Happy New Year to you all. It’s absolutely freezing outside, although we’ve escaped the snow so far, which I’m miffed about! I love snow… there’s a sense of peace it brings. Apparently there’s a whole science behind that, with the flakes trapping air which dulls sound – the main reason for it always seeming so quite after it’s snowed!

We’re back in the office and catching up on everything after the holidays, which is always fun! I’m not a big celebrator of New Years, but I do love the sense of renewal, like starting a new notebook on a completely fresh and blank page.

So it’s back to the blog, and after a conversation the other day with a fellow publisher, it got me thinking. What are publishers for? It’s a question that has changed a lot over the last few years with changing technology etc. Why might an author want one? And are these publishers worth their salt?

Publishers have always been useful because they create books, right? But a lot of the big guys (and many small ones) outsource much of the work they do, and always have done, especially editing, typesetting, cover design and proofreading. They don’t even print the books, keep them in their own warehouse or send it to the shops that sell it. They don’t generate the words and pictures between the covers.

So what do they do? Well, traditionally, they’re the ones who select which books to publish and spread the word on how amazing those books are so that people buy them, earning both them and their authors money. Before the likes of KDP andDraft2Digital etc (yes, there was a time before that!), publishers were seen as the ultimate quality filter. Self-publishing was only possible if an author spent a fortune on printing their own books, and who would then struggle to sell them due to not having access to the distributors, wholesalers and retailers the publishers did. The publishers were the ones who found the gems in the slush pile and turned them into bestsellers. It was their job to protect the readers from bad writing.

But that gate-keeping only caused a lot of great writing to fall through the cracks as it became harder and harder to find a publisher who would take a chance on newer writers. It’s what led, in part, to the creation of KDP and others, allowing authors to become their own publisher. The gate-keepers weren’t needed anymore.

But while this meant that anyone could publish a book, whether it was any good or not, the one thing that publishers did do was absorb risk. They found the titles they felt could sell well and put their time, effort, money and reputation behind them. They were the ones who helped elevate new authors into household names that now grace millions of shelves by turning a few files on a computer into an actual, attractive product people could buy and enjoy. They were able to make noise in the right places to get those books noticed.

A truly important role of the publisher, in my view – when they actually take that role on – is to develop authors. They should help that unsure, novice writer become a confident author who has the ability to create stunning works of fiction that people will want to buy. They should help them navigate the industry so they understand how it works. They should nurture their voice, rather than take on a book and ask them to change two thirds of it. They should work with them on their cover and create a saleable product that was every bit a collaboration between the original creator and the financial backer.

Publishers are having to work harder and harder to justify their part in the industry and their cut of the profits. Each passing year sees technology improve, making it quicker and easier to turn a manuscript into a saleable paperback/ebook, where any number can be printed instead of the old-fashioned fill a warehouse with pallets model. And as self-publishing has become easier and easier, it has both authors and readers asking what the point of publishers really is.

The most dangerous saying in the English language (in my view) is ‘we’ve always done it this way’, and unless publishers want to go the way of the dodo in the future, they need to start earning their place in the industry, putting their money where their mouth is and backing more debut authors, working with and nurturing those authors, and thinking outside the box to truly make a difference to their readers and the industry.

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