Monday, September 8, 2014

There's a New Dancing Baby in Town by Linda S. Glaz



In recent years, with sad adieus, we’ve seen the scaling back of some of the larger publishers, and the emergence of some new ones. You know them. They are called smaller publishing houses by many. And with good reason. They ARE smaller. Many are in their infancy. But does that make them a last choice for submissions?
Hear this: a resounding “NO!”
Many of these new and emerging publishers have done their homework and are catching the current wave of reality. While many offer print, their emphasis, in many cases, is on ebooks. And they do it very well. They do both very well.
And while they work with many multi-published authors, they are also willing to take a chance on some of the amazing writers who can’t break into larger houses. It takes a great deal of money to groom and prepare new authors, and large houses have only so much money and room for new authors. The up-and-coming houses, relying a great deal on social media for promotion, can promote their authors with less financial drain. Word of mouth becomes more important as well, but we’re seeing authors shooting to the top of their genres where yesterday they couldn’t crack the publishing nut!
Look at it this way. Think of larger publishers as dancers who have gone through all the stages to arrive at the party ready to waltz. They learned to walk, to run, and finally to waltz with mature, talented finesse.
Think of the emerging publisher this way. They are babies/toddlers still in the walking stage, but turn on the music and what happens? Have you ever seen a baby dance? They laugh, they throw their hands in the air. They giggle. The enthusiasm is so contagious. And there you have it. The smaller publisher is so full of passion. They are full of life. Few are reserved. You can hear them speak at conferences with all of the zest of a dancing baby hearing music for the first time. And they carry that enthusiasm to their clients and to their readers.
You see, there’s room in the industry for the mature, skilled and established publisher, but there’s also room for the excited, enthusiastic, emerging publisher. They each bring a different skill-set to the publishing world.
Watch out world, there’s a new dancing baby in town!

11 comments:

Janet Grunst said...

Thanks for the informative and encouraging publishing industry news. So often lately, it has been discouraging for those of us trying to get published for the first time.

Linda Glaz said...

Boy, do I hear you, Janet. It feels like there are just so many slots for new authors, and there are an abundance of new and really amazing authors. It cheers my heart to see some wonderful new publishers taking the chance and walking away with many award-winning new authors. yeah!!!

Jackie Layton said...

What an encouraging post.

I have an 18 month old granddaughter who loves to dance. If she hears music, she's moving. She makes me smile, and your post today makes me smile too.

Thanks!

Karen Campbell Prough said...

I'd love to be one of the award-winning new authors! :) I think all writers need encouraging these days.

Rick Barry said...

Although it's easy and tempting to dwell on negative news, you remind us once again that there are bright spots in the biz, too. I am always In the Mood for that!

Diana Flegal said...

Made me giggle and smile too Linda! Our state fair is going strong this week and it made me think of a big dancing baby under the big top! LOL

Linda Glaz said...

So glad, Jackie. I know it's very discouraging some days, but you never give up, always have hope. It only takes one editor, one publisher and then watch out!
Karen, I'd love for you to be as well! And I think you're on your way.

Linda Glaz said...

Boy do I understand, Rick. There are days when I wonder why I'm beating my head against the wall, and then I think of how so many brilliant and classic authors were told no so many times before they were told yes.
Diana, I just love to watch babies dancing. So joyful!

Joyce Hart said...

There are some small publishers that are doing pretty well. They have talented editors and are getting the books into distributors, both for e-books and print books. Of course, as always the author has to market on the internet. Takes time and energy, but it pays off.

Linda Glaz said...

It's exciting to see them grow exponentially while others are pulling back. Exciting times!

Anonymous said...

Great post! I almost blushed as you were describing ME! Stepping into this independent publishing world this year with my own works - and hoping to become a venue for helping other writers with similar vision to get their work in the hands of an audience with what I have learned along the way. So thankful for peer professional mentors who are helping me in my baby steps.
Joy!
Kathryn Ross