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Question: Every new book represents a risk that the publisher and the author take on, discuss?

Mar 5th, 2009
by gav.

Alright, this all stems from the whole debate around authors/publishers missing deadlines. I keep having deferring opinions on it. 

The writer in me thinks that well it’s got to be good and it can’t be rushed and it’s going to bad if they rush it so everyone is going to just have to wait.

The reader in me thinks ok that’s all very well and good but lots of authors manage to either meet deadlines or miss them with no fuss being made.

My suggestion that publishers of big long fantasy series might want to hold off starting a series until they know they can end it – or in other worlds have everything written up ready before publishing anything, didn’t go down well on Tor.com.

Anyway, that got me thinking about game that is publishing. Is it really the case that ‘Every new book represents a risk that the publisher and the author take on’?

Is there anything that can be done to even the odds? or at least make it more stable for readers and publishers? And is there a particular issue with the seemingly never ending stories that are multi part fantasy series?

Anyone have any thoughts?

Posted in: question.

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  • @ wend - it's like a car crash people want to see what all the fuss is about. It's human nature. Something along the lines of all publicity is good publicity and unfortunately it might be a cliché but it's bloody true!

    @ Martin I agree but there has to be reason why publishers feel confident in releasing long series and that has to do something with a need a reader to enter a world and never leave or at least revisit the same world or several worlds. Doesn't appeal to me but then I'm never one to settle in the same place too long.

    @ Tia. Hey! I'm loath to start both of those - I'm with you - give me a closure. Mark Chadbourn's Age of Misrule, Dark Age and Kingdom of the Serpent are three arcs within an overall story though I don't think they were planned like that but each has enough satisfaction that you don't need to read the next trilogy but the ending of the last one makes you.

    @ Barbara is that Autonomy.com? I've been on it once or twice. I was planning on going back. I think the reason I didn't was the quality of the stories that were getting lots of praise weren't that good as you've said.

    The trouble is that most unpublished and unedited writers - myself included - don't step back enough and really try to figure out why someone should care about their story and what they can do from edits and revisions to make that connection.

    That mass feedback system is too forgiving - as we know editors are heartless ;) That's a lie but I've read lots of unpublished work and it does start feeling that diamond mining but all you're coming up with is coal!
  • @ wend - it's like a car crash people want to see what all the fuss is about. It's human nature. Something along the lines of all publicity is good publicity and unfortunately it might be a cliché but it's bloody true!

    @ Martin I agree but there has to be reason why publishers feel confident in releasing long series and that has to do something with a need a reader to enter a world and never leave or at least revisit the same world or several worlds. Doesn't appeal to me but then I'm never one to settle in the same place too long.

    @ Tia. Hey! I'm loath to start both of those - I'm with you - give me a closure. Mark Chadbourn's Age of Misrule, Dark Age and Kingdom of the Serpent are three arcs within an overall story though I don't think they were planned like that but each has enough satisfaction that you don't need to read the next trilogy but the ending of the last one makes you.

    @ Barbara is that Autonomy.com? I've been on it once or twice. I was planning on going back. I think the reason I didn't was the quality of the stories that were getting lots of praise weren't that good as you've said.

    The trouble is that most unpublished and unedited writers - myself included - don't step back enough and really try to figure out why someone should care about their story and what they can do from edits and revisions to make that connection.

    That mass feedback system is too forgiving - as we know editors are heartless ;) That's a lie but I've read lots of unpublished work and it does start feeling that diamond mining but all you're coming up with is coal!
  • HarperCollins has a slush pile where visitors can read and vote for new manuscripts authors have submitted for an opportunity to be published. The manusripts work there way up a series of levels until once per month HarperCollins chooses from a list of the best rated manuscripts. By using this method, the publishers already know how popular the story has been and will have a better gauge for profit once published. This method has its pros and cons as any story with a literary slant to it may not have a hope in h**l, because the readers on hand tend to read at the lower end of the scale.
  • HarperCollins has a slush pile where visitors can read and vote for new manuscripts authors have submitted for an opportunity to be published. The manusripts work there way up a series of levels until once per month HarperCollins chooses from a list of the best rated manuscripts. By using this method, the publishers already know how popular the story has been and will have a better gauge for profit once published. This method has its pros and cons as any story with a literary slant to it may not have a hope in h**l, because the readers on hand tend to read at the lower end of the scale.
  • I have to agree with Martin. As soon as I know a story is being dragged out beyond a trilogy, my interest declines. Why not finish the current story, then write other stories in the same fantasy world? Give us some closure, for crying out loud. I have abandoned both The Wheel of Time and A Song of Fire and Ice.
  • I have to agree with Martin. As soon as I know a story is being dragged out beyond a trilogy, my interest declines. Why not finish the current story, then write other stories in the same fantasy world? Give us some closure, for crying out loud. I have abandoned both The Wheel of Time and A Song of Fire and Ice.
  • The answer is not so much publishers of big long fantasy series holding off starting a series until they know they can end it but rather them not publishing big long fantasy series at all. there is no reason why you can't contain everything in a single novel. There is certainly no reason you can't contain it in a trilogy.
  • The answer is not so much publishers of big long fantasy series holding off starting a series until they know they can end it but rather them not publishing big long fantasy series at all. there is no reason why you can't contain everything in a single novel. There is certainly no reason you can't contain it in a trilogy.
  • wend
    It would be interesting to hear the viewpoints of some blogging publishers to this question.

    I've followed, but haven't commented, on many blogs about G.R.R. Martin and his writing schedule. Personally, I think 'leave the bloke alone' there's plenty more out there to read until the next instalment eh. And, chances are, the book will be better for it too - better than being a rush-job as you've mentioned.

    But, I'd be interested in a publisher's viewpoint on missed deadlines, length of time between series novels, and whether a lot of chatter about a particular author (both positive and especially negative) is ultimately still good (or bad) for the author/publishing house. I'm kinda thinking along the lines of that mantra famous people use, that it's better to be in the news than not at all etc.

    It's like banned books, or heavily criticised books, in that they become bestsellers - if that makes any sense.
  • wend
    It would be interesting to hear the viewpoints of some blogging publishers to this question.

    I've followed, but haven't commented, on many blogs about G.R.R. Martin and his writing schedule. Personally, I think 'leave the bloke alone' there's plenty more out there to read until the next instalment eh. And, chances are, the book will be better for it too - better than being a rush-job as you've mentioned.

    But, I'd be interested in a publisher's viewpoint on missed deadlines, length of time between series novels, and whether a lot of chatter about a particular author (both positive and especially negative) is ultimately still good (or bad) for the author/publishing house. I'm kinda thinking along the lines of that mantra famous people use, that it's better to be in the news than not at all etc.

    It's like banned books, or heavily criticised books, in that they become bestsellers - if that makes any sense.
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