From what I remember with most mergers, that doesn't mean an increase in the number of workers. It usually means workers are laid off as the two companies are consolidated. So I have a hard time believing the argument that authors will have more support with the merger. And honestly I believe that if the merger is allowed to happen the company can promise all they want but they'll probably do what they intend anyway. We can only hope that that intention is positive for those concerned.
For sure. If the merger goes through, PRH will definitely be firing, not hiring. Editors will become even more scarce/overworked for maximum efficiency and getting your debut published will become even less likely.
In my experience, you are correct about mergers leading to layoffs in the imprints acquired. To give just one example, when the imprint I mostly publish with was acquired by RH, along with other imprints, it almost instantly took much, much longer for agents to receive contracts that were still being corrected, etc.. (Think 6 months vs 6 weeks, at least at first.) I think this was because RH (or its European owner) decided that it wasn't necessary for each imprint to have its own accounting department. This sounds logical from a corporate budgetary point of view, but since orally agreed-upon deadlines sometimes existed, writers working from proposals or doing revisions had to keep working on mss and even, in one personal instance I remember, be asked to turn in a project for publication when their contract was still waiting to be completed in order for the imprint to stay on schedule. So, LESS SUPPORT. (All the other imprints' authors' contracts were waiting in the same line, I was told.) Also, many editors lost their assistants (corporate decision to save money, I assume) just as their workload increased. That was not good for editors OR authors.
This. Them saying this won't have any effect on hiring or current jobs is standard practice during mergers. It's never true though. At best they retain all jobs. More likely they'll lay people off. Centralisation, e.g. less capitalism, in an industry never led to more innovation, growth or jobs on a whole. Never, ever. This is just a bad thing for everyone except shareholders.
Sure, the consequences of turning down actual good work from authors coz there is a certain woke political narratives to push that destroys commercial viability is probably a big factor for the mergers. Simply put, the 5 big publishing houses went face-plant teeth all over the place on concrete with YA novels that are for a select niche market and really turned down the general reading public. Like in most woke-progressive dominated industries; it destroys the entire industry itself. Not the demand, but certainly the industry.
The publishing sector rakes in BILLIONS and yet few writers can make a living. There's nothing 'random' about this. It is all calculated and perpetrated.
This need not be an issue. Self-publish. It's the most liberating thing an author can do for him/herself. Once you let go of the desire to be traditionally published, it won't matter anymore.
Where can people find out what the profit margin is for publishing companies? Aren’t they privately owned? So their profits and losses aren’t open to the public right?
@@teshafreeman4019 Penguin random house rakes in over 3 billion a year. Put into perspective, it makes an average of 50k to 250k PER book it publishes (the lower number is if you includes books that aren't published in paper form, which I assume are very low distribution). They generously (sarcasm) give 10% of that to the authors. There are reasonable costs like editing and printing and distribution, but that still leaves maybe 60% money that disappears into the massive number of employees. They have a little less than one employee per book they publish every year. Extraordinarily inefficient? Absolutely. They aren't looking to serve the authors of books. They're looking to catch a couple whales a year and they don't care that the 15K other authors are getting pennies.
@@ACS402010 As tempting as that is I've weighed those options. It's expensive out-of-pocket costs to pay for editing, covers, printing, distribution, and marketing. Wouldn't be able to afford that. It's best to take my chances. They do all of that and help with all of that. I don't mind getting a lawyer to make sure I'm fairly compensated. They should get a bit of the money and credit. It's fair.
Corporate greed will be the end of the trad pub industry, just like it was the end of many industries before it, if we let it continue to grow out of hand like this.
I recall back in the 90s when media corporations argued that consolidation would increase competition. All the wrong people believed them, and now we have all but lost a truly free press. Regardless of PRH's arguments, the merger must not be allowed to go through - as much for precedent and societal direction as anything.
I’ve worked with another entertainment company for a few years now. When I joined, things were pretty awesome! But when a HUGE (billions and billions of dollars) company bought them out, they immediately fired everyone who had been in the core part of the company for 12-15 years because they were independent contractors. Luckily, I was unaffected as a performer…mostly. Now, most of the veterans aren’t just doing one thing, but do multiple things outside of their speciality with the same pay. People that once loved their jobs slowly became more and more miserable. And it’s been sad to watch:/ Especially since it’s in entertainment, an environment (on paper) that’s supposed to be relatively fun… So, I personally am NOT a fan of merging…but I could just be biased…
Yes, keep the conversation going! How else can anyone get quite an overview about the publishing industry, in one location. You continue to do a justifiably outstanding job. Thank you!
Nice channel. Happened to stumble upon it. Merger mania has been killing industry like a cancer since I got my first Deal at Delacorte in 1999. Everyone was so worried about their job that my launch and even the product was botched. A total nightmare. The next book Dell put out in 2001 in paperback and basically tossed it up against the wall and hoped it would stick. Totally dumb. Then I happen to get back my rights to both books in 2010. A small indie press pubs it under its original title, The Innocent (delacorte changed it to As Catch Can...huh?), and it sells 100K units in 1 month leading to a new major deal and others after. Funny thing is I made enough on that book to have earned out the original mid six figure advance. Mismanagement from top to.bottom, but having an affair with my marketing person was fun. The Gramercy Park Hotel was rocking. I've somehow remained a full time author since '99 but only because I'm a hybrid author...
The whole anti-trust and monopoly laws are supposed to be the cornerstone of fair competition in the marketplace. Without it we would be living under just one industry. Also I would be very upset if hardcovers would be taken off shelves in Barnes and Noble. They normally are more durable and hold more value than the paperback reprints. On a different note it is go to know that some authors are staunchly opposed to these events as for someone who want to eventually write and have my work published would not be casted off due to profitability. Last time I check, written works either being suppressed let alone removed from shelves never have broad support from the population. Never mind the fact that books are considered a keystone of free speech and cultural history. I couldn’t imagine what would happen if publishing houses really enacted such policies. It sounds like the they would only want to cater to those whom they personally prefer and profit off of big name rather than take debut writers who don’t fit something that can change on a dime.
But B&N doesn't sell 80% of those books. 80%. They have bought the debut hardcovers, they have displayed the debut hardcovers, and the public isn't buying them. What would you have them do? Do you remember Borders? Books A Million? Want to see the last big box bookstore sink, like the rest of them? If the population wants to support uncensored speech, they are going to have to pay for it.
