask bookstore staff for information and recommendations and take up a lot of their time, then tell them, “Thanks for your help, I’ll go order that on Amazon!”

How Amazon’s hourly best-seller lists are changing the industry

– By Wendy Nelles

You’ve gotta understand algorithms to understand Amazon’s best-seller lists

In yet another example of how the publishing industry is changing dramatically, the ability to electronically and instantly track sales of books ordered online has greatly impacted best-seller lists.

Traditionally, best-seller lists were based on sales from previous weeks at bricks-and-mortar stores. It’s always been an inexact science, and often accused of gross subjectivity due to the sample of retailers chosen to represent sales, the types of “literary” books deemed to be worthy of being included, or the inaccuracy of data gathering. 

As this article in Slate explains it, the use of the word “best-seller” is almost meaningless, because neither the government nor the publishing industry regulates the use of the term, and there are many different lists based on different criteria. Eliza Truitt writes, “What is a best-seller list? It is a ranking of the relative sales of particular kinds of books at certain groups of stores within a one-week period. Best-seller lists tell us not which books sell the most, in absolute terms, but which fiction, nonfiction, or advice books sell the fastest at the bookstores list makers think deserve attention.”

For example, many best-seller charts don’t track genres such as romance fiction, sci-fi, cookbooks or children’s books, or back list titles, classics or mass market paperbacks. A Harlequin novel may outsell the latest Margaret Atwood novel, but we don’t hear about it. Until recently, books sold primarily through Christian bookstore channels were not included in mainstream media’s best-seller lists. This resulted in such oddities as Canadian inspirational fiction pioneer Janette Oke rarely – if ever –  appearing on a major best-seller list, despite selling 27 million-plus copies of her 75 books starting in 1979. Consequently, Oke was pretty much ignored by Canadian secular media, while other authors selling far fewer volumes of a more literary nature in more prestigious stores were feted.

Social networking: tyranny or treasure for authors?

 ”A new kind of promotional strategy is emerging, one where authors are getting online and personal.”

 

Wendy Elaine Nelles

Great article in The Huffington Post on July 27 by  author Joanne Rendell titled “Best Friends Forever? Authors and Their Readers on Twitter and Facebook.” Thanks to agent Janet Grant from Books and Such for Twittering the link.

Rendell makes some excellent points about the growing tyranny of social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and blogs. Authors for royalty publishers are expected to shoulder increasing responsibilities for promoting the sales of their own books. Publishers have slashed budgets for overworked staff publicists, buying ads or subsidizing author tours for all but well-established star authors. They’ve off-loaded promotion onto authors, figuring the author has the most motivation of anybody to try to drum up sales, and knows the most about the book. Simultaneously, improved digital technology, the public’s embrace of the New Media and the growth of social networking has made author self-promotion much more feasible, all from the comfort of his/her own home.

Authors and other professional writers are increasingly expected to keep up a constant flow of pithy, intriguing, entertaining commentary to engage fans and to build buzz for their work — simultaneously using precious time, creativity and energy that should be devoted to their work-in-progress.

Bestselling nonfiction hardback book in history

I knew that The Purpose Driven Life, by California pastor and author Rick Warren, had sold record-breaking quantities since it was first published by Zondervan in October 2002.

But I didn’t realize that — with more than 52 million copies sold — it claims the the position as the bestselling nonfiction hardback book in history, according to Publishers Weekly.  The devotional was also most identified in a Barna survey of American pastors and ministers as the book that was most influential on their lives and ministries, according to The Christian Post. Read the article here.

It’s interesting to speculate: the publishing industry has changed so dramatically since 2002, with fragmenting audiences, fewer Christian bookstores, decreasing book sales, more people using free online resources — if the book were released today, could it achieve the same impact and the same sales figures?

Warren is taking time off to work on his next book, which will be released in 2010 and is titled The Hope of the World. The new book will be about the church’s role, and you probably can get a good idea about his main points from this article posted on pastors.com titled The Church: The greatest force on earth.

