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Children's publishing "haemorrhaging talent"
15.07.11 | Caroline Horn
The industry is "haemorrhaging talent" as authors and illustrators are finding it increasingly difficult to make a living in the children's sector.
Agent Caroline Sheldon said that she estimated that fewer than half of the children's authors who previously made a living from writing five or 10 years ago are now doing so. She said: "The big things are getting bigger and the middle area is getting squeezed." While authors used to be able to diversify outside their main area, cutbacks in publishers' lists have made extra work scarce, she added.
Agent Laura Cecil pointed to a collapse in royalty payments for books sold, leaving authors dependent on advances for income. She said: "Prices for children's books have barely risen since the mid-1990s, and this makes it hard for children's authors to clear their advances and receive royalties." She compared this to the adult market, where many r.r.p.s are now in the region of £20.
Sheldon said authors who had written three books, for example, are finding it hard to get any more contracts, unless their books have already become bestsellers. She cited Antony Horowitz and Michael Morpurgo, who both took many years to become established. She said: "There used to be a longer maturing period when publishers would work with authors to help them break through. Now careers are being lost after book three."
Children's authors contacted by The Bookseller agreed that life is tougher. Julia Jarman said: "Royalties are down, advances are down, and publishers are offering less for new books." She said she now relies on paid visits to schools, rather than book sales, for the bulk of her income. "School visits used to represent a third of my income but is now two-thirds; it has swapped places with my income from books." However, some authors said they have seen income from school visits decline as budgets are cut.
Fiction and non-fiction author Anne Rooney said children's non-fiction has been hit hardest in the downturn. "Over the past three years, I've gone from turning work away to a point where schools and libraries commissions are virtually zero." She said the majority of the commissions she was receiving were at a lower price than they were two years ago.
New writers are equally dispirited. Nick Green said: "I am not going to kid myself that I can support my family by writing fiction. At best it is extra pocket money. I would never give up the day job—not even if my next advance was six-figures, because another might never come again."
Author Wendy Meddour, who gave up her job to write fiction and picture books, said the gap between commission and publication, sometimes up to four years, makes it hard to make money.
Publishers' terms are also getting tougher for new authors. One author, who declined to be named, said her publisher had refused to sign her completed second book until they saw how her first book sold. She added: "I've been told that it doesn't look good to move to another publisher, but it has made my financial situation very difficult."
Agents may also become unaffordable, warned another author who preferred not to be named. "Why pay 15% and VAT when I set up most of the deals myself? It used to be nice to have someone to do the nagging for money and so on, but it's a luxury I can't afford any more."
However, Caroline Walsh at David Higham Associates said: "I believe that the caution among publishers is directly related to the recession rather than any permanent change within the industry."
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I have just finished my first children's novel and have found it impossible to find an agent, not because I can't write but because I've been told time and time again that they 'don't have the time' to support a new writer. It's an investment that they are unwilling to make because there's no guarantee of a financial return for them. The one agent who did show an interest also rejected my work because she wanted perfection as she did not wish to spend the time helping me to improve my work at all.
The major book sellers don't appear to market new writers as much as the older, more established authors which is also part of the problem.
It sounds trite to say it - but it's true - J.K.Rowling ruined it for the rest of us. Publishers are now only interested in best sellers. The major bookstores are too greedy when it comes to charging publishers for "preferred positions" in their windows and inclusion in their "3 for 2" promotions. The whole publishing world, thanks to the massive Harry Potter franchise, has become obsessed with celebrity names rather than quality. I had two YA books published in 2007 and 2008. There was no promotion whatsoever, so the books sunk without trace - despite being nominated for several awards. Apparently, my publishers spent all the marketing budget on Geri Halliwell's Books (that she wrote herself, of course). Mind you, I think Harry Potter has probably done the same to the film industry. My local cinema is showing the latest Harry Potter film three times a day for the rest of the summer. I pity some poor beggar who directed a nice little children's/family film and it will never see the light of day because the distributors don't want to know.
Go indie! Amanda Hocking led the way. OK, so we'll never make a fortune but at least our books are out there being read by real people instead of sitting on a computer unnoticed.
Rowling ruined it for everyone, except for the impressive number of new authors taken on and effectively marketed by Bloomsbury Childrens because of the Harry Potter money, of course. Publishers *have* to be interested in bestsellers, that's what funds the new authors who take 3 or 4 books to build a following, or indeed who never build a following.
Presumably the comments in this feature were based on a questionnaire of some kind circulated by the Bookseller. I'd like to see the questions, if authors are asked their opinion then in these lean times inevitably that opinion will be less than positive! Yes it's depressing reading and much is certainly true, these are arguments we've seen before, but it may not be the entire picture.
