Brooke, you’ve always inspired me as not only a great publisher but a great business woman. Rarely are decisions simple but staying ahead, or at least not being behind is the best way to stay relevant. Thanks for your leadership in this industry.
I second this point, and admit to riding in your wake Gretchen, Brooke, and writers I have met through SWP, Creative Nonfiction, Vermont College if Fine Arts— adventurers all. Thank you.
I've been waiting for your commentary about this. There are always knee-jerk reactions, but the reasoned explanation is hugely important. I'm about to launch a booklet and I've chosen the direct-sale route for a few reasons. Nice to see there's intrigue and movement in this area.
I also love the idea of a small-press co-op. When this happens, I'd love to learn more about it and share with clients.
Wow. Wonderful article to explain why authors are so indebted to brilliant hybrid publishers. Mind boggling environment to survive in, and I love that your attitude is 'Bring It!' Brooke, THANK YOU for taking it on and sharing so freely!
Was SPD distributing the books of hybrid publishers? Did they have some special relationship? Did hybrids use them because the big distributors wouldn't play ball?
I don’t recognize any of the presses on the list (below in further reading) as hybrid. I could be wrong. The big distributors are playing ball with hybrids, though. It’s all about the money. Last year Forefront (hybrid) was the second fastest growing publisher (not just hybrid) of 2023. The distributors are happy to take their cut of the kind of volume we’re able to push out and sell. This is why people seriously misunderstand the staying power of hybrid. Certain ones of us are crushing it. 😊
Thanks Brooke. Not to belabor things, but the PW link (thank you) said the publishers were worried about getting their money back from SPD. Why would they have given SPD money? Aren't distributors compensated by taking a cut of sales?
Yes because even though it's a commission, the distributor collects all the monies and pays the publisher their share. This is very much the agency model, where if you're an agented author, your agent gets the payment, takes their 15%, and cuts the author a check for their 85%. Puts a lot of power of the purse into the distributors' hands, undoubtedly. The other thing SPD clients are worried about is their inventory. So this situation is not without concern.
This is a good piece, Brooke. As both an author and partner in a local, indie bookstore, I think you covered the topic well. And in addition, I felt like there was life wisdom, as well as publishing biz wisdom in your statement that "There is opportunity in the face of change, even when the change isn’t our choice." Another spot-on post.
So thoughtful, precise, insightful. “There is opportunity in the face of change, even when the change isn’t our choice.” Thank you for this indispensable column.
Thank you for sharing your broad and deep understanding of the publishing landscape, Brooke! I know I'm not alone when I say how much I appreciate your clarity and your vision of what publishing can be.
This is a great, highly informative piece. Thanks for writing it! When you talk about direct sales, I wonder if there is some way for SWP or any publisher with a distributor to take orders directly through their website, to build their email/marketing list, and then funnel those orders to the distributor (so the publisher doesn't have to directly deal with fulfillment).
That's a great question, and it's been tried! Aerio was this very solution, a storefront for publishers with fulfillment from the distributor. It was just clunky and the shipping is the killer. For Ingram to fulfill 1s and 2s turned out to be quite expensive. This is another place, though, where the innovation should be coming from the distributor. Aerio was a great idea, but it was a third-party system and idea and it didn't work because Ingram invested in it rather than built it. It would need to be built from within.
I don't know the answer to this and hope that a SPD publisher client will weigh in. Library sales are so driven by reviews, and small presses struggle to get traditionally reviewed for all the reasons the rest of us do---an environment that privileges commercialization and big print runs, etc. etc.
Brooke, you’ve always inspired me as not only a great publisher but a great business woman. Rarely are decisions simple but staying ahead, or at least not being behind is the best way to stay relevant. Thanks for your leadership in this industry.
I second this point, and admit to riding in your wake Gretchen, Brooke, and writers I have met through SWP, Creative Nonfiction, Vermont College if Fine Arts— adventurers all. Thank you.
Brooke,, thank you for this comprehensive explainer. I'm bookmarking this, to share it with other writers. It's excellent.
