Nobody can deny that authors should help to promote and sell their books. This seems to be standard procedure in the big countries. I find though that the author/publisher situation in the Caribbean, especially for trade books, is sort of unknown territory.
Text books don't need author involvement in the same way, and most of our publishers - the bigger ones - specialize in text book publishing - it is, after all, their bread and butter
But for the trade books - take the business of authors getting copies of their books. If you have a good ongoing relationship with your publisher, chances are you can get copies on consignment. But here's the problem , you have to sell off what you take in a limited time, or return the books or pay for them.
Now, I am supposing that most Caribbean authors are like me with limited disposable income to wrap up in purchasing significant copies of their books, unless there is certainty of sales. It's usually a few books sold here and there, even at literary functions. But, one never knows when an opportunity might arise for a sale, and it is useful to have books at hand.
Personally, I have a good relationship with my publishers, but I know other writers who complain about the reluctance of publishers to give books on consignment. (In fairness some publishers have problems getting payment even for books on consignment to bookstores) But, since the publisher is in charge of royalties and can withhold the payment for the books the author has taken, why the reluctance?
What do you think? (My comments section should be working now)
Hazel, I think that it's because in our country ( I cannot speak to any of the other territories in our region with authority), we see books as textbooks. Books, as children's literature, do not even appear on our radar, so there is no accommodation for the varitey of ways to market and sell children's books. A similar thing happens with bookstores. They say that our children's books take up shelf sapce and do not sell readily. I think it comes back to that core problem: how do we grow the appetite for reading?
ReplyDeleteDiane
We just have to keep on trying, Diane.
ReplyDeleteI do not profess to be remotely knowledgeable about the book industry, but I believe the challenge for childrens' authors is that children in and of themselves, do not buy books.... parents do, and so the books are generally not 'saleable' until some kind of 'buzz' is created, among parents.
ReplyDeleteThe challenge is greater for regional authors especially since Caribbean parents generally are not interested in, and/or cannot afford to buy books outside of textbooks for their children.
Caribbean parents also tend to perpetuate the culture of reading as tedious and boring and the words 'go read a book' is still considered as punishment. Given all of this, in all honesty, we really can't expect our children to be interested in books even with the collaborative efforts of publishers and authors.
It's sad, but nothing short of a radical shift in our cultural perception of "reading as punishment" to "reading as pleasure" will be necessary if Caribbean childrens' literature is to get the kind of recognition it deserves.
We lack the advantage that northern authors have, of aggressive marketing by publishing houses. The books are not just the end product but the means to a true end, which is enhanced reputations for the publishing house and an increase in its 'bottom line'.
As such publishing houses will pull out all the stops to create the kind of buzz that will drive sales even to stratospheric levels, especially if the book is picked up by a movie studio (as so many of them are) and adapted for the big screen. At that point, the marketing/franchising juggernaut usually takes over, further driving sales, not only of the movies but of the books themselves.
I hope one day the Caribbean will reach that level.
Nothing you haven't heard or discussed before, I'm sure, but I'm just saying...
Heather C.