Poobah: So, in our past discussions we’ve covered a few issues ranging from the cost of hardcover and paperback books to the futures of publishing companies when newspapers, etc. are dropping like flies. This time, I want to bring up a few points, the first of which is ghost writers. Now, ghost writers have an interesting profession in that – in theory at least – we’re not really supposed to know about them and their work is attributed largely to other authors. We recently posted about the fact that James Patterson uses ghost writers for a large portion of his work and now, when times are lean and publishing itself is threatened, one has to wonder what is going to happen to ghost writers now that even “regular” authors are having a hard time.
Personally, I think that ghost writers may have more trouble than new authors since their work is largely unknown to the public under their own names, and since if they have to stop writing for another author then it’s not like they can fall back on the market for news or magazines since so many of those are having to shut down.
Gambit: That becomes a problem when bookselling is dependent, not on good stories, but on author recognition. For example, I got an advertisement email from Border’s a couple of days ago stating that since I had recently bought a book by author X, I might also be interested in an upcoming book by that same author. Nevermind what it was about. Would I be interested in pre-ordering? It was all about the author, not the book.
And while I understand that we all have favorite authors that we know how they write, and their subjects, and that we’d be more inclined to go back to them since to us they’re a “known commodity”, what happens when, as you say, times become lean? That’s a question that is of concern not only for us, the readers, but also for the “background writers”, as I like to call them. I can understand the desire to break into the business, and a person can’t be faulted for going that route if it’s the only one available to them, but what is that same person to do after? Do they sell themselves as “Former Ghost Writer for James Patterson”? Actually, I’m thinking times might become desperate enough that I wouldn’t be surprised to see it.
On a more personal note, the whole business of ghost writers bothers me on a whole other level: if I buy a book that has an author on the cover, I paid expecting to read a book written by that author. I equate it to going to see a movie because Sandra Bullock is listed on the marquee, or Harrison Ford, Will Smith, Julia Roberts, etc: If their names are listed, it’s because they’re being advertised as being actors in that film. Imagine if fans showed up this November for the first showing of New Moon, only to find that Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson had been replaced by “ghost actors”? There would be riots at “Hot Topic”!
But somehow we’re expected to accept that from authors? I don’t get it.
Poobah: I’m with you on the ghost writer thing, though I imagine that the writers themselves must feel differently or the market wouldn’t exist in the first place. I do think it possible that ghost writers may come out alright in the end, given that they only work for big-name authors and surely the publishers themselves know what they do – but you made a good point about readers. We often buy books because we know we like an author. I know that I enjoy Jim Butcher, Anne Bishop, and other writers, and to think that I would buy the latest book by one of my favorite authors only to find that it was written by someone I’ve never heard of would be disappointing to say the least. I think the actor comparison is apt and puts that issue in perspective quite well. So, now that we’ve chewed up that topic and spit it out I’ll go into the next one, which jives nicely with your ending statements.
Movies from books seem to be very popular lately – personally I think it’s because Hollywood lacks creativity – and the success of such movies as Harry Potter, Twilight, and the upcoming Percy Jackson and the Olympians movies cannot be denied, but you have to wonder where the popularity really begins. Personally, I think that the movie-book industry feeds on itself. The book is popular, thus it is picked up and made into a movie (or tv series) which then sells more books, et cetera. It’s a nice little circle, but unlike your normal circle, it does have a point of origin which I posit to be book sales.
So, what makes a book sell? A large part may be “institutions” like the New York Times bestseller list – which has included some bestsellers I’d happily consign to a barbecue pit – or sites like this which review books and encourage readers to look for specific books or certain authors in a genre. Part of the credit also goes to marketing, pr, advertising, and word of mouth. Twilight, for example, was a great story written…well, not so great…and yet it sold like wildfire, and those sells picked up dramatically with the announcement of a Twilight movie. Granted, Stephenie Meyer is a talented story teller, but I can think of more worthy books and authors. I personally think that Twilight was just exceptionally well marketed and promoted by bookstores and publishers, which contributed to it sales. After all, when you walk into a bookstore you always take a look at the books that are up front in case something catches your eye and I will admit to the sin of judging that particular book by its eye-catching cover art, which got me to pick it up, and the blurb on the back, which got me interested enough in the story to buy it.
