They decided to publish more books. Of course, the trade name now belongs to a great conglomerate. According to Tom Williams, many books turn reasonably significant profits. But no big publisher wants many of these often worthwhile books. One publisher flatly rejected a book that Mr. Williams published, then went on to buy thousands of copies of his book for its book club.
Computers now make it possible to publish relatively inexpensively.
Once the book is printed, it must be distributed and marketed. For small publishers the bookstore may be a poor place to sell a book. Other markets such as Internet, tourist stores, and book clubs may be a better choice. The present economics of the publishing industry leaves little profit for the writer. On many occasions, an author can only count on the advance, and new authors rarely receive eye-opening advances.