The changing world of book publishing

Like everything else in society and the church world, book publishing has changed dramatically in the past few years. Between 2000 and 2013 I published eight books through three different publishers. One publisher requested the book I wrote for them. For the other two publishers, I submitted proposals which they accepted. Today, the vast majority of publishers will not even accept a proposal unless it comes to them through a literary agent.

I have no doubt that publishers have seen their profit margins squeezed considerably over the past few years. Many brick-and-mortar booksellers have gone out of business with Amazon and other online book sellers picking up much of the business.  I would assume publishers have reduced the number of people who, in the past, would have reviewed the proposals coming in and now depend upon the literary agents to do that work for them. Of course, I'm speculating here, but this seems to explain why proposals are only accepted through agents.

The options for an author are limited. Find an agent, self-publish or offer the book as an eBook. I continue to seek an agent for the two newest books I've written as that seems the preferable option for me. Self-publishing too often results in a garage full of books with limited means of marketing them. E-Books get lost in the myriad of such books available.

When my previously published books became available people would approach me asking about how to get their book idea published. In the past I would warn them of the challenges facing them and the low rate of return most authors receive for the time spent in writing, editing and finding a publisher for their work. Now, I have additional warnings to give.

Writing has to be a passion. Obviously, there are authors who become wealthy through their writings. Others use their books to promote their speaking events. My books have led to numerous speaking opportunities throughout the United States and Canada. But for most authors, we write because we believe we have something to say that's important. We have knowledge we want to share with others.

As I've watched the publishing world change so much over the past two decades I have to wonder what new changes are yet to come. I also wonder how many prospective new writers with information we need to hear will be silenced by these changes. I think this is something publishers, especially Christian publishers, need to consider.