On Dan Brown, and Publishing

First Run Print of 6+ Million

Dan Brown’s new novel, the Lost Symbol, is due out in stores September 15th. The book has an initial print run of six and a half million copies. Thousands of people have already pre-ordered through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders and the like. The author and his marketing team are notoriously secretive, especially when it comes to divulging information about plot. The book’s huge anticipation is based on Brown’s previous best sellers. Say what you will about the quality of his writing. The man sells books.

When publishers work with authors who have a proven record of high sales, they are rewarded with substantial cash flow, which allows them to buck the system, or at least test the waters of a burgeoning one.

In addition to traditional publicity, the Lost Symbol is being marketed heavily online. It will be released as an E-book, and its American publisher, Knopf Doubleday, is using the Internet to generate interest and support for this digital alternative to the printed word. So far it seems to be working.

The E-book is opening new doors for readers, authors and publishers. When an author writes a book and discusses it in an online forum with his readers, a bond is formed. Now, as publishers take up an array of technological tools, they too can join the community. Not only does a publisher represent an author and his book, they share ideas, questions, complaints and applause. The result is a new and powerfully distinct connection.

It no longer matters where you stand as far as digital reading is concerned. Plenty of readers are enthusiastic, which means that publishers and authors are going to utilize the market. But digital reading is far from perfect. It is a long way from mainstream and technologically it is still being tested and improved. Rest assured that when bestselling authors like Dan Brown publish their books on digital devices, the improvements will arrive much quicker.

The Apple Tablet

So readers can expect a superior product. Amazon, Sony, Apple and their kin are working to corner the market. Soon publishers will have a highly stylized, simple to use, reliable device that will provide readers with a satisfying experience. Such an advancement places more (electronic) books in the hands of more readers. It multiplies copies sold. And a publisher’s readership grows.

But what about printed books? If digital reading becomes mainstream, won’t the printed book lose prominence? Yes and no. Printed books will continue to be published and will continue to sell. Some people will never convert to reading an electronic appliance. Old-school bibliophiles number in the millions. Which is to say that printed books will always have a home, and an opportunity.

Bibliophiles take pride in their books, they cherish their libraries. They enjoy flipping worn, musty pages. They like to sit with what they read, content under the weight of a book’s tangible aesthetic. But publishers of printed books need to improve their product, just like electronic books. Authors like Dan Brown are read by the masses and have the power to promote new technology as well as support the old. But less well known authors, or even authors that write about subjects that are not as widely read, simply do not have the leverage to change, or even buck, the way people read.

Old Fashioned And Still Going Strong

Instead, publicists, publishers and authors need to produce and promote an interactive and wonderfully designed printed book. The book must be flawless and appealing. It must capture what the author says and anticipate what the reader wants. It must provide directions to reader forums and interviews with authors. It must stand out not just for its prose, but for its pose. People need to be attracted to it. Today’s reader craves more information about a book and its author. Provide this and bibliophiles will swarm.

But simply publishing an attractive book is not enough. Even though niche books might not generate mass audiences, some readers will demand the option to read the book digitally. Publishers must offer this option for the benefit of their authors and readers alike. This is a simple upgrade. Transferring a manuscript to a digital device is far less burdensome than transferring an electronic book to a printed one.

This sounds obvious. And it is. But with so much uncertainty and change in the book world, some publishers seem to have lost sight of what people read, and why. To be sure, the changes taking place are consequential, exciting and problematic. Soon they will settle down. Only the most viable techniques will survive. Publishing will move forward and more people will have access to the world’s literature. How they read it will be up to them.

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