I've been waiting for your commentary about this. There are always knee-jerk reactions, but the reasoned explanation is hugely important. I'm about to launch a booklet and I've chosen the direct-sale route for a few reasons. Nice to see there's intrigue and movement in this area.
I also love the idea of a small-press co-op. When this happens, I'd love to learn more about it and share with clients.
This is such a clear and informative piece -- and so sensible.!
I wish I could send this to a couple local bookstores, but I have doubts they would take the time to read it.
So so good. I always learn so much from you. Thanks for sharing all your wisdom.
Thank you for sharing this expert deep dive into small press distribution and much more. Super informative with insights for solutions too. Thx!
Wow. Wonderful article to explain why authors are so indebted to brilliant hybrid publishers. Mind boggling environment to survive in, and I love that your attitude is 'Bring It!' Brooke, THANK YOU for taking it on and sharing so freely!
Was SPD distributing the books of hybrid publishers? Did they have some special relationship? Did hybrids use them because the big distributors wouldn't play ball?
I don’t recognize any of the presses on the list (below in further reading) as hybrid. I could be wrong. The big distributors are playing ball with hybrids, though. It’s all about the money. Last year Forefront (hybrid) was the second fastest growing publisher (not just hybrid) of 2023. The distributors are happy to take their cut of the kind of volume we’re able to push out and sell. This is why people seriously misunderstand the staying power of hybrid. Certain ones of us are crushing it. 😊
Thanks Brooke. Not to belabor things, but the PW link (thank you) said the publishers were worried about getting their money back from SPD. Why would they have given SPD money? Aren't distributors compensated by taking a cut of sales?
Yes because even though it's a commission, the distributor collects all the monies and pays the publisher their share. This is very much the agency model, where if you're an agented author, your agent gets the payment, takes their 15%, and cuts the author a check for their 85%. Puts a lot of power of the purse into the distributors' hands, undoubtedly. The other thing SPD clients are worried about is their inventory. So this situation is not without concern.
Thank you Brooke! This is amazing. My guess is that money's gone, or will be after the priority creditors are paid. At least the books exist : )
This is a good piece, Brooke. As both an author and partner in a local, indie bookstore, I think you covered the topic well. And in addition, I felt like there was life wisdom, as well as publishing biz wisdom in your statement that "There is opportunity in the face of change, even when the change isn’t our choice." Another spot-on post.
Fascinating. Thank you for explaining and looking ahead. I'm proud to be one of your authors.
Thanks for this, Brooke.
So thoughtful, precise, insightful. “There is opportunity in the face of change, even when the change isn’t our choice.” Thank you for this indispensable column.
Thank you for sharing your broad and deep understanding of the publishing landscape, Brooke! I know I'm not alone when I say how much I appreciate your clarity and your vision of what publishing can be.
This is a great, highly informative piece. Thanks for writing it! When you talk about direct sales, I wonder if there is some way for SWP or any publisher with a distributor to take orders directly through their website, to build their email/marketing list, and then funnel those orders to the distributor (so the publisher doesn't have to directly deal with fulfillment).
That's a great question, and it's been tried! Aerio was this very solution, a storefront for publishers with fulfillment from the distributor. It was just clunky and the shipping is the killer. For Ingram to fulfill 1s and 2s turned out to be quite expensive. This is another place, though, where the innovation should be coming from the distributor. Aerio was a great idea, but it was a third-party system and idea and it didn't work because Ingram invested in it rather than built it. It would need to be built from within.
Ah, super interesting. Thanks for the reply! I keep learning new things.
Thanks for this deeply informative piece Brooke. I am learning so much from working with Spark Press.
Thanks Brooke. What does SPD's demise mean for getting into libraries? Was SPD any good at this?
I don't know the answer to this and hope that a SPD publisher client will weigh in. Library sales are so driven by reviews, and small presses struggle to get traditionally reviewed for all the reasons the rest of us do---an environment that privileges commercialization and big print runs, etc. etc.