The Publishing Game July 2024

by Jay Hartman

In 1965, The Rolling Stones released their hit song “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.” 1966 brought the track “Paint It Black,” and in 1967 the world heard “Ruby Tuesday.”

Stephen King saw his release of Carrie in 1974 and followed it up with Salem’s Lot in 1975.

George Lucas released Star Wars in 1977, The Empire Strikes Back in 1980, and Raiders of the Lost Ark in 1981.

All of the above are classics.

It doesn’t matter if you were born during the time any of those were released, it’s unlikely here in 2024 that you don’t know something about all of the songs, movies, and books I mentioned.

However, now I want you to consider some other scenario. On the release of “Paint It Black,” The Rolling Stones decide they’re never going to talk about or perform “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” in concert because they’ve moved on to new work. Stephen King does interviews where he says, “I don’t want to talk about Carrie because Salem’s Lot is the work I have now.” On the release of Raiders, George Lucas vows not to mention or support Star Wars because he wants to keep moving forward.

If any of the above scenarios played out, do you think we’d still talk about these masters of their craft decades later? Do you think their careers would have the longevity they’ve had? I think it’s a safe bet if they weren’t showing audiences their backlist of work, they’d never attract new listeners/readers/viewers.

With that in mind, somebody please explain to me why authors treat their short stories, short story collections, and anthology appearances as throwaways? Why do authors fail to support and talk about these works six months after their appearance?

In a discussion group recently one author lamented about their royalty check for three anthology appearances which didn’t total enough to get a slice of pizza. Sure, the anthologies were at least a decade old, but the author also fully admitted they did nothing to promote those anthologies after the initial first push. They even went so far as to say it was the publisher’s responsibility to promote to get the stuff sold, and it was the author’s job to write and move on to the next project.

It’s a nice theory.

If that were the case, we wouldn’t have multiple greatest hits compilations for The Rolling Stones. We wouldn’t have a huge bibliography for Stephen King or a filmography for George Lucas. They recognize the value of embracing all the art they created over the years. They understand it’s not only art but it’s also a business. Keeping people interested in everything they’ve made is a solid business decision.

To win in The Publishing Game, you need to understand the rules. Mind you, if you’re going the self-publishing route, you’ve already decided you don’t necessarily want to follow the publishing rules, and that’s okay. Okay, that is, if you understand not following the rules means you won’t have the same level of success as others have. Few self-published authors have ever hit the bestseller lists of magazines and newspapers, the ones that make a difference in the minds of reviewers, readers, and decision-makers (pssst…Amazon Bestsellers doesn’t count…they’re not even really based on sales).

Here are rules to remember if you want win in The Publishing Game:

1. Never stop promoting your entire body of work. The stuff you wrote 10 years ago is just as valuable as the stuff you write today. There are always new readers who want to go back and read everything. It’s why backlist sales are bigger than frontlist sales. A new release drives sales of older stuff. Heck, Michael Bracken is a legend in crime fiction but recently re-released three volumes of gay erotica he wrote early on in his career when he was trying to get established. Talk about finding a new audience with your older work!
2. Unless you write to entertain yourself or give copies to friends, writing is a business. You need to constantly look at what’s best for the business. Talking about everything you’ve done builds your brand and attracts new readers. Take a page from the Stephen King playbook.
3. If you signed a contract, you’re expected to be a brand ambassador for the title and publisher for the life of the contract. If you agreed to appear in an anthology or have your story in a magazine, there’s no reason you shouldn’t support the publisher who gave you the opportunity. You were paid for your story. They deserve to recoup the investment, even if it’s over the course of years. If you don’t support them, don’t expect them to want to support you for future submissions. It’s a collaborative effort.

I’ll cover more rules of The Game in columns to come. Remember, if you want to achieve success, never move past what you’ve written previously and never stop talking about everything you’ve ever done. You never know which story is the one that will bring you a new reader who wants to consume everything you’ve ever put in ink. That’s a strategy every business can get behind.

Join the discussion! Send your questions to jhartman@mistimedia.com with TPG in your subject line.

WPN Vice President Jay A. Hartman has worked in the publishing industry for more than 30 years. For 13 years he served as the creator and editor-in-chief of Untreed Reads Publishing before the company was acquired in 2022. In 2023 he created Misti Media, a company dedicated to book publishing and author education.