bookpublishing

Well it should have come as no surprise that our company was going to cut back on the types of books we publish. But I suppose I didn’t see it coming when one of my favorite genres would get cut: football books. You might wonder why… Football is an incredibly popular sport with hundreds of high-profile, intriguing stars to study. And I would argue that despite the brains vs. brawn argument one might make that it takes very little mental power to enjoy testosterone-crazed linebackers ram into each other play after play after play, football is actually a fairly complicated sport to fully understand (and don’t even get me started on fantasy football); why wouldn’t these fans enjoy books about their favorite sport? If they get the sport, they could easily handle a book about it, I say. I don’t actually think it’s the struggle of selling football books that is the problem. Football books are written by well-known sportswriters, coaches, players, hall-of-famers, commentators, and others in those related fields that require a hefty paycheck… and that’s the curse (or one of them…) of book publishing: the advance.

Most authors receive an advance of money when they sign a book deal and another advance of money when they finish a book; often authors receive yet another advance when they resolve the copyeditor’s queries. All that money is taken out of the author’s royalty payments, which means they won’t receive any more money until the advance is paid back in profits. Yet, it’s still money the publisher dishes out before any profit is made from the book. That is assuming that the book makes a profit at all. Sports authors tend to get deals including the highest advances and it’s getting harder and harder for publishers to accommodate those payments.

Part of the reason I applied for the position I have now officially begun is because I’d get to edit sports books. I’ve been lucky enough to edit three football books, one baseball book, and one memoir of a famous sportscaster. I’ve worked with some incredible (if high-maintenance) authors and learned a great deal from these projects. I don’t regret taking the new position–don’t get me wrong–because I’ve also been able to delve into other topics I had little experience with, like hiking, birding, and local interest. And not all the sports books have been canceled–it seems that baseball books are doing well enough to keep up with. Thank God because I’m lucky enough to be editing a book by the man who is practically the Red Sox’s mascot, Jerry Remy. But who knows what will happen in the future.

I’m wrapping up a beautiful and fantastically written biography about Vince Lombardi and waving off the last of my football books. I feel like I figured out my passion a few minutes too late and can only hope to get another opportunity to pursue it again in the future.