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Legacy Publishers’ Shrinking List of Responsibilities

Authors have to increasingly pick up the slack.
Mar | 12 | 2025
  Mar | 12 | 2025
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BY Phil Simon
  Phil Simon

Legacy Publishers’ Shrinking List of Responsibilities

Authors have to increasingly pick up the slack.
Phil Simon
Mar | 12 | 2025

Legacy Publishers’ Shrinking List of Responsibilities

Authors have to increasingly pick up the slack.
Phil Simon
Mar | 12 | 2025

Back in 2009, I entered the publishing world. At the time, I was a naïve rookie author. I assumed that my publisher would help me market my book. After all, the company whose logo adorned my book’s spine would earn the vast majority of the book’s profits.

Boy, I was wrong.

Since that time, legacy publishers have scaled back on editing. Many trade publishers expect a near-final manuscript—and won’t take the time or spend the money if that’s not the case. And don’t get me started on pathetic proofreading jobs.

It’s getting increasingly difficult to justify working witht these folks.

The precipitous drop in the services now includes fact-checking. Much like editing and marketing, authors who want this add-on will have to pay for it.

This. Is. Absurd. Double that when they hold the book’s copyright.

Simon’s First Law of Case Studies

What You Need to Know

Legacy publishers are becoming glorified printers. Remember that next time you’re thinking about writing a book. No wonder hybrid publishing is exploding.

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