The merger undermines the completion of ideas in the marketplace. Moreover, mergers allow the big cats at the top to reap more profit by undercutting the worker mice below (writers and illustrators). The can harvest the work of creatives without worrying about whether or not they can survive in the market because there is always another creative out there to exploit and throw away
The fact that Penguin Random House is already the product of a giant merger and the publishing company also owns a plethora of other subsidiaries like Knopf, I can't see how making this colossal giant even bigger could be a good thing. With each industry having about about four or five mega companies currently dominating in their area, I don't know how we continue to think monopoly laws are here to protect us. They clearly aren't and, as with most things in our capitalist world, the richest among us play by a different set of rules.
Don't kid yourself, the upper class have always played by a different set of rules. It doesn't matter if an economy is capitalist, communist, socialist, feudal, a monarchy, or mercantile, it's always the same.
@@noneofyourbusiness7965 Not sure why you felt the need to jump so quickly to the aid of capitalism. Nothing I said was untrue. However, socialist societies DO have a better track record of dealing appropriately with the uber rich abusing their power than capitalist countries have ever attempted. Capitalism is beyond broken it's time to stop buying into the capitalist propaganda that it's the best we've got. It isn't. It never was.
B&N is full of crap. They MADE us return brand new middle-grade books within less than 30 days to make room for new stock. We tried to tell them that this was a bad idea because kids' books get "famous" by word of mouth and kids reading, which means that it takes a bit longer for those books to start being bought by parents because their kid is asking for it. They ignored us. The return rate was ridiculous. We would get new books in every week and have to return anything "old", which sometimes was only two or three weeks depending on how many hardcovers arrived. It was a constant rotation. And they only added those books to the older book section IF they started to sell copies. But how were they supposed to sell and gain traction if the books were barely there long enough for a kid to discover? Our Kid's lead would squirrel away books that she thought people would ask for, but we were constantly getting dinged for not returning more middle-grade books. THEY created a system in which more middle-grade books weren't being sold and then make it sound like the problem is buyers.
I guess this could be taken as a put down but it's a compliment. I can't believe how few subscribers/views this channel has. The content and presentation is top rate and very credible and obviously comes from someone with insider experience. I guess it's a niche field though so perhaps that explains it. But of all the channels I've been viewing that gives advice to writers, this is the best one with the more useful guidance.
Thanks for the thoughtful comment :) I try to focus on building a community of writers/authors, so I'm glad to see that the content is resonating with you!
I find your content informative and I enjoy watching your videos while eating my cereals. On the other hand, what I don’t like ( and please take this as constructive criticism ) is that in most of your videos, it takes approximately 2 minutes or more to get into the subject you approach. I know you have to market your stuff and all, but get through that bit a little faster, or finish your videos with that part. Also, thanks for the news. You are doing a fine job.
Finishing the video with that part defeats the purpose of including that part. She actually does it in a shorter time than some others and you can skip ahead if you are pressed for time.
You seem very well-informed, and you make the news interesting. You also seem a little nervous. Have you tried sitting down while you film? A nice cozy wing-back or a chic stool could make you seem more at ease. You are very high energy. I enjoyed watching.
@@AlyssaMatesic Thanks A. While we're doing this I've got some thoughts about my almost finished manuscript and things related - such as my ideas about writing a book in a way that makes it adapt to this changing world in terns of presentation, and beyond that to a new kind of digital media book for today's young female readers. Have you got say an email connect because I can't spell out this here - far to public. I know my magic book isn't your genre bag but my ideas go way beyond any genre, so you - young but publishing savvy - are just right. I don't have the connections but you do. And it's a big idea I would trust you with. At least think whether some kind of conversation is possible. If you're not interested so be it. Thanks.
Hey Alyssa, were you in the industry during the 2013 merger of Penguin and Random house (the big 6 to big 5 merger)? Just wanted to know how things changed in the time after that merger?
None of this should surprise us. Self-Pub, E-Books, Print-on-Demand, online books sales, the demise of brick-n-morter, etc are throwing a wrench into the traditional publishing world, and who knows where this all ends? It will open avenues of success for some writers, and leave other writers behind. That's how all new trends effect us. And here were are, trying to JOIN this mess! hehehe
I just have to say, picking up ANTITRUST to read this past month has been A RIDE (and very helpful in terms of context and history for the merger talk...AND the B&N debacle).
In my opinion, writers should keep writing, keep striving. With an author's imagination, see it as dark forces trying to steal away an artist's dream. Don't let evil triumph, making you go to the grave with would've best stories. The Pen is a mighty sword & as an author, doesn't the protagonist win in the end :) Keep writing, ignore haters.
Hi Alyssa, I was wondering how you think the possible Penguin & SS merger would affect people trying to break into the publishing industry as publishing professionals, specifically people with minimal experience via internships or about two years in the business? As someone active within the publishing hopeful community, I see a lot of people are struggling to find jobs at the Big Five, and why do you think that is, and will this merger make things even worse for younger publishing hopefuls?
Usually, industry mergers mean mass layoffs, and if not, salary reductions termed "cost cutting programs." These corporations surely must be confident about their latest AI tech developments, on top of all the other nefarious covert intentions mentioned.
The bigger they get, the worse it will be for authors and readers. Because decisions at the top will dictate content, regardless of customer demand. Likewise, they will be able to threaten book stores and online outlets to diminish exposures for certain publishers and / or authors that they don't like. Likewise, they can set advance and royalty payments to whatever they want at that point, and the authors - all but the big names - will essentially have no recourse. This is all the more reason to look to indies and self-published authors. In time, you'll get what we're getting now from the current entertainment complex - watered down, regurgitated content. Lastly, mergers that result in mega corporations are usually a sign that the industry will one day collapse.
Yes, I just said it was about public control and promotion of collectivist political agenda. It ain't about sitting on your donkey and drawing a check for nothing, America, it's about all of you laboring hard, long 12-hour days for nothing, but rudimentary housing, food, medical care, and clothing. If you feel ready to fight about this, then I hope you get what you deserve, but remember when this nice cruise liner they are building to cross the economic abyss they created turns into a hell ship, they will be putting you under a whip and gun to row the damn thing. I will not be there to join in with you, so have fun!
Not harming the consumers? Look at what Disney has done to movies. I'm scared of where this is going and the standards they're going to set for new supposed best-seller books. They may put tons of marketing efforts into books with meager content as a direct result of lower royalty. Eek!
Many.-- lead to the few. The few,-- lead to one. Unless the few are broken up, then we're left w/none. Regardless of the outcome of the trial, the greatest of pervasive threats, will come to the independent publishing industry... . Alluding to an illusion, that freedom of choice will be enhanced for authors by having fewer choices, is akin to seeing water on top of the hot paved road ahead. "Ahhh! To feign a belief by lying to myself,--- what I see is not a mirage! Hurry up! Drive faster, the truth cannot quelch my thirst!"
