BP/G Radio Intellectual Property Podcast

Hope springs eternal in the minds and hearts of budding novelists everywhere that one day . . . they will be published.  And finally the world will know who they are and read their work.  The point at which the product of creativity (and years of toil) intersects with the pushy business of book publishing is a moment of peril.  Many novelists (or musicians) get dazzled by the first deal put before them.  Frankly, getting to the point where someone is offering you any kind of real publishing deal (as opposed to self-publishing contract) is winning a lottery.  But – as David Fulmer, popular author of Chasing the Devil’s Tail and other literary mysteries (www.davidfulmer.com), warns, this is a game, and authors (especially first-time) can lose if they don’t know the business realities of publishing.  The publisher needs to sell books and make money and is not going to look out for the best interests of the author.  By the time you (the author) learn what digital rights or Chinese sub-rights are, it may be too late. 

So why not skip the exercise and just self-publish?  No agents, no publishing contracts.  What could be simpler?  Just print the books or put the book on the internet and let the world read.  David says no way – avoid the “empire of the amateurs.”  Readers look to publishers to get to quality writing and that’s the group you want to be in.  So, develop your craft, be patient, work your tail off and if you get a chance at a deal, fight for the best deal you can get.  Oh yeah, and get a good agent or attorney (better listen to the next episode of bp/g radio).     

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