There's a great deal of pressure on children's writers and illustrators to be innovative and to explore new digital media as well as traditional publishing. There are probably some creators who are comfortable with this media and perhaps they are surviving well. However from what I can see, whatever the media the financial incentives are just not there. It's hoped that the expansion into digital media will become a great saviour for the industry, but personally I'm not placing any bets just yet. Placing faith in technology is a dangerous thing, of course new developments are important, but far better I feel is to tackle the much more important problem of book circulation - support the libraries and independent bookshops, not the ipad. I know several illustrators who have dropped out of children's books because they simply can't survive on advances alone. One very well known colleague told me that even if their latest book sells out it's first, small, print-run they still can't make any money due to discounting, and the chances of a second print are small.
The only think that keeps the UK industry afloat is foreign rights sales. It's tempting to think that British publishers are turning into licensing agents - small domestic print-runs, fingers crossed for the crucial co-editions that will make the book viable.
Publishers are only interested in best sellers? well a book has to have a market, it doesn't need to be a best-seller, but it does need to sell, I think it's unfair to blame it entirely on the publishers, they're a business like any other. The real problem is the market, the undermining of the reading ethic, the loss of our libraries and consequent emphasis towards retail commercialism. The buying public no longer has the broad range of outlets whereby lesser known books can develop a following. Thus publishers concentrate on works they know they can sell. If it's not well known the bookshop chains won't stock it, or it will be buried and forgotten on the shelves. Books either sell or are invisible, there is no middle ground. The problem then is the book selling market, not the production company.
I had one YA novel published - a long time after the original contract was signed and at the worst time of year for a new author. (October's "super Thursday.") Despite originally telling me that a sequel would be a good idea - something I wanted to write anyway - the publisher declined to publish it because of inadequate sales of the first book. They've also rejected my third, unrelated, YA book. Undeterred, I'm now on my fourth. But I'm beginning to fear I may never get another published. It's certainly a very tough market.
John, there were no specific questions, we were just invited to share our experiences of the market. You said 'if authors are asked their opinion then in these lean times inevitably that opinion will be less than positive!' Well, we were not asked our opinions but to give factual evidence. I now earn less per book than I did ten years ago. I am also expected to do more for the money. That's not an opinion, it's a fact. It's a negative experience - I'm sure the inhouse editors, the printers and other suppliers are not paid less than they were ten years ago. It's a bit odd, isn't it, as the bit we supply is the part that is absolutely crucial and can't be replaced by something else? If paper costs to much, they can produce digitally; if editors are too expensive, they can cut corners (God forbid), but they can't publish a book that hasn't been written.
Sorry, pressed the wrong key and deleted part of my name! Shd be StroppyAuthor
The book distributors are to blame - there's something wrong with the system itself - but the publishers and their sales staff and the major daily print journalists are also. Most seem to be controlled by money people who don't think in terms of culture, new ideas and voices or art, but in terms of celebrity and sales. Books were once about higher knowledge and thought. Now they're a business. When I heard the head of an imprint at Random House call it a 'book factory' about 15 years ago, I knew writers were in BIG trouble! Everything has gone downhill since then. It's a bigger problem than Rowling and Hollywood. It's happening across all the arts - note the music industry. It's happening in education - note the high fees being charged the young, who can't depend on getting jobs after university. It's also due to increasing computerization, which we should all oppose. After all, it is unecological. But look on the bright side: Once our resources dry up, our communication system will also, then we'll need books on paper again. Maybe we'll sit around the campfire and tell each other stories again! In the meantime, the cultured are going to have a much harder time of it than they ever have before, unless they can think of some clever way to make themselves appear more valuable to the money men. Without ideas people, the money men won't make money. Remember that.
Anonymouse, I fell off my chair laughing when I read your comment. Anyone who thinks they can get their first novel published is living in cloud cuckoo land. Of course no agent or publisher is going to want to mentor you, it's up to you to learn the craft. Maybe when you have half a dozen manuscripts in your bottom drawer you might then be ready for publication.
'The whole publishing world, thanks to the massive Harry Potter franchise, has become obsessed with celebrity names rather than quality.' It is inaccurate and unfair to tar J.K. Rowling's writing with the celebrity / poor quality brush. She is a real author - one who contributed massively to the visibility and buoyancy of the children's market. And I'm not even a Potter fan.
Enough of the publisher-bashing! I challenge you to find me an editor who isn't in it purely for the love of books and getting kids reading - we are not getting any richer doing what we do than authors are. Just because a book has been written does not mean that it is worth reading, let alone publishing.