About the Imprints: while they can compete with each other, I find it difficult to believe that two HarperCollins imprints (as an example) will battle it out via auction or bidding to a high level. All the imprints still have to answer to the higher ups and follow corporate standards. An editor trying to acquire a manuscript does not change the top-down order of publishing imprints or the influence of shareholders eg, Christian Dior and Louis Vuitton are both owned by LVMH. They are both in the same niche - yet are clearly different from each other in terms of branding and offerings. They appeal to the same customer - but aren't really true competitors as LVMH's aquistions have highlighted difference between subsidaries. If anything, publishing is more like the oil industry pre-Roosevelt than luxury fashion, tbh. A publishing house will not tolerate two imprints that are very alike.
@@AlyssaMatesic I definitely hope so. I'm querying my debut, duel male POV MG Fantasy and it is hard enough for me to break into the industry right now. So fingers crossed for good news. 🤞🏽
Like S.D. Huston said. I have also seen companies that promise that a merger will be better for the industry, however, it's for the merger the bottom one that will be helped and it also means a loss of some jobs. It'll take time for the industry to get back the mistrust that happened as was promised at to start of the process.
Hi Alyssa, I just subscribed to your channel! I have two questions related to querying. I've watched a lot of your videos on the querying process and it sounds like the initial contact with agents should be just the query letter, and then the agent decides if they want chapters/pages/etc. However, some submission guidelines on agents' websites ask for chapters or pages in the body of the email with the query letter, up front. Some ask for as many as 50 pages. Is this common? Since my manuscript is completed, I don't have a problem sending a lot of pages or chapters right away. It just struck me as odd that they would ask for it via their websites without reviewing the query or pitch letter first, and a single email with multiple chapters in the body would be rather lengthy, I think. My second question is this: should I consider acquiring copyright protection on my manuscript before sending queries out? Or will that hinder my ability to get a good contract if agencies and/or publishers are wary of copyright laws? Thank you for the content you provide! It's very helpful!
Hi! I’m wondering when should I start querying to publishers? I’m half way through with my manuscript, I still have to make revisions and edit once I finish. Do I start sending query’s now? Or wait once I’ve completed my manuscript?
You must finish. They see your manuscript as a product and you as an investment, but there's nothing there without a completed manuscript. (Aside from the fact that many people start a novel and relatively few finish.)
And I am actually going to have my first book published with a Penguin imprint.... it's confusing and scary. I worry about being a newbie in such a big company anyway.
@@AlyssaMatesic Thank you ❤️. I'm so exited. I got an e-mail with the publication date and questionaries for the press release yesterday night. It's truly sudden. Wow.
With the shift in almost everything from brick and mortal to internet, does anyone know what share of total fiction book sales are e-books and audiobooks vs traditional paper?
I honestly believe that if this merger goes through, its another nail in the coffin of traditional publishing. Authors are simply going to circumvent the system and either self publish or go down the digital first route.
Did you see the information that came out through the trial that revealed: out of 58K trade titles published per year, half sold FEWER than one dozen books. Literally ... what do these publishers think they're going to do without us authors???
Hope I still have a chance getting my book out, if I get an agent first, and being from Australia. My latest work is being edited before it goes to agents. Which are are only in the US as there are no agents in my country who do fantasy.
Mergers are, in almost every case, a bad thing. Not really addressed here is that a writer whose work is decidedly out-of-step with established "norms" has less chance of finding a traditional publisher who is willing to take a risk on publishing books that some might find disagreeable/offensive. The umbrella conglomerate is likely to have guidelines for what is and isn't acceptable that all its "imprints" must follow. Where before there were five conglomerate guidelines, now there will be but four. That gives "mavericks" one less chance of seeing their work on store shelves, unless they bow to the powers that be and conform to what is considered proper. Bah, I've made a mess of things again! Hopefully, you guys will pick up on what I'm so inadequately trying to say.
Alyssa; I saw all thwse issues and concerns. Actually when I am querying i reject some agencies for this reason. Because If i want to get one agent who treat me right i want and safe agency to treat right my books. We have rights as authors and we have protect them.
It's not the agents, it's the publishers. The agents make money when you do. The publishers will try to take every subsidiary right in addition to World English, and throw in crazy clauses that only an agent or literary attorney can decipher. I've never had a contract in which my agent hasn't made them change multiple things. Your agent is always on your side.
@@VickiPetterssonAuthor i agree with u. Many of the agents that reject my book they always said me "love the progress" And they explain me that we love the progress the same because If we choose your book we make everything and many others advices. That i refain above is i reject some agencies because they was rude or scrub.
the publishers are going broke, hence the merger, because it's all woke politics. it is good for authors like me because my books will be in high demand once the insanity ends. should be soon.
People are shocked by how the industry works? and what happens inside there? iWell it just shows that they don't do research before going after anyone. The info is all there....all you have to do is google and youtube, as info is basically everywhere. It is a rough ride and a rough place. The odds are against you each time and only a few make it. It is a scary prospect...but it's like playing the lottery and apparently you have more chance of winning the lottery than publishing. T
Distribution of books doesn't have anything to do with the size of the publishing company. There are a lot of reasons, mostly legal. For example, the publisher may have bought the rights to publish only in the U.S. If no publisher buys the rights to publish in other countries, the books will only be available from the U.S. publisher. Also, some countries have trade laws that restrict publishers in other countries from selling their books there.
when did this petition go around and did any of you authors get the chance to sign it or not, because I never seen it or got the info about this petition. Please acknowledge this comment.
@@DrakeEastwood Dude, we get it. You hate stories that aren't focused on straight white able people. You don't need to keep reminding us in these comment sections.
@@Gaywatch actually if you did some research you would find an evil transhumanist agenda pushing this woke garbage down our throats--not all of us like being f-c-f-ck-d like you. And my book will take the world by storm very soon. psst, btw the main character is a woman. get woke go broke.
Never forget that American publishers do not choose to print same books as British publishers. For example Nora Roberts in the US is a big seller, Brits hate her, consider her amateur and wouldn't buy her books EVER. Different markets. Yet best selling British authors are most often chosen for movie adaptations and not American authors..
Is it proven that B&N's decision will hurt BIPOC more? Sounds like a typical twitter rallying cry without any grounded merit. Still not good news for that genre though. :/
representing bipoc is what woke gatekeepers do because the publishers are out of touch with readers and are in cahoots with the globalists. they are going broke though so that is good. lots of good changes coming.
I can see it if BIPOC are over-represented in certain genres, which coincidentally are the ones that will no longer be stocked in bookstores on launch. A decision doesn't have to have malicious intent to cause harm, but it still deserves consideration if it harms some people more than others.