It’s highly unlikely that any followup book can match the numbers and buzz racked up by Purpose Driven. Rick Warren is a philanthropist, theologian, entrepreneur and global strategist. He has been the subject of polarizing negative commentary by both liberals and conservatives. He acted as a lightning rod for objecting views from all sides during the Obama U.S. presidential election campaign. So expect the knives to be sharpened as reviewers get their hands on advance reading copies of the new book… and for some to call it a disappointing failure, no matter how many hundreds of thousands it sells.

– Wendy E. Nelles

 

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Rick Warren Embarks on Follow-Up to ‘Purpose Driven Life’

Megachurch Pastor Rick Warren is working on his next book – the follow up to the bestselling Purpose Driven Life, which launched the Southern California preacher into national prominence.

Thu, Jul. 23, 2009 Posted: 10:39 PM EDT

Megachurch Pastor Rick Warren is working on his next book – the follow-up to the bestselling Purpose Driven Life, which launched the Southern California preacher into national prominence.

“I’m in book writing mode right now,” Warren reported in a broadcast to his church members Thursday. “I’ve gone back into hibernation to write the follow up to Purpose Driven Life now, eight years later. It’s going to be called The Hope of the World, and my plan is to release that on Easter Sunday – our 30th anniversary – next year.”

Warren had announced during the 2009 Purpose Driven Network Summit in May that he was going to take some time off soon to work on his next book, which will be about the Church and its role in today’s times.

On Thursday, the evangelical leader asked church members to pray for him as he’s writing.

“[P]ray … that God’s Spirit will guide me in writing this next book just as He did with Purpose Driven Life so that it can change hundreds, thousands, and even more than of lives all around the world,” he said.

Since its release seven years ago, The Purpose Driven Life has sold over 52 million copies and has been described as the bestselling nonfiction hardback book in history. The 2002 devotional book was also most identified in a Barna survey of American pastors and ministers as the book that was most influential on their lives and ministries.

Last year, Warren released The Purpose of Christmas, his first book since Purpose Driven Life. The 125-page gift book, which Warren called “the most evangelistic book I’ve ever written,” hit the New York Times’ list of top 5 bestselling Hardcover Advice books after two weeks on the bookshelves.

All net proceeds of The Purpose of Christmas have gone to benefit Warren’s PEACE Plan – a global initiative created to mobilize millions of Christians in the fight against the five global “giants” of spiritual emptiness, self-centered leadership, extreme poverty, pandemic disease and illiteracy/education.

Eric Young
Christian Post Reporter

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Terms and Conditions – Privacy Policy – Copyright Policyauthor/pastor Rick Warren. He is working on his next book – the follow up to the bestselling Purpose Driven Life, which launched the Southern California preacher into national prominence.Megachurch Pastor Rick Warren is working on his next book – the follow up to the bestselling Purpose Driven Life, which launched the Southern California preacher into national prominence.

A New Publishing Model for Canadian Writers Who Are Christian (Part 5)

N. J. Lindquist

Instead of being completely dependent on editors, agents, and publishers, which also creates competition among writers for the few available spots, why not work together so that each person’s skills are improved and everyone gets their work into a form in which its audience can be found?

Following up on a few points raised in previous posts:

Do I have an idea of what a new publishing model for Canadian authors who are Christian should look like?

A vague one that involves the following three things:

1. Authors working together in some sort of co-op.

If we have to do most of the work and the selling anyway, why not eliminate the majority of middlemen? I’m convinced the only ones actually making money in traditional publishing are the printers and the truck drivers.

In the old model, writers are forced to rely on other people to get their work into print. Cap in hand, we beg for just a moment of agents’, editors’ or publishers’ time, and we latch onto any word of praise that falls from their lips as if it were gold. I’ve watched groups of writers approach editors the same way the fish in my son’s aquarium gather to get their share of the allotted food. Feeding frenzy is the word for it. And anyone who gets selected is immediately transported into a state of euphoria. Is that really the best way to use your God-given gifts?

