What Good Is A Book Publisher

What Good Is a Book Publisher?
by Steve Piersanti, President of Berrett-Koehler Publishers

January 2010
"In this new marketplace in which all book sales depend on the
author’s efforts and general retail book sales are flat, doesn't it just
make more sense to self-publish?"
Berrett-Koehler President and Publisher Steve Piersanti responds:
One of The 10 Awful Truths About Book Publishing that I have written
about highlights how most book marketing today is done by authors,
not by publishers. That statement has led some observers to question
what value publishers offer and whether authors would be better off
self-publishing their books, given that the authors, more than their
publishers, will drive sales. The case for self-publishing is further
strengthened by today’s ability of authors to reach the marketplace
through Amazon.com, the new social media, and the authors' own
websites.
In fact, I concur that self-publishing is the best avenue for many books,
and I often encourage authors to go this route -- particularly when they
are able to sell many copies of their books through their own channels.
However, a good commercial publisher still brings tremendous value to

the book publishing equation in multiple ways:
1. Gatekeeper and Curator: In today’s insanely crowded

marketplace with an overwhelming number of publications competing
for our attention, publishers select and focus attention on books of
particular value and quality, thereby helping those books stand out.
The validation, visibility, and brand provided by publishers add great
value to those books.
2. Editorial Development: Berrett-Koehler raises the editorial quality

of each book in several ways, including extensive up-front coaching of
authors to improve the focus, organization, and content; detailed
reviews of the manuscript by potential customers to make the book
more useful to its intended audience; and professional line-by-line
copyediting. Such editorial development is often pivotal to a book’s
success.
3. Design: Self-published books often stand out in a negative way

because their covers and interiors appear underdesigned (or
1
overdesigned). Some self-published books lack the professional and
appropriate appearance that good publishers bring to books.
4. Production: Although authors can now produce books on their own

computers, publishers can save authors a lot of work while bringing
higher quality to layout, proofreading, indexing, packaging, and other
aspects of production.
5. Distribution: Publishers can usually make books available through

many more channels (trade and college bookstores, multiple online
booksellers, wholesalers, and other venues not open to self-publishing
companies) than authors can on their own.
6. International Sales: Berrett-Koehler’s books are sold around the

world through distributors in Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and New
Zealand, and Canada.
7. Networks of Customers: Berrett-Koehler brings books to the

attention of our networks of individual customers, institutional
customers, bulk sales customers, association book services, catalog
sellers, other special sales accounts, and countless other groups. We
have been building up these networks for eighteen years, and they add
lots of value in helping books to succeed.
8. Publicity and Promotion: Although the publicity and promotion

efforts of authors may actually exceed those of their publishers,
publishers still reach many prospective buyers that authors cannot
reach on their own. This is particularly true for a publisher like Berrett-
Koehler that has a multichannel marketing system that combines
online, direct mail, bookstore, publicity, social media, e-newsletter,
website, special sales, conference sales, and other channels of
marketing for each new book.
9. Foreign Translation Rights, Audio Rights, Digital Rights, and

Other Subsidiary Rights Sales: This is an area of great focus and
success for Berrett-Koehler (with over two thousand subsidiary rights
agreements signed thus far) and helps books to reach many more
audiences than the publication of just the English-language print
edition. Authors also receive extra revenue, a higher profile, and
greater satisfaction when their books are published in a variety of
languages.
10. Coaching: Perhaps the greatest value provided by publishers is

less tangible than the previous items on this list. Just as coaching
regarding a book’s content and organization can be pivotal to its
success, so too can a publisher’s coaching on the title, price, design,
2
format, timing, market focus, marketing campaign, and even tie-in to
the author’s business strategies make a big difference in whether a
book succeeds.
In the end, working with good publishers is a partnership. For books to

succeed, authors and publishers must collaborate in many ways. For
example, the publishers set the table through their marketing
channels, but whether the books actually move in those channels often
depends on the marketing that the authors carry out.
Berrett-Koehler has been extraordinarily fortunate in that so many of

our authors have worked with us –- and continue to work with us -– in
this partnering way. We have tried to spell out some aspects of this
partnership in the Bill of Rights and Responsibilities for BK Authors.
We also appreciate the many BK customers who partner with BK and

with our authors in spreading the word about our publications, serving
as manuscript reviewers, and contributing in countless other ways.

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What Good Is a Book Publisher?

by Steve Piersanti, President of Berrett-Koehler Publishers

Berrett-Koehler President and Publisher Steve Piersanti responds:

However, a good commercial publisher still brings tremendous value to

1. Gatekeeper and Curator: In today’s insanely crowded

2. Editorial Development: Berrett-Koehler raises the editorial quality

3. Design: Self-published books often stand out in a negative way

4. Production: Although authors can now produce books on their own

5. Distribution: Publishers can usually make books available through

6. International Sales: Berrett-Koehler’s books are sold around the

7. Networks of Customers: Berrett-Koehler brings books to the

8. Publicity and Promotion: Although the publicity and promotion

9. Foreign Translation Rights, Audio Rights, Digital Rights, and

10. Coaching: Perhaps the greatest value provided by publishers is

In the end, working with good publishers is a partnership. For books to

Berrett-Koehler has been extraordinarily fortunate in that so many of

We also appreciate the many BK customers who partner with BK and

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