Right now they are Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Harper Collins, Hachette, and McMillan. In 2013, Penguin and Random House merged to make the Big 6 the Big 5.
Thank you for this very important news. Given that technology has allowed for many more "voices" to enter the marketplace in the form of blogs, etc. did any arguments made during the trial address how these cheaper formats gave rise to an enormous amounts of misinformation? Was the freedom of speech mentioned? The reason why I'm asking is that seems to me that the government has "skin in the game" inasmuch as the reduction of outlets able to compete in the more expensive formats will likely lead to lower quality works to flood the zone.(to quote Steve Bannon) The government has an interest in preserving a professional standard even if they can't control the content of free speech. A democracy can't function properly when the standard for speech drops substantially. Profit takers like the Medium blog also arise and writer wages suffer.
It took you 2 1/2 minutes to even mention what the topic was! I can tolerate about 30 seconds of fluff and self-promotion before people provide actual content but yours is too much for me.
Anti-trust saves the day yet again. Now if they can bust up the big 5 into the big 30 or what have you thatd be great. Monopolization kills art and many other things I wont rant about here Also yay Stephen King!!
Hardly "the biggest news ever in pubishing". I would argue that the biggest news in book publishing was when Amazon opened its doors. I unsubscribed and gave this a dislike because of your click-bait title and heavy channel promotion up front.
It's all about dictating the public's access to information, to include angles of perspective. Collectivist/communist governments are renown for controlling public access to information running contrary to proselytized political agendas.
I have never seen a clickbait title from you before, so I naturally assumed the lawsuit was concluded. Very good,informative video, but please don’t do that again.
But the Barnes&Noble news at 11:45 is, I think, a done deal, and it’s huge and dismaying news to those of us in children’s fiction. Its ramifications are almost impossible to overstate, it seems to me.
I guess that's why your reverse woke (whatever that means) book series is doing so well and flying off the virtual shelves. You're really owning the libs with all your success there.
@@Gaywatch actually if you did some research you would find an evil transhumanist agenda pushing this woke garbage down our throats--not all of us like being f-c-f-ck-d like you. And my book will take the world by storm very soon. psst, btw the main character is a woman. get woke go broke.
@@Gaywatch I know nothing about his book, but let's say his characters are conservative, and so is his theme. It appears he probably would be blacklisted for this alone. Is this fair? I'm a moderate, and the characters in my book express views on both sides. Looking at the Twitter accounts of agents, I have a feeling my book would be turned down because of politically incorrect speech by insensitive characters. Even fictional people don't seem to have freedom of speech nowadays.
@@edwardsmith436 His book is about a young woman who discovers the "truth" about a pandemic and has to train her mind against the lying, coercive media. The synopsis reads top to bottom as "writer who thinks Covid was a hoax "fictionalizes" conspiracy theories but we all know what he's really saying." It's about as thinly veiled as JKR's recent attempt to martyr herself by inserting a subplot into her latest book about an internet personality who gets backlash for being transphobic. There is indeed a difference between moderate conservative thought and alt right conspiracy/bigoted mindsets, although you could argue the latter has bullied the former almost entirely off the central debate stage. There's a difference between writing fiction about the consequences of our government overreaching into foreign affairs versus writing fiction about a bombastic politician whose re-election is stolen by his political opponents. And given Drake's hobby of bringing the plague of "wokeness" into every discussion whether it's relevant or not, I'm not inclined to give him much benefit of the doubt. *Nobody's manuscript is getting turned down for having a cast of straight, white, able bodied people.* 80% of the market still belongs to that demographic. But manuscripts like Drakes could be rejected for their poorly veiled and dangerous messaging. And it's getting awfully tiring watching bigots whine about a problem ("nobody publishes straight/white/abled things anymore") when not only does it not exist, but they still overwhelmingly benefit from their privilege in the publishing world. I don't know what the precise term is for the feeling that happens in privileged people when they lose a teen tiny slice of their power and perceive it as oppression because they're used to being spoiled, but I should go looking for it. And if we don't have a term, we sorely need one. Queer/POC/disabled stories and authors get tossed a few crumbs and white authors throw a hissy fit over losing out on one piece of bread while shoving another serving of prime rib down their throats.
![[DRIP] ‘Woke Up In Tokyo (RUKA & ASA)’ PREVIEW](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/QN44lcR_VkI/mqdefault.jpg)
From what I remember with most mergers, that doesn't mean an increase in the number of workers. It usually means workers are laid off as the two companies are consolidated. So I have a hard time believing the argument that authors will have more support with the merger. And honestly I believe that if the merger is allowed to happen the company can promise all they want but they'll probably do what they intend anyway. We can only hope that that intention is positive for those concerned.
For sure. If the merger goes through, PRH will definitely be firing, not hiring. Editors will become even more scarce/overworked for maximum efficiency and getting your debut published will become even less likely.
In my experience, you are correct about mergers leading to layoffs in the imprints acquired. To give just one example, when the imprint I mostly publish with was acquired by RH, along with other imprints, it almost instantly took much, much longer for agents to receive contracts that were still being corrected, etc.. (Think 6 months vs 6 weeks, at least at first.) I think this was because RH (or its European owner) decided that it wasn't necessary for each imprint to have its own accounting department. This sounds logical from a corporate budgetary point of view, but since orally agreed-upon deadlines sometimes existed, writers working from proposals or doing revisions had to keep working on mss and even, in one personal instance I remember, be asked to turn in a project for publication when their contract was still waiting to be completed in order for the imprint to stay on schedule. So, LESS SUPPORT. (All the other imprints' authors' contracts were waiting in the same line, I was told.) Also, many editors lost their assistants (corporate decision to save money, I assume) just as their workload increased. That was not good for editors OR authors.
This. Them saying this won't have any effect on hiring or current jobs is standard practice during mergers. It's never true though. At best they retain all jobs. More likely they'll lay people off. Centralisation, e.g. less capitalism, in an industry never led to more innovation, growth or jobs on a whole. Never, ever. This is just a bad thing for everyone except shareholders.
Sure, the consequences of turning down actual good work from authors coz there is a certain woke political narratives to push that destroys commercial viability is probably a big factor for the mergers. Simply put, the 5 big publishing houses went face-plant teeth all over the place on concrete with YA novels that are for a select niche market and really turned down the general reading public. Like in most woke-progressive dominated industries; it destroys the entire industry itself. Not the demand, but certainly the industry.
The publishing sector rakes in BILLIONS and yet few writers can make a living. There's nothing 'random' about this. It is all calculated and perpetrated.
Get rid of the parasitic gatekeepers by self publishing.