JK Rowling sold her first book for a tiny advance and received no marketing help from her publisher. Write a story that captures kids' imagination and sparks "you must read this book" word of mouth where it counts—in the playground.
Rowling and Paolini were discovered. It IS possible for children's authors to come to the attention of the publishers. That being said, the economics of the BUSINESS side, not the creative side of publishing, make it so that an author really has to show the potential to sell well to sustain themselves and everyone in the 'food chain' of publishing, from agents to bookstores.
Some writers have successfully self-published for this very reason-to cut out the middleman as much as possible. In which case, they can then afford to make the price lower, NOT because it is lower quality, but because it is digital, for example, or because it is going directly to the buyer, the shortest distance between the two points.
The other problem is not even addressed in this article, however--how many kids are actually reading a book? Or feel they need a non-fiction book when there is so much data for free online, or very cheap. This is the real problem. Fiction will remain popular because it is unique, creative. Non-fiction for kids as a highly-crafted editorial product might go the way of the Dodo simply because of the expensive involved, especially in high-production value non-fiction books.
I fear - along with all the other things I fear as an author - that Anon 3 is wrong. Since childhood is transient, the readership being renewed every ten years, and since so many books are passing out of print, it will be possible simply to rerelease old titles with new covers and appear to be publishing prolifically. Look at the number of different format versions of the sure-fire successes. Not new, just repackaged. Strictly speaking there is no need to commission another book - ever - and the smaller the number of titles the simpler the marketing budgets. After all, there are only 12 holes in a supermarket display unit. Why confuse the public with a superfluity of new and unproven books?
As a tide Wimpy Kid clones sweeps away the Twilight clones, I'm less than convinced by this crisis argument. Based on the proof copies (usually teen thrillers) that I get from publishers hunting for a cover quote, most of these books fail becasue they're poor attempts to copy somehting else. The reason authors like Jacqueline Wilson and Michael Morpurgo are selling more books than ever is becuase they've carved a distinctive niche and consistently produce great books.
But who's commissioning all those lame clones, Robert? All the 'business-minded' publishers and 'money people' discussed earlier who refuse to 'take a risk' on anything original or 'unproven'. Just like at least 90% of the films that come out of Hollywood. I'm at a loss for DVDs to rent anymore. I read the blurbs and see it's yet another story I've seen a hundred times before...and yes, the same is true of far too many books. I'm not bashing anyone. I know for a fact there are plenty of excellent original books and films out there that can't find a publisher or a producer, just the latter are terrified of losing their jobs if they publish or produce too many 'misses'. But the hysteria and insanity of all that IS creating a cultural wasteland. It used to be that editors and filmmakers let the highly commerical fare finance the quality fare. Books and films that have become classics were often not best-sellers at the start. But by most accounts, the decision-makers are not allowed that option anymore.
I got my very first manuscript accepted for publication - by Simon & Schuster no less. It's out on August 4th and foreign rights have already been sold too and an optioning deal is on the tabl. So it IS possible for a first time writer with their first ms to get published - I'm living proof!
It is a tough industry to break into for sure, and an even tougher one to stay in, given the pressure on sales and the difficulty in earning out your advance. I could never have quit my job to write full time if I'd stayed in London. My solution was to upsticks and move from London to Bali - one way of making your advance go further for sure. It's not cloud cuckoo land but it is close!
Sadly it's partly down to the shops too...I don't have the space to hold stock of the thrid or fourth book of a writer that only sold a very small amount. Don't get me wrong if I love the book I will go hell for leather for it!
Every title on the shelf HAS to earn it's keep that's just a fact, even if I love a book and it doesn't sell there will come a point where we stop stocking it.
What happened to the publishers giving us POS to use and proof copies to give the new writers the exposure?
I think kids book could go up in price by a small amount..but it would have to be done very carefully...after all parents are willing to pay £50 for a computer game.
No, come on. This rant about the 'bean-counters' or whatever being in charge of publishing has been around for longer than I've been alive. You're being wilfully blind if you can't see that we've been living in a golden age of children's literature for some time now. Look at the stuff on the shortlists. There's absolutely brilliant, original, literary stuff out there, often from new authors. And yes, as always, a lot of that is being cross-subsidised by commercial children's fiction, but even that is generally slicker and better than anything I remember from my own childhood.
(Film is another matter, but it's not like there aren't extraordinary stories being told on screen at the moment - just look at TV. We're box-set consumers much more than we are cineastes these days, and the fact that TV often gets 20-odd one hour episodes to tell stories is allowing writers to produce some incredible work.)
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