Hans Schantz considers how the decline of mainstream publishing is producing increasingly based independent books on Fandom Pulse:
Mainstream publishing, once the gatekeeper of culture and ideas, is teetering under the weight of its own inefficiencies, ideological rigidities, and disconnect from audience demand. As it falters, a new breed of independent based creators — unburdened by institutional constraints and in tune with their audiences — stands ready to shape the future of culture through a broad-based and decentralized funding and distribution ecosystem.
Hobbled by ideological conformity, bureaucratic inefficiency, and a disconnect from readers, mainstream publishing survives only on revenue from their backlist and from celebrity authors. Elle Griffin observes:
I think I can sum up what I’ve learned like this: The Big Five publishing houses spend most of their money on book advances for big celebrities like Britney Spears and franchise authors like James Patterson and this is the bulk of their business. They also sell a lot of Bibles, repeat best sellers like Lord of the Rings, and children’s books like The Very Hungry Caterpillar. These two market categories (celebrity books and repeat bestsellers from the backlist) make up the entirety of the publishing industry and even fund their vanity project: publishing all the rest of the books we think about when we think about book publishing (which make no money at all and typically sell less than 1,000 copies).
Based creators are poised to thrive in this challenging media ecosystem. Using alternate platforms, they bypass the gatekeepers, fund their projects, and pool their fanbases to enhance their reach and to connect with new fans and readers. They offer authentic entertainment and uplifting stories to readers tired of propaganda and cultural programming. They work in a decentralized fashion that bypasses gatekeepers and connects directly to fans and readers.
All of which is observably true. There’s more, so be sure to read the whole thing. It’s also worth pointing out that the holiday edition of the Based Book Sale is running through tomorrow, December 3rd.