This need not be an issue. Self-publish. It's the most liberating thing an author can do for him/herself. Once you let go of the desire to be traditionally published, it won't matter anymore.
Where can people find out what the profit margin is for publishing companies? Aren’t they privately owned? So their profits and losses aren’t open to the public right?
@@teshafreeman4019 Penguin random house rakes in over 3 billion a year. Put into perspective, it makes an average of 50k to 250k PER book it publishes (the lower number is if you includes books that aren't published in paper form, which I assume are very low distribution). They generously (sarcasm) give 10% of that to the authors. There are reasonable costs like editing and printing and distribution, but that still leaves maybe 60% money that disappears into the massive number of employees. They have a little less than one employee per book they publish every year. Extraordinarily inefficient? Absolutely. They aren't looking to serve the authors of books. They're looking to catch a couple whales a year and they don't care that the 15K other authors are getting pennies.
@@ACS402010 As tempting as that is I've weighed those options. It's expensive out-of-pocket costs to pay for editing, covers, printing, distribution, and marketing. Wouldn't be able to afford that. It's best to take my chances. They do all of that and help with all of that. I don't mind getting a lawyer to make sure I'm fairly compensated. They should get a bit of the money and credit. It's fair.
Corporate greed will be the end of the trad pub industry, just like it was the end of many industries before it, if we let it continue to grow out of hand like this.
I recall back in the 90s when media corporations argued that consolidation would increase competition. All the wrong people believed them, and now we have all but lost a truly free press. Regardless of PRH's arguments, the merger must not be allowed to go through - as much for precedent and societal direction as anything.
I’ve worked with another entertainment company for a few years now. When I joined, things were pretty awesome! But when a HUGE (billions and billions of dollars) company bought them out, they immediately fired everyone who had been in the core part of the company for 12-15 years because they were independent contractors.
Luckily, I was unaffected as a performer…mostly.
Now, most of the veterans aren’t just doing one thing, but do multiple things outside of their speciality with the same pay. People that once loved their jobs slowly became more and more miserable. And it’s been sad to watch:/ Especially since it’s in entertainment, an environment (on paper) that’s supposed to be relatively fun…
So, I personally am NOT a fan of merging…but I could just be biased…
Yes, keep the conversation going! How else can anyone get quite an overview about the publishing industry, in one location. You continue to do a justifiably outstanding job. Thank you!
Nice channel. Happened to stumble upon it. Merger mania has been killing industry like a cancer since I got my first
Deal at Delacorte in 1999. Everyone was so worried about their job that my launch and even the product was botched. A total nightmare. The next book Dell put out in 2001 in paperback and basically tossed it up against the wall and hoped it would stick. Totally dumb. Then I happen to get back my rights to both books in 2010. A small indie press pubs it under its original title, The Innocent (delacorte changed it to As Catch Can...huh?), and it sells 100K units in 1 month leading to a new major deal and others after. Funny thing is I made enough on that book to have earned out the original mid six figure advance. Mismanagement from top to.bottom, but having an affair with my marketing person was fun. The Gramercy Park Hotel was rocking. I've somehow remained a full time author since '99 but only because I'm a hybrid author...
Whoa I subscribed when you had 1k subs. Now you're almost at 15k. That's amazing!!!
The whole anti-trust and monopoly laws are supposed to be the cornerstone of fair competition in the marketplace. Without it we would be living under just one industry. Also I would be very upset if hardcovers would be taken off shelves in Barnes and Noble. They normally are more durable and hold more value than the paperback reprints.
On a different note it is go to know that some authors are staunchly opposed to these events as for someone who want to eventually write and have my work published would not be casted off due to profitability. Last time I check, written works either being suppressed let alone removed from shelves never have broad support from the population. Never mind the fact that books are considered a keystone of free speech and cultural history. I couldn’t imagine what would happen if publishing houses really enacted such policies. It sounds like the they would only want to cater to those whom they personally prefer and profit off of big name rather than take debut writers who don’t fit something that can change on a dime.
But B&N doesn't sell 80% of those books. 80%. They have bought the debut hardcovers, they have displayed the debut hardcovers, and the public isn't buying them. What would you have them do? Do you remember Borders? Books A Million? Want to see the last big box bookstore sink, like the rest of them? If the population wants to support uncensored speech, they are going to have to pay for it.
The merger undermines the completion of ideas in the marketplace. Moreover, mergers allow the big cats at the top to reap more profit by undercutting the worker mice below (writers and illustrators). The can harvest the work of creatives without worrying about whether or not they can survive in the market because there is always another creative out there to exploit and throw away
The fact that Penguin Random House is already the product of a giant merger and the publishing company also owns a plethora of other subsidiaries like Knopf, I can't see how making this colossal giant even bigger could be a good thing. With each industry having about about four or five mega companies currently dominating in their area, I don't know how we continue to think monopoly laws are here to protect us. They clearly aren't and, as with most things in our capitalist world, the richest among us play by a different set of rules.
Don't kid yourself, the upper class have always played by a different set of rules. It doesn't matter if an economy is capitalist, communist, socialist, feudal, a monarchy, or mercantile, it's always the same.
@@noneofyourbusiness7965 Not sure why you felt the need to jump so quickly to the aid of capitalism. Nothing I said was untrue. However, socialist societies DO have a better track record of dealing appropriately with the uber rich abusing their power than capitalist countries have ever attempted. Capitalism is beyond broken it's time to stop buying into the capitalist propaganda that it's the best we've got. It isn't. It never was.
B&N is full of crap. They MADE us return brand new middle-grade books within less than 30 days to make room for new stock. We tried to tell them that this was a bad idea because kids' books get "famous" by word of mouth and kids reading, which means that it takes a bit longer for those books to start being bought by parents because their kid is asking for it. They ignored us. The return rate was ridiculous. We would get new books in every week and have to return anything "old", which sometimes was only two or three weeks depending on how many hardcovers arrived. It was a constant rotation. And they only added those books to the older book section IF they started to sell copies. But how were they supposed to sell and gain traction if the books were barely there long enough for a kid to discover? Our Kid's lead would squirrel away books that she thought people would ask for, but we were constantly getting dinged for not returning more middle-grade books. THEY created a system in which more middle-grade books weren't being sold and then make it sound like the problem is buyers.
Starting to think more and more self-publishing is the way to go.
I guess this could be taken as a put down but it's a compliment.
I can't believe how few subscribers/views this channel has.
The content and presentation is top rate and very credible and obviously comes from someone with insider experience.
I guess it's a niche field though so perhaps that explains it.
But of all the channels I've been viewing that gives advice to writers, this is the best one with the more useful guidance.
