Posted by Maleeha Mir on 29 September 2023, in Event reports, News
Photos by Amelia Kyazze, Words by Maleeha Mir
You can listen to an audio recording of this event via this link.
Byte The Book’s September event explored the alternative publishing options available to unagented authors interested in working with smaller publishing houses and publishing organisations. Byte the Book founder, Justine Solomons led the discussion as the event’s chair, and the panel included: Cheryl Robson (Founding Director at Aurora Metro Books), Jenny Geras (MD at Bookouture, Hachette UK), Chris Cudmore (Publishing Director at Kogan Page) and Harry Scoble, (Head of Commissioning at Unbound).
Our panel from left to right: Jenny Geras, Harry Scoble, Justine Solomons (panel chair), Chris Cudmore and Cheryl Robson.
Justine Solomons launched the discussion with the all-important question — do you think authors need agents? “We don’t look for agents. We judge on the value of the author’s manuscript and what we think we can do with it”, responded Cheryl Robson, Founding Director at Aurora Metro, adding that her publisher “succssfully works with both agented and un-agented authors” which has not only provides great a variety of opportunities for them as a organisation but they have authors from every walk of life and expertise on their list. Chris added that “the majority of Kogan’s books are commissioned not using agents.”, reiterating that authors do not need to have agents to be published or to be perceived as a ‘successful author’. However, Chris goes on to share that he feels that “agents have a useful role to play, and certainly agents have brought authors to us that we wouldn't normally have discovered in our normal way of finding books. I think they do have a place and they do have a purpose.” Harry agreed, although he stressed that Unbound’s best books don’t necessarily come from an agent but rather the right author or an author willing to dedicate themselves to their book’s success as well as have a community behind them to support them and their work..
Cheryl Robson sharing her insights on authors and agents as Founding Director at Aurora Metro Books.
Next, the panel discussed whether they had seen or experienced a change in the industry in terms of publishers considering and taking on un-agented authors, and why? Jenny Geras, MD at Bookouture, highlighted that she has definitely seen a wider acceptance of un-agented submissions by more publishers in recent years. She acknowledges that there has been an “emergence of new publishers that accept un-agented submissions, leading to a perception that more publishers are open to direct contact from authors.” On this, she reflects on the changes to digital publishing trends within this topic, as previously many digital publishers now consider un-agented writers more seriously than in previously. To add, Jenny goes on to share that while most traditional publishers continue to prefer agented authors for their books, she feels that they are missing out on a huge talent pool of potential authors. On a similar ideas, Harry shared his experience with un-agented submissions. He mentioned that “Unbound is one of the few publishing organizations that have an open submission policy”, while other places he has worked at still require agent representation, he strongly believes this “open policy creates opportunities that give un-agented authors with unique and interesting stories the opportunity to get their book out into the world”. Cheryl confirmed that Aurora Metro has always accepted un-agented submissions if they have “a good idea”. Cheryl shares how, like many smaller publishers, she and her team “actively search for potential authors through their own network, through recommendations and through vigorous research“ in order to find the right author or authors for books they want to publish on specific topics or themes. To add to this, Chris Cudmore, Publishing Director at Kogan Page found it “ interesting that a lot of these organisations never used to exist”, going on to discuss that with the rise of smaller and independent publishers, it has “impacted how people see the publishers and the willingness to contact people more directly than before”.
Jenny Geras detailing her experiences working at a fast-growing digital publishing.
Justine expands on the discussion further by pointing out the unusual business models in the smaller publishing space. Harry responds with how Unbound “crowdfund all titles” from thor list “with the help of the author's campaigning”. Interestingly, he goes on to discuss how this model “takes a little bit of the risk out of the publishing. So it does mean that Unbound has the space and opportunity to publish some slightly more off the wall or non typical things that have then gone on to do incredibly well”. Jenny adds how Bookouture’s business model differs in many ways but one of biggest differences is that that doesn't focus on advances but on “royalties” for authors and books as they are an ebook publisher primarily. In contrast, Chris shares how Kogan have a more “traditional publishing model”, which means that the company “pay standard royalties on print books and digital books” as well as advances on most of their titles. Cheryl finds it interesting how these models have developed over time, adding that Aurora Metro takes on a more “traditional model” and approach similar to Kogan Page.
Chris Cudmore sharing his advice on the traditional business model that Kogan Page uses to support and champion his professional authors.
To close the discussion, audience members ask the panel to explain the marketing aspects and the support provided to the authors of their smaller publishers. Chris, explained that Kogan’s marketing focus for non-fiction business management authors begins three months before publication and continues for three months after. For Kogan’s “nonfiction titles, subject expertise is absolutely key, and reputation in that field is absolutely vital”. Although activity social platforms is not as a important for more professional books, being able to find readers through their networks is an aspect to consider while Kogan engages in various activities to promote titles, through catalog placement, metadata distribution, event planning, and campaigns.
Harry Scoble sharing how Unbound is different to other smaller and mainstream publishers on the market and why this works for his authors.
Harry adds how this differs for Unbound, as a crowdfunding-focused publisher, they can offer a more “bespoke author experiences” and physical merchandising to their target readers alongside other unique ways to publicise and share their books, which makes the build up to publication interesting and fun to work on. He adds how the valuable for authors to have some form “online platform and community” that the author’s book caters to and targets - many Unbound authors have supportive, niche communities behind them that help to propel their book. Jenny found this approach interesting but emphasizes that for Bookouture, there’s no requirement for authors to be social media savvy or active on multiple platforms. “We do all of that. We do digital marketing, we do digital publicity. Some authors love the community of being online and doing some of that themselves, but we have made bestsellers of lots of books for authors who have no platform at all.” Cheryl unflinching agrees that social media is not essential when it comes to author marketing and PR but having expertise or extensive knowledge around the topic of the book is key when trying to market their books.
Our attendees asking the panelists questions about what to expect from smaller publishers and imprints in terms of their marketing strategy.
Finally, Justine concluded that these are significant points to consider as our panelists demonstrate that “smaller publishers have the power and potential to reach and impact their target readers” differently to traditional publishers but with a “greater impact” due to their focus on their niche groups of readers, and all whilst being able to support their authors more readily due to the size of their list and company.
Thank you to Seico and The Starr Trust for sponsoring our event!
You can see more photos from our brilliant photos from 'The Alternative Publishing Scene' event here!
