We actually determine whether the book is read and make payments to the publisher based on that.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
If the books are selling, the money will follow.
All the marketing and advertising sells the book as what it is and hopes that the book will be displayed so that your readers can find it.
As a writer, you write the book, you give it to your editor, it's copy edited, it's published, it's thrown out there, and then there's a response.
Once you publish a book, it is out of your control. You cannot dictate how people read it.
The writer's job is to let the books speak for themselves eventually.
We authors certainly don't know what is going to happen to our books. Are they going to disappear into the ether, following music downloads, or are ebooks going to open up a whole new world of readers? And how much are we being paid per copy? We haven't a clue.
I do send out information about my books. Very few people buy the books that way, but I always feel that if they want to know more about the process, they can get the information from my books.
I'm very privy to the way bookstores work, and I think a lot about the ecosystem that my books have been published in. I think it's great to be aware of how publishing works.
A publisher should always be on the receiving end. He should take an interest in almost any subject and remain anonymous, letting the author take center stage.
As soon as I finish a book, I sell the paperback rights to different publishers and that's where I recoup my money.