Thanks for the thoughtful comment :) I try to focus on building a community of writers/authors, so I'm glad to see that the content is resonating with you!
In light of the fact that Penguin and Random House used to be two separate companies, it'll be interesting to see what the Judge's decision is.
Thanks for the news. I’m writing a MG horror book now. I’m just going to keep going and see what happens.
If you're heart-bent on being an author, this is the best advice there is. Follow your passion and go from there.
@@VickiPetterssonAuthor never give up
Thanks for the update.
Great topic and you presented it well. This stuff is good to know. Peace.
I find your content informative and I enjoy watching your videos while eating my cereals. On the other hand, what I don’t like ( and please take this as constructive criticism ) is that in most of your videos, it takes approximately 2 minutes or more to get into the subject you approach. I know you have to market your stuff and all, but get through that bit a little faster, or finish your videos with that part. Also, thanks for the news. You are doing a fine job.
(You can always skip ahead a bit.)
Finishing the video with that part defeats the purpose of including that part. She actually does it in a shorter time than some others and you can skip ahead if you are pressed for time.
You seem very well-informed, and you make the news interesting. You also seem a little nervous. Have you tried sitting down while you film? A nice cozy wing-back or a chic stool could make you seem more at ease. You are very high energy. I enjoyed watching.
Very useful info A. Thank you
Glad it was helpful!
@@AlyssaMatesic Thanks A. While we're doing this I've got some thoughts about my almost finished manuscript and things related - such as my ideas about writing a book in a way that makes it adapt to this changing world in terns of presentation, and beyond that to a new kind of digital media book for today's young female readers. Have you got say an email connect because I can't spell out this here - far to public. I know my magic book isn't your genre bag but my ideas go way beyond any genre, so you - young but publishing savvy - are just right. I don't have the connections but you do. And it's a big idea I would trust you with. At least think whether some kind of conversation is possible. If you're not interested so be it. Thanks.
Thanks for sharing this news.
Nicely done!
Hey Alyssa, were you in the industry during the 2013 merger of Penguin and Random house (the big 6 to big 5 merger)? Just wanted to know how things changed in the time after that merger?
A great question, and unique insight, if you remember and can compare!
Thank you. Such an amazing video.
Glad you enjoyed it!
None of this should surprise us. Self-Pub, E-Books, Print-on-Demand, online books sales, the demise of brick-n-morter, etc are throwing a wrench into the traditional publishing world, and who knows where this all ends? It will open avenues of success for some writers, and leave other writers behind. That's how all new trends effect us. And here were are, trying to JOIN this mess! hehehe
Self publishing gives control back to authors. Traditional publishers will go the way of the Dodo.
I can't remember the last time I walked into a Barnes and Noble brick and mortar store.
I just have to say, picking up ANTITRUST to read this past month has been A RIDE (and very helpful in terms of context and history for the merger talk...AND the B&N debacle).
You explained this really well. Thank you!
Glad it was helpful!
In my opinion, writers should keep writing, keep striving. With an author's imagination, see it as dark forces trying to steal away an artist's dream. Don't let evil triumph, making you go to the grave with would've best stories. The Pen is a mighty sword & as an author, doesn't the protagonist win in the end :) Keep writing, ignore haters.
Hi Alyssa, I was wondering how you think the possible Penguin & SS merger would affect people trying to break into the publishing industry as publishing professionals, specifically people with minimal experience via internships or about two years in the business? As someone active within the publishing hopeful community, I see a lot of people are struggling to find jobs at the Big Five, and why do you think that is, and will this merger make things even worse for younger publishing hopefuls?
Usually, industry mergers mean mass layoffs, and if not, salary reductions termed "cost cutting programs." These corporations surely must be confident about their latest AI tech developments, on top of all the other nefarious covert intentions mentioned.
More videos like this, please!!!
The bigger they get, the worse it will be for authors and readers. Because decisions at the top will dictate content, regardless of customer demand. Likewise, they will be able to threaten book stores and online outlets to diminish exposures for certain publishers and / or authors that they don't like. Likewise, they can set advance and royalty payments to whatever they want at that point, and the authors - all but the big names - will essentially have no recourse.
This is all the more reason to look to indies and self-published authors.
In time, you'll get what we're getting now from the current entertainment complex - watered down, regurgitated content.
Lastly, mergers that result in mega corporations are usually a sign that the industry will one day collapse.
Yes, I just said it was about public control and promotion of collectivist political agenda. It ain't about sitting on your donkey and drawing a check for nothing, America, it's about all of you laboring hard, long 12-hour days for nothing, but rudimentary housing, food, medical care, and clothing. If you feel ready to fight about this, then I hope you get what you deserve, but remember when this nice cruise liner they are building to cross the economic abyss they created turns into a hell ship, they will be putting you under a whip and gun to row the damn thing. I will not be there to join in with you, so have fun!
Not harming the consumers? Look at what Disney has done to movies. I'm scared of where this is going and the standards they're going to set for new supposed best-seller books. They may put tons of marketing efforts into books with meager content as a direct result of lower royalty. Eek!
I knew about the merger, but not about B&Ns policy. I should look into what's happening with Chapters/Indigo in Canada.
Let us know if you find anything interesting!
Many.-- lead to the few. The few,-- lead to one. Unless the few are broken up, then we're left w/none. Regardless of the outcome of the trial, the greatest of pervasive threats, will come to the independent publishing industry... . Alluding to an illusion, that freedom of choice will be enhanced for authors by having fewer choices, is akin to seeing water on top of the hot paved road ahead. "Ahhh! To feign a belief by lying to myself,--- what I see is not a mirage! Hurry up! Drive faster, the truth cannot quelch my thirst!"
About the Imprints: while they can compete with each other, I find it difficult to believe that two HarperCollins imprints (as an example) will battle it out via auction or bidding to a high level. All the imprints still have to answer to the higher ups and follow corporate standards. An editor trying to acquire a manuscript does not change the top-down order of publishing imprints or the influence of shareholders
eg, Christian Dior and Louis Vuitton are both owned by LVMH. They are both in the same niche - yet are clearly different from each other in terms of branding and offerings. They appeal to the same customer - but aren't really true competitors as LVMH's aquistions have highlighted difference between subsidaries. If anything, publishing is more like the oil industry pre-Roosevelt than luxury fashion, tbh. A publishing house will not tolerate two imprints that are very alike.
