A Shocking Article On The Publishing Industry
Unknown Author Is The Last To Know He’s Famous.
This is an article from The Guardian, UK, about a writer whose UK publishers didn’t bother to inform him that he is one of the most successful authors in all Europe! He thought he was unknown. The article is written by the writer himself.
The Guardian, 9 Feb 2010
by Simon Beckett
The bestselling author no one in Britain knows
Crime author Simon Beckett is huge in Scandinavia and Germany but totally unknown in his native Britain.
Until the end of last week, I had no idea I was one of the bestselling authors in Europe in 2009, let alone the bestselling UK author. It came as a real, pleasant shock. After years in the career doldrums, I'm still getting used to the novelty of seeing the word "bestseller" next to my name. I had known that my crime series about Dr David Hunter, an emotionally damaged forensic anthropologist, was doing well. The books have been translated into 27 languages, and appeared on bestseller charts in several of those countries. In the last 12 months, I've done interviews and readings in the Netherlands and Sweden, and been forced to turn down almost as many invitations again. But the biggest surprise has been with Germany. Over there, the books have sold in their millions. I had no idea of the scale of things until I went over last year to give readings. These are normally sedate affairs where empty chairs outnumber the audience. So I was unprepared to find myself – a British author who doesn't speak German – selling out several-hundred-seat venues in Hamburg, Munich and Dusseldorf. In Cologne, I was casually told on the way to the hall (yes, an actual hall) that 900 tickets had been sold. Afterwards, as I sat for almost an hour signing books, ticket stubs and photographs, it took me a while to realise that the man standing beside me was a security guard. My own security guard. How did that happen? German journalists often ask if I'm recognised in my home city of Sheffield. Well, no: not that I'd want to be. A few days before I heard the news about the European ranking I was at a funeral, along with people I'd not seen for a few years. "Still writing?" one of them asked. "Managing to keep your head above water?" I said I was. Which is as it should be. I didn't exactly become a writer to be a celebrity. The obvious question I'm asked now is why the books have been such a success, especially in Germany. The honest answer is that I don't know. I wanted to write tense, involving thrillers with engaging characters, but then any crime writer would say that. I could point to good editors, marketing and translators, who all contribute. But I think it's mainly indefinable. Call it being in the right place, with the right idea, at the right time. It's fantastic, of course, and what every writer hopes will happen. It's just a little strange when it does.
Simon Beckett's latest novel, Whispers of the Dead (Bantam Books), is out now
And Now... A Lee Vidor Editorial
Think about this. His publisher didn't even bother to inform him that he is a famous writer. Why would they fail to do that? I suspect you can be quite sure they are not giving him famous author’s royalties.
He sells 900 tickets for a reading, let’s say at $10 each. That’s $9,000 for one night’s work. That’s not small change for a writer. Who got the money? Who had the benefit of the free labor by the author? My guess is the same people who got the money for all those mysterious book sales the author knew nothing about.
Try to imagine any other kind of artist not knowing knowing that he’s famous and successful. It simply couldn’t happen in any other industry. Normally there are laws to protect people from exploitation like this.
In the article Simon Beckett says: The obvious question I'm asked now is why the books have been such a success..’
No Simon, the obvious question is; Where did all the money go?
Find out who has it, so that you can sue the correct group of publishers for this disgraceful treatment.
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If you wrote the article then well done and thank you. It's a great article.
If you wish me to remove it from this site then just ask me. I can do it if you don't want people to read it.