But, when times get lean will publishers want to dish out for that kind of PR and the necessary fees for copyright and cover artists to make that catchy look? It was not long ago that most books had the look of the thrifty Barnes&Noble Classics out there. Marketing a book nowadays can rely pretty heavily on just how good a book looks. So what happens if publishers need to save money on production costs? Will they skimp on the cover art, or just keep increasing prices (as we previously discussed) to match their needs?
Gambit: A quick aside: I got to live in a time when hardcover books were plain, and dustcovers were sold separately. End quick aside.
Several years ago I read an article in a magazine in which the process of creating and selecting a cover for an upcoming book was followed. It was a long and expensive process in which the publishing company, the design company, and the author would go back and forth on the options offered by the design company, making suggestions and offering feedback. For that specific book, about a dozen different covers were initially designed, each sufficiently similar to a theme the publisher wanted to create (specific color, certain font styles & sizes, etc.), but each different enough that it was just hard to decide. They all looked like cousins of each other. I strongly suspect that — if it hasn’t happened already– that process will be streamlined tremendously. Let’s face it: Publishing companies are not exactly swimming in money right now, and any cutbacks they can make, they will make.
Oh, and books definitely come first in the popularity department. Since the beginning of the motion picture industry, I can only think of two instances where that role has been reversed: Star Wars and Star Trek have both launched franchises in the book-publishing world, but those are pretty much it.
Instead, movie studios look to capitalize on the fanbase of a specific book or series of books. Nothing will excite the head of a Movie Studio more than the phrase “Successful Movie Franchise”. And for that to happen, a book has to have, not just readers, but fans. Think Harry Potter. People held parties for book releases. They made up their own fan fiction. For free. There was money to be minted there, and Warner Brothers capitalized.
On the other hand, “Twilight” had the same type of rabid fans, but much smaller in numbers, so the first movie was shot as an independent film, to gauge if the fans of the book would follow into fans of the movie. And they certainly did.
So, if movies are not leaders but followers of popularity, how will publishers try and make the book successful in the first place?
In the book “The Tipping Point”, Malcolm Gladwell points out that two people with very different characteristics have to come together for an idea (or product) to take off: A Maven, & A Connector.
Mavens are experts. You may even know some of them. If you had to buy a car tomorrow, is there someone you would call for advice? How about if you were trying to figure out where to invest your savings? Or which good movies are coming out next year? A maven –A person that other people listen to –is necessary for an idea or product to spread. Also equally important is a Connector. A Connector is just like he sounds: he reaches people. He spreads the ideas or opinions of the maven. In his book Gladwell points out that American Revolutionary Paul Revere was both a Maven (he was a leader in multiple community organizations in New England, and well respected throughout) and a Connector (all across the Northwest United States, people knew who he was). When it came time to spread the word that the British Army was coming, many riders set out on their designated routes to raise the alarm that the British were coming, but only Paul Revere made a huge difference: People knew him (connector), and they trusted him (maven).
A modern example of both? Oprah. She of the single name can put a book on the bestseller list just by placing it in her Book Club. She reaches people, and people trust her.
As time goes on and budgets tighten, publishers will look to replicate these scenarios. They already do it to a point with book tours by the author. He (or she) becomes the Maven who travels for weeks on end to Connect with potential readers.
Another way that publishers are looking to recreate connectors is with book “trailers”. Many recent books will have pre-release video segments similar to movie ones that try and entice readers to buy the book.
Poobah: True. I have noticed an increase in the number of book trailers, and I find it interesting that now they seem to be going low on budget and putting them out on YouTube…some of them are glorified PowerPoints and some look like home videos…but it’s a great idea since the tv commercial advertising for books is undoubtedly expensive and only works well for big-name authors. I do believe publishers will try to take advantage just as you said, but I suppose the real question is: Will it work?
After all, the market for books can be unpredictable even to experience publishers. A seemingly great story can flop and one that may not seem so great can become a bestseller right off the bat. It will be interesting to see how the publishing industry deals with issues like marketing, movies (or tv), acceptance of new works or authors, and to see what happens to ghostwriters over the next few years.
I doubt the market will suffer horribly unless the economy suddenly plunges to a worse state than it is now, but I do think there will be some proverbial tightening of belts until the economy can start running again instead of crawling and begging for scraps.
And maybe someday, the movie industry will find something original to film – and pigs will fly.
Originality notwithstanding I am looking forward to the latest Harry Potter movie as much as the next person and I’m perfectly giddy about seeing my favorite books going to film, provided that it’s done well.
