This article by Matylda at ml-mediamusic recently posted on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/matylda-laurence-b1726b87/

Book Marking your place in the Literary Field - Publishing

Writer Choice & Considerations: Marketing Your Project, Reader Gene Pool, Managing Your Expectations.

Value for Words – Output: Traditional, Digital, Audio. What literary forces determine the publishing stream? What is your skill set in achieving your goal - Outsourcing: self-publish or find an agent, publisher to polish your creative works; cost and time implications.

Traditional – Writer Value: the book, artwork, the writer/reader emotional response, personal habits of page turning, folding corners, underlining, marking, your bookshelf, subliminal attachment, a personal reading experience raising valid questions as a writer, which choice, what value for me? Considered by some the ‘old fashioned’ route to getting your literary work into the marketplace. Publishing the traditional book is challenging at best. Finding or needing an agent? Direct pitching of your manuscript to a publisher? How much effort, time are we prepared to let go by before switching agents or publishers? Where does your work sit in the slush pile, promises of (every manuscript is read!) Print runs, material costs sharing, royalties, earnings, book fairs and signings. Are they of value in 2022?

Digital – Writer Value: Independence, focused marketing, cost control, time flexibility, ultimate control of your work? A platform replacing traditional books; market forces suggest this is so, especially with ease of access, competitive pricing, phone-tablet-Kindle-PC – your cyber library, consumer value, downloadable, portable, versatile, language availability.

Audio – Writer Value: Global book market value over 2 billion USD since 2019. A growing readership trending arc anticipated increasing exponentially from 2022 on wards; business share market Audible Inc (powered by Amazon) leading the way with a multiple of providers, non-exclusivity keeping market forces and choice competitive for writer and reader. Why an increasing market? Since its inception originally aimed as a platform with an inclusive readership (sight-challenged) libraries offering books on tape and CD prior to the advent of streaming and digital media hit the world; a constant tidal flow of consumers commuting, traveling, relaxing, plus educational value.

Spin-off commodities – consumer demand: ear buds, wireless headsets accessories listener led: branding, logos, pricing just a few avenues creating their own design capability for business entrepreneurs.

Prompted to write this article Matylda’s output for her first novel Gar’s Game (children’s science fiction fantasy) will be Audio; research and development stage providing a final choice. A point worth considering from personal experience, each book has its own ‘beat’ connecting you, your book and your reader; silent reading vastly different from listening to an audio book, though your audience may not be aware of this fact. Recording your words into a microphone necessitates a changing beat i.e., word endings, do they hold back the flow, or move the story along, formatting your script, ease of speech, voice tonality, just some considerations.

Matylda’s Feedback for Audio Choice: Time framework perfect therefore no creative pressure, output seamless, writing in a personal workspace so workflow ideal, found an excellent record producer, budget parameters met, readership platform work in progress-market forces a determining factor.

More articles to follow on this topic… https://www.markhutchinsonmusic.co.uk/