Is Publishing Going to the Dogs?

Let me begin by saying that when it comes to writers Dean Koontz is tied for first place on my list of all time favorites Mark Twain and Jane Austen. However, when I received the latest edition of his newsletter I have to admit I got a little irritated. When I look at the long queue of submissions I have waiting to be read, reading that Mr. Koontz’s dog not only has a book in the book stores but that it is prominently displayed in a way that publishers pay lots of money for struck me as prime example of the sad state of publishing in this country.

Understand, I have nothing against Trixie. I have yet to meet a golden retriever I didn’t like, and I have no doubt she’s a delightful part of his family. But after spending the last year fighting to get some of the excellent books that we publish into bookstores and listening to all the reasons – make that excuses – why it couldn’t be done, perhaps I’ll be forgiven if I get a little irked. Yes, of course, it’s a cute novelty, and knowing that the other writer in the family no doubt had more than a little input into the work is bound to make it a must-have for all Koontz fans, but how do I explain to my frustrated authors that they can’t get into a bookstore but a dog can?

I know that it’s better for bookstores that they can stock their shelves without having to pay for it until they sell the books. Who wouldn’t want to be able to run a business where your merchandise was essentially free until someone bought it from you? Fine, we won’t demand that you have a copy of all our books on the shelf. The question is, would it kill you to at least allow customers to special order the book?

If I had a dollar for every time but bookstore told the potential buyer of one of our books they couldn’t find it, even though every title is listed in Books In Print, I could probably afford to buy my own bookstore.

So, Dean, Trixie, I love you both, and I don’t want to sound like a curmudgeon, but I just can’t help resenting the fact that my people are going begging, and nobody’s tossing them a bone, while your book is getting all that prominent placement on the front tables at Borders. And please don't feel I'm singling y'all out. I feel the same way when I see a book by some over-hyped sports star or flavor-of-the-month media darling or any other novelty that cashes in on celebrity.

I understand publishing is a business - how could I not? But when I know there are talented writers with excellent books who won't earn back their advance because there was no promotional budget for them, knowing how much the shekels that went into promoting whipped cream would have done for them just doesn't sit well with me.

I’ll get over it. I'll also win the battle of the bookstore, because we have superb books written by people of great talent to offer. Once people know they can trust us to provide consistent quality, the stores that now turn up their metaphoric noses will either change their habits or lose out to Amazon and other online vendors who know the trick to success is giving people what they want.