Quality, Distribution, Branding: Three Issues Canadian Christian Writers Need to Address (Part 4)

Most books aren’t sold simply because they exist — they’re sold as part of a strong marketing plan.

N. J. Lindquist

Let’s assume that as a Canadian author, you’re primarily interested in being published in Canada. How can we change the current situation in Canadian Christian publishing?

Well, The Word Guild (a national  association with the mandate of connecting, developing and promoting Canadian writers and editors who are Christian) has actually been working hard in that area.

I see three key issues:

1. Quality.

We have to make sure that all products published in Canada are high quality – comparable to anything published by U.S. publishers. That’s a pretty big challenge, especially if you’re self-publishing.

In the past, the majority of self-published books simply looked and felt as though they weren’t quite “good enough.”

What we need is a product that is excellent – not only in content, but in every little part; writing that flows and carries the reader along; a cover that is focused, colorful and attractive; a well-done interior layout; and back cover copy that truly makes you want to read the book. Those skills involve superior writing; superior editing (concept, substantive, copy, proofreading, etc.), superior design (both the artwork and layout), and superior advertorial writing.

Most authors (if any) simply don’t have the resources to do most of these things well. The solution is to either hire people with particular skills or find a self-publishing company to do them for you. Most authors can’t afford or don’t want to pay what the “best” editors, artists, etc. would charge, so they settle for less.

How New Media affect book publicity campaigns

Authors: Do you know how to use the tools and communications media this publicist uses every day?

When we’re in the midst of flux and running to keep up with all the changes, it’s easy to forget how many accepted protocols have been transformed in a short time period. Check out this blog from a book promotion specialist in Massachusetts named Stacey J. Miller titled What is Full Service Book Promotion? Thanks for the Twitter tip from Tim Underwood of Graf-Martin Communications Inc.

Here’s an excerpt:

Then came web sites for books and web sites for authors and web sites for publishers. Then came podcasts and book trailers, and along with that, along came iTunes and YouTube and other video-sharing sites. On the heels of that came online press release banks and online article banks. That was a paradigm shift for full service book promotion firms. Suddenly, book publicists didn’t have to hope the media would pick their story ideas from the slush pile.

What Literary Agents Can Do For You (Part 3)

N. J. Lindquist

One of The Word Guild’s members recently said ruefully on our listserv e-mail discussion group, “When this agent enthusiastically agreed to promote my new book, I thought publication was a sure thing. Now he admits that he was naïve to think that the strong story and good writing were enough.”

I think most of us have fallen into this trap at some point or another. Part of it is believing in the “system” and part of it is the old “grass being greener” thing – we never know until we get there what it’s really like, and we always assume “there”  is better than “here.” And of course, once in a blue moon it actually does happen.

Three comments about literary agents:

1. Having an agent doesn’t guarantee a single thing.

Been there, done that. In the 1990s and early 2000, I had two different U.S. agents for about 8 years total, and neither one sold anything. One of them did help me sign two  contracts after I found the publisher.

Interviews with Canadian Authors Bonnie Grove, Angelina Fast-Vlaar

Hear audio interviews with two fine Canadian authors, Bonnie Grove of Saskatoon, Sask. and Angelina Fast-Vlaar of St. Catharines, Ont., who appeared on July 4 on The Drew Marshall radio talk show.

Both women are members of The Word Guild and both are great examples of some of the high quality writing being done by Canadian writers who are Christian. 

Bonnie Grove is the author of the debut novel Talking to the Dead, which has received strong endorsements from other authors and reviews from readers in both the US and Canada. It is already in its second printing after its June release. The fictional work draws on Bonnie’s experience in counselling to deal with the subject of grief and depression. Many readers say they can’t put it down until the book is finished, and they love Bonnie’s quirky style and humour.