Will Writers Suffer The Same Fate As Musicians?
By: Mark Starlin
Tags: Music, Books, Essay, Promotion, Writing

There was a time when musicians toured to sell albums (vinyl, 8-track, cassette, CD.) Album sales were their main source of income. Now musicians give away albums to promote tours. Very few people buy music any more. They rent it. Spotify and Apple Music streaming services are the main way people get music now. Streaming services are great for music consumers. Massive content at a low price. But not so great for musicians. The royalties on music streaming are pitiful. A fraction of a penny per play [Spotify has a per-stream rate of $0.00397. Apple Music has a per-stream rate of $0.00783. Source.] which record labels then take another chunk off. If you are a superstar you can negotiate a better rate, but most “working” musicians get next to nothing from music streaming. Many musicians have given up on being full-time musicians because it is so difficult to make a living at it.

The internet leveled the playing field for musicians. To an extent. But it also forced them to compete with everyone who can make an album. Which is anyone with a laptop and a microphone. There is a ocean of content out there. And each album is a single drop in that ocean.

It seems to me that books are following the same path as record albums. Anyone can publish a book on Amazon. And they do. And once a service like Kindle Unlimited (or something similar) catches on and the majority of readers choose to rent books (by subscription) instead of buy them, books sales will likely plummet like music sales did. You are reading this story on a writing rental (subscription) service. I think book renting is coming, like it or not.

Will writers on book subscription services get the same miniscule royalties that musicians get from music streaming services? Services which still favor the superstars. Who knows? Medium seems to pay far better than Spotify — so far.

Disclaimer: I DO NOT have any of this figured out. These are just my best guesses and ideas.

So how is an unknown author supposed to compete with countless other authors in an oversaturated market? Musicians are still trying to figure that out. The successful ones focus on two things. Great content. And building a following.

Great content is step one. No one wants to buy mediocre or bad writing. Well, maybe your mother or best friend will. But most people won’t. Work on your craft. I don’t consider myself a great writer, but I think I am improving. That is always my goal. I hope as my writing improves, so will my following.

Without a following, publishing your book is like playing the lottery. The odds are you won’t win. Your book is one in a million (or more.) Regardless of how good it is, if no one knows it’s available it won’t sell. I don’t think traditional promotion like advertising is very effective anymore unless you are already famous or can spend vast amounts of money on it. There are simply too many choices. Why should people take a chance on an unknown author when there are countless mediocre books by unknown authors already flooding the market?

I believe creating a following is any creative person’s best strategy for success. If people like your writing, or like you, then they are far more likely to buy (or rent) something you offer. You don’t need massive following, unless your goal is fame and fortune. Good luck with that. But a good sized following of real fans could possibly support you financially.

So how do you build a following?

Medium is a good place to start for a writer. And you can get paid to do it. It is hard to beat that combination. It has a large built-in audience and you can publish at will. You could post your writing on other writing platforms or submit it to popular publications also.

Word of mouth is always the best advertising. Readers recommending you to their friends is great advertising. And if a writer with a large following recommends you, you can’t ask for much more. But the only way to make word of mouth happen is to write good stuff.

Drew Holcomb is a musician who has spent years gradually building a following. He writes great music. But he doesn’t just promote himself. He started a music festival to promote other similar artist (and himself.) He also started a monthly vinyl record club to promote music by artists he likes. By helping other musicians he is actually helping himself. And his support of others makes him all the more popular.

Once you start building a following you should nurture it. Interact with them. By interact I don’t mean selling to them. No one wants to read daily posts pushing your latest product. Keep that to a minimum. They want to know about you. Like any friend would. Talk about yourself, what you are doing, what you are working on. Take an interest in them also. Respond. You are building a relationship.

I realize a lot of writers are introverts. Happy to sit at their computer for hours writing. Basking in their solitude. [I consider myself an introvert forced to become a semi-extrovert through a career change. I was painfully shy as a teen and most of my adult life. And am still very comfortable being alone.] But ignoring your following is not a good option if you want to keep your following. Respond. Even if it is a simple “thank you.” Those can go a long way.

Writers don’t have the option of gigging like musicians to build a following. Your words are your gig. Use them well. Respond. And once I like your writing, and I like you, I will buy (or rent) your new eBook.