8 - Taking Publishers to Task, with Robin & Michael J Sullivan

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

Off the back of episode 7, we sit down to throw some complex industry questions at Robin & Michael J Sullivan, in exchange for some very detailed answers. Questions have been marked with rough time stamps for your convenience!QUESTION 1 00:58 What kinds of changes did you make specifically to the Orbit contract that defanged the noncompete to the point that you still had flexibility?

• As part of the above: what ARE non-compete clauses, what do they actually mean, are they enforceable, and can you negotiate with the publisher on yours?

• 05:26 Followup: are non-competes even legal / enforceable? (answer: no, not really)

QUESTION 227:19 - "Going with Orbit and Del Rey, despite the negatives, was worth it for expanding the readerbase. What things did these publishers do that worked, in terms of getting you out there, and what we who are early in our careers could likewise do to amplify our success or our current situations? And/or what kind of things did YOU do, on top of what your publishers were doing, that worked?QUESTION 3 47:59 - "Whether you have some sense for where the industry is going since you've been on both sides of it, and what you'd recommend for authors in terms of how you'd structure their career?"SHOW NOTES

• 13:30 - Authors feel intimidated in negotiations

• 14:00 - NDAs! are we allowed to talk about what's in our contracts? (Answer: yes)

• So much depends on the editor you get

• Publishers will heavily market two types of books: books that already make the money, or books that will make a splash. Otherwise it's on you to sink or swim.

• Sunyi's Press Kit gets a mention - feel free to use hers as a template, and build your own

• 33:31 - The Three Steps To Publishing Success (by Robin)

• what is a really good book? Let's define it (and why Twilight IS a good book, actually!)

• 34:49 - The ratio of readers, cheerleaders, and superfans⦁ Interacting with readers - benefits to the author

• The "authenticity stamp" of trad publishing

• 39:00 - would they do the trad circus again, if they could redo it?

• The difference between trad and indie succcess

• The future of publishing, and some positives/negatives

• Why Michael would actually recommend indie authors to try the trad / hybrid route for awhile, and what they can learn from that process

• What ChatGPT means for high-volume indie authors

• Quick pep talk for Scott!

• Why writing is truly the best job ever - and not quite like any other job in the world