S2 E33 - The Myth of the Instant Bestseller, with JT Greathouse

02/10/24 • 54 min

Publishing Rodeo: The Good, The Bad, and the Bloody Ugly

As our one and only return guest, JT Greathouse joins us for the launch of Season 2, this time in his capacity as a true-hybrid author (with a bookseller's eye). JT sold his debut, HAND OF THE SUN KING, to a UK publisher, but didn't get a USA deal. With the support and help of his literary agency, he opted to self-publish the American version in the States.

This week, we talk about the process of getting your books into stores, the nitty gritty of distribution in relation to small presses, indie authors, and hybrid folks like JT, how to make smart choices, the ways in which books can build towards success, and the (psychologically) damaging myth of the "instant best seller" launch.

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the advantages of splitting rights versus selling world rights
Thinking about strategies for selling the rights of your book
self pub USA, trad pub UK
The importance of ingram
Why are book royalties so low in trad? What does higher royalties mean in the context of smaller presses
Good presale numbers--how to calculate this as a debut (jeremy's 'vibe check' formula)
Debuts not making or breaking you
how online discussions skew our perception of success
how to make good decisions
Jeremy and Scott bicker (good-naturedly) over the definition of "tiers"
Bookseller mentality re hype and sales
Small, achievable goals - not totally powerless!
NEW PODCAST SECTION: The Smallest Hill You're Willing To Die On

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the advantages of splitting rights versus selling world rights
Thinking about strategies for selling the rights of your book
self pub USA, trad pub UK
The importance of ingram
Why are book royalties so low in trad? What does higher royalties mean in the context of smaller presses
Good presale numbers--how to calculate this as a debut (jeremy's 'vibe check' formula)
Debuts not making or breaking you
how online discussions skew our perception of success
how to make good decisions
Jeremy and Scott bicker (good-naturedly) over the definition of "tiers"
Bookseller mentality re hype and sales
Small, achievable goals - not totally powerless!
NEW PODCAST SECTION: The Smallest Hill You're Willing To Die On

Previous Episode

31 - SEASON FINALE: Leverage, success, and life after Debut Year

Our final show of the season! This week, we talk frankly about author leverage--what it means, and how to use it. We also discuss when and how to pitch new books on proposal, the impact of past sales on that process, and why Scott is (probably) walking away from writing trad fantasy as a result.

Other topics: we reflect on regrets and highlights across the past year, do a quick summary of where we are, why we've slowed down, and what's going on, AND our plans for Season 2 (there will be one!) and how it will be different from Season 1.

Finally, Scott introduces a new shiny thing we've been working on: the Author Data Project, an adult-fiction version of the YA research that Dr. Kerry Pray conducted and discussed in an earlier episode.

Links to the other 2 podcasts we mentioned and recommended:

The Failing Writers Podcast, featuring Jon Rand, Tom Turner, and Dave Baird: https://www.failingwriterspodcast.com/
Great fun, honest conversations, fantastic guests!
Cover Meeting, with Steve Leard: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/cover-meeting/id1706806306
A side of the industry authors normally don't see!

Next Episode

S2 Ep 34 - Challenging Tradpub's 'Culture of Defeatism', with Mark Stay of THE BESTSELLER EXPERIMENT

In addition to writing bestselling novels and cofounding a viral podcast (THE BESTSELLER EXPERIMENT), Mark Stay also spent many years working with bookstores and publishers, gaining great insight to all sides of the industry. We chat to Mark about his varied experiences, and reflect back on the seven years he spent recording his groundbreaking podcast. This one is fun and quite eye-opening for behind-the-scenes stuff.