Notes to a Midlist Author About The Publishing Business (All authors actually)

Midlist

I wrote this in response to a blog post by a midlist author, Michael Mammay posted here where he talks about the lessons he’s learned in the last 4 years as a midlist science fiction author. These lessons apply to all authors working with a traditional publisher. So:

You have a realistic view of things. I’ve been making a living as a writer for three decades and few people have heard of me. True, I did write under 5 pen names for a while. But, like you, I learned all these lessons the hard way. I had no idea what to expect when I signed my first book deal in 1991. No clue my advance was tied to where I would be on the list and what my print run would be. In essence, my future was pretty much determined before the book even came out. There are exceptions to that, which I’ve also experienced, but generally, if a trad author tells me their advance, I can predict what will happen to the book.

I had to laugh when you said no one is “bottom list” although, yes, someone has to be. I’ve experienced the spectrum of treatment by publishers from bottom list to top list, NY Times bestselling, and they are very different worlds.

One key is they offered you a new contract so you’re not doing the higher percentage sales, lower print run death spiral, but I suspect that’s…