Oh noooo, that totally affects meeee. Why B&N!? 😭😭😭
Hopefully some good news pops up for middle grade authors soon! 😪
@@AlyssaMatesic I definitely hope so. I'm querying my debut, duel male POV MG Fantasy and it is hard enough for me to break into the industry right now. So fingers crossed for good news. 🤞🏽
Like S.D. Huston said. I have also seen companies that promise that a merger will be better for the industry, however, it's for the merger the bottom one that will be helped and it also means a loss of some jobs. It'll take time for the industry to get back the mistrust that happened as was promised at to start of the process.
Hi Alyssa, I just subscribed to your channel!
I have two questions related to querying. I've watched a lot of your videos on the querying process and it sounds like the initial contact with agents should be just the query letter, and then the agent decides if they want chapters/pages/etc. However, some submission guidelines on agents' websites ask for chapters or pages in the body of the email with the query letter, up front. Some ask for as many as 50 pages. Is this common? Since my manuscript is completed, I don't have a problem sending a lot of pages or chapters right away. It just struck me as odd that they would ask for it via their websites without reviewing the query or pitch letter first, and a single email with multiple chapters in the body would be rather lengthy, I think.
My second question is this: should I consider acquiring copyright protection on my manuscript before sending queries out? Or will that hinder my ability to get a good contract if agencies and/or publishers are wary of copyright laws?
Thank you for the content you provide! It's very helpful!
Hi! I’m wondering when should I start querying to publishers? I’m half way through with my manuscript, I still have to make revisions and edit once I finish. Do I start sending query’s now? Or wait once I’ve completed my manuscript?
When you finish and polish your manuscript.
@@SaraJaneTriglia Thank you!☺️
You must finish. They see your manuscript as a product and you as an investment, but there's nothing there without a completed manuscript. (Aside from the fact that many people start a novel and relatively few finish.)
And I am actually going to have my first book published with a Penguin imprint.... it's confusing and scary. I worry about being a newbie in such a big company anyway.
Congrats Brigitte!
@@AlyssaMatesic Thank you ❤️. I'm so exited. I got an e-mail with the publication date and questionaries for the press release yesterday night. It's truly sudden. Wow.
What’s your book called?
@@kellydepaz525 it's called ' Abducted ' and is a Fantasy novel about a group of villagers trying to safe children.
With the shift in almost everything from brick and mortal to internet, does anyone know what share of total fiction book sales are e-books and audiobooks vs traditional paper?
With the way technology has overtaken the world, I’m surprised authors haven’t gone out and done things independently.
I honestly believe that if this merger goes through, its another nail in the coffin of traditional publishing. Authors are simply going to circumvent the system and either self publish or go down the digital first route.
Did you see the information that came out through the trial that revealed: out of 58K trade titles published per year, half sold FEWER than one dozen books.
Literally ... what do these publishers think they're going to do without us authors???
@@VickiPetterssonAuthor that's unbelievable!!
@@rosieradcliffe5578 Painfully.
Hope I still have a chance getting my book out, if I get an agent first, and being from Australia. My latest work is being edited before it goes to agents. Which are are only in the US as there are no agents in my country who do fantasy.
Hey, loved your contents, are you also in audea?
Mergers are, in almost every case, a bad thing. Not really addressed here is that a writer whose work is decidedly out-of-step with established "norms" has less chance of finding a traditional publisher who is willing to take a risk on publishing books that some might find disagreeable/offensive. The umbrella conglomerate is likely to have guidelines for what is and isn't acceptable that all its "imprints" must follow. Where before there were five conglomerate guidelines, now there will be but four. That gives "mavericks" one less chance of seeing their work on store shelves, unless they bow to the powers that be and conform to what is considered proper. Bah, I've made a mess of things again! Hopefully, you guys will pick up on what I'm so inadequately trying to say.
Alyssa; I saw all thwse issues and concerns. Actually when I am querying i reject some agencies for this reason. Because If i want to get one agent who treat me right i want and safe agency to treat right my books. We have rights as authors and we have protect them.
It's not the agents, it's the publishers. The agents make money when you do. The publishers will try to take every subsidiary right in addition to World English, and throw in crazy clauses that only an agent or literary attorney can decipher. I've never had a contract in which my agent hasn't made them change multiple things. Your agent is always on your side.
@@VickiPetterssonAuthor i agree with u. Many of the agents that reject my book they always said me "love the progress" And they explain me that we love the progress the same because If we choose your book we make everything and many others advices. That i refain above is i reject some agencies because they was rude or scrub.
The way the publishing business operates will ultimately lead to its demise, in the same way the music industry has ended itself.
the publishers are going broke, hence the merger, because it's all woke politics. it is good for authors like me because my books will be in high demand once the insanity ends. should be soon.
Right this is the only outcome I see
I’ve tried to get the free resource twice and it hasn’t been sent both times. Please help 😂
video starts at 2:30
People are shocked by how the industry works? and what happens inside there? iWell it just shows that they don't do research before going after anyone. The info is all there....all you have to do is google and youtube, as info is basically everywhere. It is a rough ride and a rough place. The odds are against you each time and only a few make it. It is a scary prospect...but it's like playing the lottery and apparently you have more chance of winning the lottery than publishing.
T
I'm hoping to become a debut author in MG, so the B&N news is unsettling.
I had just decided to switch genres. This is unsettling AND I'm already multi-published. Strategy ...
Would a merger between S&S and PRH have any different result than if S&S just folded and closed it doors?
Being as big they are, I hope they do branch out internationally to new regions too, grabbing their books here is quite a task 😔
Distribution of books doesn't have anything to do with the size of the publishing company. There are a lot of reasons, mostly legal. For example, the publisher may have bought the rights to publish only in the U.S. If no publisher buys the rights to publish in other countries, the books will only be available from the U.S. publisher. Also, some countries have trade laws that restrict publishers in other countries from selling their books there.
I could be wrong....I'm gonna take a guess/stab before I get more than 2 seconds in? Patrick rothfuss? Book 3? HMMMM????
What is Buy block ?
This is why the indie author publishing sector is thriving. Many indie authors make six-figure and seven-figure incomes per year.
when did this petition go around and did any of you authors get the chance to sign it or not, because I never seen it or got the info about this petition. Please acknowledge this comment.
BIG PUBLISHING'S greed will destroy the the industry just as the record industry destroyed itself.
actually their woke politics has pretty much destroyed their bottom line, hence this merger.
@@DrakeEastwood Dude, we get it. You hate stories that aren't focused on straight white able people. You don't need to keep reminding us in these comment sections.
@@Gaywatch actually if you did some research you would find an evil transhumanist agenda pushing this woke garbage down our throats--not all of us like being f-c-f-ck-d like you. And my book will take the world by storm very soon. psst, btw the main character is a woman. get woke go broke.
