Publish or (We) Perish

I don't know about you, but I mark the passing of every year by the publication date of the next Mary Higgins Clark book:

In an age when reading for pleasure is declining, book publishers increasingly are counting on their biggest moneymaking writers to crank out books at a rate of at least one a year, right on schedule, and sometimes faster than that.

Many top-selling writers, such as John Grisham and Mary Higgins Clark, have turned out at least one book annually for years. Now some writers are beginning to grumble about the pressure, and some are refusing to comply.

Not that writers are being explicitly harassed, but costly advance marketing plans are increasingly tied into the expectation that the most profitable authors will have a new book out at roughly the same time each year. In today's intensely competitive marketplace, readers will turn to another author if a writer fails to come through at the usual time, which could cost a publisher big bucks.

Many writers below the top tier are also being urged to pick up the pace. In some cases, publishers have made a book-per-year promise an explicit condition of taking on a new author.

It should probably be noted the J.C. Oates is not under this obligation.  In fact, publishers have asked her to limit herself to two books a year, but she's yet to comply.

Comments

[Pete]

A new book every year, and it doesn't even have to be any good. Hey, where do I sign up?

[Finn Harvor]

'Not that writers are being explicitly harassed, but costly advance marketing plans are increasingly tied into the expectation that the most profitable authors will have a new book out at roughly the same time each year. In today's intensely competitive marketplace, readers will turn to another author if a writer fails to come through at the usual time, which could cost a publisher big bucks."

I suppose the key phrase here is "advance marketing plans", which in turn is linked to the advances these writers command. The general trend of the publishing industry toward something that resembles a movie-studio model is instinctively upsetting; aren't people -- even bestseller-y types -- writing in part to keep command of their own voice? And isn't part of having one's own voice being permitted enough time for each work to mature at its own pace? However, if big-buck authors want big-buck advances, I suppose they have a choice insofar as they *can* publish according to their own schedule ... but without the seven figure deals.