The stats about the economics of publishing are certainly eye opening. But I would I would argue these dynamics are at play in any creative endeavor--not just publishing. Even though tens of thousands of Americans list “actor” as their profession, only a small number are able to make a stable living as a working actor. And only a rare few are able to make it big—they can all fit into the first several rows of seats at the Oscars.
Yes, “tortured poet” Taylor Swift is a billionaire, but the vast number of musicians are “starving artists” barely getting by. Thousands of bands are formed each year in garages across America and very few will see commercial success. https://ryanclarkself.substack.com/p/the-shocking-truth-about-book-publishing
To the author's point, Substack has opened up countless new opportunities for writers, for which I am very grateful.
Yes, that is very true throughout all artistic endeavors. And yet, I love that it's now possible for even the creators with the smallest audiences to be able to reach them directly!
Do you have any stats on the books that are greater than 1,000 but don't make the 100,000 sales mark. That's still almost 100,000 books. I know there are books that sell 20k to 50k copies and are still considered successful for both the author and the publisher.
And are these numbers for the American market? Because some books break out in Europe or other countries, which its another source of revenue down the line.
Thanks for all the work you're putting into this effort.
The Internet was the dream to atrophy the middleman... putting producers directly in contact with their customers and helping both in the process.
The opposite has occurred. Corporate consolidation of both the platform and the content delivery has resulted in a more powerful and large middleman. Small producers are being squeezed out of existence... including writers, musicians and artists.
Think about how you vote related to this. One party today supports the big globalist corporatist and Wall Street vision... it is the same one that likes the big government vision. The other is more in line with a small producer domestic-focused vision... that also demands a smaller government footprint.
You cannot vote for the side that owns the vision you complain about without being a hypocrite.
The stats about the economics of publishing are certainly eye opening. But I would I would argue these dynamics are at play in any creative endeavor--not just publishing. Even though tens of thousands of Americans list “actor” as their profession, only a small number are able to make a stable living as a working actor. And only a rare few are able to make it big—they can all fit into the first several rows of seats at the Oscars.
Yes, “tortured poet” Taylor Swift is a billionaire, but the vast number of musicians are “starving artists” barely getting by. Thousands of bands are formed each year in garages across America and very few will see commercial success. https://ryanclarkself.substack.com/p/the-shocking-truth-about-book-publishing
To the author's point, Substack has opened up countless new opportunities for writers, for which I am very grateful.
Yes, that is very true throughout all artistic endeavors. And yet, I love that it's now possible for even the creators with the smallest audiences to be able to reach them directly!
Elle,
Do you have any stats on the books that are greater than 1,000 but don't make the 100,000 sales mark. That's still almost 100,000 books. I know there are books that sell 20k to 50k copies and are still considered successful for both the author and the publisher.
And are these numbers for the American market? Because some books break out in Europe or other countries, which its another source of revenue down the line.
Thanks for all the work you're putting into this effort.
Yes! See the very first chart in this post for 2020 numbers. These are for the American market only. https://www.elysian.press/p/creator-economy-for-fiction-authors
Thanks Elle,
I missed this. It’s a small percentage but a large absolute number from the publishing industry’s perspective.
Exactly.
The Internet was the dream to atrophy the middleman... putting producers directly in contact with their customers and helping both in the process.
The opposite has occurred. Corporate consolidation of both the platform and the content delivery has resulted in a more powerful and large middleman. Small producers are being squeezed out of existence... including writers, musicians and artists.
Think about how you vote related to this. One party today supports the big globalist corporatist and Wall Street vision... it is the same one that likes the big government vision. The other is more in line with a small producer domestic-focused vision... that also demands a smaller government footprint.
You cannot vote for the side that owns the vision you complain about without being a hypocrite.