Never forget that American publishers do not choose to print same books as British publishers. For example Nora Roberts in the US is a big seller, Brits hate her, consider her amateur and wouldn't buy her books EVER. Different markets. Yet best selling British authors are most often chosen for movie adaptations and not American authors..
i dont understand what any one of these people has done to deserve the highest forces fighting for their wants
This is news to me. Why did the two companies merge?
So they can dominate the industry. That's the goal of all monopolies
@@absolutelycitron1580 figures
Can you cite examples of self published fiction novels ,especially sci-fi & fantasy, that are not WOKE?
my book Punch Drunk Fever is a reverse woke story.
Is it proven that B&N's decision will hurt BIPOC more? Sounds like a typical twitter rallying cry without any grounded merit. Still not good news for that genre though. :/
representing bipoc is what woke gatekeepers do because the publishers are out of touch with readers and are in cahoots with the globalists. they are going broke though so that is good. lots of good changes coming.
I can see it if BIPOC are over-represented in certain genres, which coincidentally are the ones that will no longer be stocked in bookstores on launch. A decision doesn't have to have malicious intent to cause harm, but it still deserves consideration if it harms some people more than others.
Biggest News Ever? Maybe the invention of the Gutenberg press was a tad bigger news in Book Publishing than this case.
Haha, that's fair!
Is writing screen plays more promising then trying to get a publishing deal from these over worked employees at publishing agencies. ? 🤔
I don't think ANY of the Big Four will publish my book...🤔
can I read it
Better to self publish it.
keep trying. this demonic woke brainwashing spell is almost over.
What are the big five publishers .....?
Right now they are Penguin Random House, Simon & Schuster, Harper Collins, Hachette, and McMillan. In 2013, Penguin and Random House merged to make the Big 6 the Big 5.
Thank you for this very important news.
Given that technology has allowed for many more "voices" to enter the marketplace in the form of blogs, etc. did any arguments made during the trial address how these cheaper formats gave rise to an enormous amounts of misinformation? Was the freedom of speech mentioned? The reason why I'm asking is that seems to me that the government has "skin in the game" inasmuch as the reduction of outlets able to compete in the more expensive formats will likely lead to lower quality works to flood the zone.(to quote Steve Bannon)
The government has an interest in preserving a professional standard even if they can't control the content of free speech. A democracy can't function properly when the standard for speech drops substantially. Profit takers like the Medium blog also arise and writer wages suffer.
The bottleneck of "acceptable" narrows
Yes, a less free market has always worked wonders in any industry.
/sarcasm
This is NOT good news! There shouldn’t even be a “Big Five.” It should never have gone below a “Big Fifty.”
It took you 2 1/2 minutes to even mention what the topic was! I can tolerate about 30 seconds of fluff and self-promotion before people provide actual content but yours is too much for me.
All Big 5 publishing houses are owned by the same parent company. This merger is a joke.
Oh shit which company is that? Is it blackrock?
2:23
Anti-trust saves the day yet again. Now if they can bust up the big 5 into the big 30 or what have you thatd be great. Monopolization kills art and many other things I wont rant about here
Also yay Stephen King!!
Hardly "the biggest news ever in pubishing". I would argue that the biggest news in book publishing was when Amazon opened its doors. I unsubscribed and gave this a dislike because of your click-bait title and heavy channel promotion up front.
It's all about dictating the public's access to information, to include angles of perspective. Collectivist/communist governments are renown for controlling public access to information running contrary to proselytized political agendas.
Me: I'm for authors being paid less
You: Dear God, why?
Me: Just cuz 😎
Like so many things, it means more and more of less and less. Sigh.
Well said.
I knew I liked Stephen King…
Publishing is too dominated by political correctness.
I have never seen a clickbait title from you before, so I naturally assumed the lawsuit was concluded. Very good,informative video, but please don’t do that again.
But the Barnes&Noble news at 11:45 is, I think, a done deal, and it’s huge and dismaying news to those of us in children’s fiction. Its ramifications are almost impossible to overstate, it seems to me.
@@rdrydnghdwolfe1396 ah, I am sorry to hear that.
It took you 2:30 to get to the topic.
Omg, Alyssa. Pls don’t start putting on that goofy face to attract viewers! You’re so much better than that.
get woke go broke
I guess that's why your reverse woke (whatever that means) book series is doing so well and flying off the virtual shelves. You're really owning the libs with all your success there.
@@Gaywatch actually if you did some research you would find an evil transhumanist agenda pushing this woke garbage down our throats--not all of us like being f-c-f-ck-d like you. And my book will take the world by storm very soon. psst, btw the main character is a woman. get woke go broke.
@@Gaywatch I know nothing about his book, but let's say his characters are conservative, and so is his theme. It appears he probably would be blacklisted for this alone. Is this fair? I'm a moderate, and the characters in my book express views on both sides. Looking at the Twitter accounts of agents, I have a feeling my book would be turned down because of politically incorrect speech by insensitive characters. Even fictional people don't seem to have freedom of speech nowadays.
@@edwardsmith436 His book is about a young woman who discovers the "truth" about a pandemic and has to train her mind against the lying, coercive media. The synopsis reads top to bottom as "writer who thinks Covid was a hoax "fictionalizes" conspiracy theories but we all know what he's really saying." It's about as thinly veiled as JKR's recent attempt to martyr herself by inserting a subplot into her latest book about an internet personality who gets backlash for being transphobic.
There is indeed a difference between moderate conservative thought and alt right conspiracy/bigoted mindsets, although you could argue the latter has bullied the former almost entirely off the central debate stage. There's a difference between writing fiction about the consequences of our government overreaching into foreign affairs versus writing fiction about a bombastic politician whose re-election is stolen by his political opponents. And given Drake's hobby of bringing the plague of "wokeness" into every discussion whether it's relevant or not, I'm not inclined to give him much benefit of the doubt.
*Nobody's manuscript is getting turned down for having a cast of straight, white, able bodied people.* 80% of the market still belongs to that demographic. But manuscripts like Drakes could be rejected for their poorly veiled and dangerous messaging. And it's getting awfully tiring watching bigots whine about a problem ("nobody publishes straight/white/abled things anymore") when not only does it not exist, but they still overwhelmingly benefit from their privilege in the publishing world.
I don't know what the precise term is for the feeling that happens in privileged people when they lose a teen tiny slice of their power and perceive it as oppression because they're used to being spoiled, but I should go looking for it. And if we don't have a term, we sorely need one. Queer/POC/disabled stories and authors get tossed a few crumbs and white authors throw a hissy fit over losing out on one piece of bread while shoving another serving of prime rib down their throats.
@@edwardsmith436 absolutely correct. no agent will touch your work if you're conservative