Statistics tell us that 7 out of 10 book titles do not earn back their advance. In turn this means that roughly 30% of the industry is keeping the rest 
afloat. Which means that authors and genres you don’t like and/or read are making it possible for you to continue writing and/or reading.
I don’t know if those inferences factually hold up — I mean, somebody’s got to be making money somewhere — but they do jive with the way business works. Sports is a great example.
Big market teams keep small market teams in business.
Just look at World Series ratings over the last several decades. When big market teams are in the Series, the ratings are up. For instance, last years’ ratings were A LOT higher than this years’ ratings. So what was the difference?
The New York Yankees.
I hate the Yankees… which is exactly why I (and millions of other Yankee haters) watched. Texas Rangers? Yawn. San Francisco Giants? Zzzz. This isn’t to say these aren’t great organizations with loyal fans but that the engine that drives the MLB is the big market teams. In fact, every year that the Yankees have been in the World Series the ratings are up.
Which is why Bud Selig is praying that the Washington Nationals NEVER make it to the World Series.
Unless it’s vs. the Yankees.
Face it: Dynasties may create an un-level playing field, but they’re great for business.
It’s the same reason why LeBron James went to the Miami Heat instead of staying in Cleveland, thus becoming one of the most hated (cha-ching!) athletes in the world. It’s the same reason that the rest of the world roots against America in international events. It’s the same reason why people hate the Los Angeles Lakers and the Dallas Cowboys. These teams have a track record, they attract the best athletes, and thus they are polarizing. We will PAY to hate on WINNERS.
And as much as you eschew the admission, it is those winners that keep your team afloat.
Likewise: It is authors and/or genres I dislike that carry mine.
A publisher can take a chance on a new author precisely because they have other authors who are making them money. For instance, my publisher has a line of prairie romances. I don’t read prairie romances. In fact, I suspect that prairie romances are subtly undermining the fabric of society (kidding). Point is: As a newly published author, I’m benefiting from prairie romances!
Listen, we can complain all we want about the bottom-line, about publishers sacrificing principle for the Almighty buck. Nevertheless, that’s what keeping publishers in business. I may not like the fact that the romance genre has such a large share of the market. But that fact is, it’s their corner of the market that keeps my niche going.
We can gripe all we want about an un-level playing field, about not having enough advertising spent on us, about how good stories are being glossed over in favor of lowbrow commercialism, about how the big dogs at the top are selling millions of copies and getting awards they don’t deserve…
…about being a small market team.
The truth is, the big dogs are the ones who are carrying you.
Call it an un-level playing field. But there’s a reason why NBC’s featured Christmas game is not The Minnesota Timberwolves vs. the Charlotte Bobcats.
Am I wrong?
I don’t think you’re wrong. And I do hate the Yankees and the Cowboys, and I will root for their defeat. But I won’t watch the World Series unless the Yankees are playing my team, but I will watch the Cowboys if I think they can be beat and cheer raucously if they are. (But I really like Jon Kitna.)
The only thing I “resent” in publishing is the mantra of how “only the best get published, yada, yada, yada . . . ” I don’t have a problem with anyone’s success. More power to them. Big, small, or terrible writers. They jumped through the hoops. Just don’t lay that stuff on me when I can read some of the schlock that gets published in any market.
I think of a different sports analogy: statistics.
Whether it is batting average, completion percentage, three-point shot averages or shots-on-goal, the fact of it is that success _only_ comes when mixed with misses.
_Generally_, British books, boarding school books and fantasies are “misses” in that they are “carried” by other, more mainstream fictions. They have a low batting average, so to speak. Until Harry Potter, of course.
_Generally_, puzzle books, conspiracy novels and sacrilege stories are front-listed for the “bargain” section, unless Dan Brown does a rewrite…
_Generally_, genre detective yarns published posthumously are filler for B&N bookshelves. Then again, The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo seems to be doing okay for itself.
Babe Ruth was a strikeout leader. Michael Jordan missed game-winning shots more than any other player in the league. Brett Favre is the all-time leader in interceptions.
But without their failures, they wouldn’t be Hall-of-Famers.
Well Said! And I say again, Well Said! Thanks, I get it now!
Well said, Mike. As a Twins fan and a closet Vikings fan (Favre is padding those interception numbers this year), I cannot stand the Yankees or Cowboys, but I’ll definitely root for them to get beat. In a way, the Yankees help pay Joe Mauer’s salary.
So now when I go into my local Christian bookstore and see the rows of Amish & historical, instead of lamenting, I’ll remember to say “Thank you.”
Sidenote: It’s been pointed out by the pros that books that don’t earn back their advances (and the percentage according to editors I’ve talked to is over 60%) still make money–just not much. Otherwise with the obvious faux pas of publishing these books, all publishers would be in the red.
You know, I “knew” this, I just never thought about it before. I can clearly see this happening and while I don’t LIKE it, I can deal (especially as regards erotica, “war-porn” and Babysitter’s Club
BTW — as a point of totally useless information: DUNE by Frank Herbert was originally published by Chilton’s Publishing. Anyone who has EVER worked on a POP car as a young adult can clearly visualize an oil-stained Chilton’s Manual sitting propped nearby…Yeah. THAT Chilton’s gave us the “World’s best-selling science fiction novel”.