Sixties-Plus Female Authors Are Challenging Ageist Stereotyping

Featuring Ann Richardson & Lori Tucker-Sullivan

Female writers in their sixties and beyond are challenging ageist stereotyping in the publishing arena in two ways: first, by getting their books published, and second, by writing about older women.

Publishing is undergoing a shift, and at the same time, a vast audience of older women, namely women in their forties upwards to their eighties and nineties, want to read stories about women they can identify with.

The good news is that authors are emerging to fill that space with beautiful stories. For example, Mrs  Winterbottom Takes a Gap Year by Joanna Nell, The Little Clothes by Deborah Callaghan, Audrey’s Gone AWOL by Annie de Monchaux and Whenever You’re Ready by Trish Bolton.

But what exactly is the publishing landscape? What choices do authors have when publishing their books?

Publishing Overview

There are three distinct publishing models: traditional, dependent, and self-publishing.

Traditional Publishing

The traditional book publishing industry has three segments: trade publishing, where books are sold to bookstores, including novels, how-to books, cookbooks, and self-help books; educational publishing, which is for students from primary through to university level; and academic and professional publishing, which targets the expert; the lecturer, the teacher and experts in professional fields such as medical, law and business.

The industry is further segmented based on size: the Big Five publishing houses (Penguin Random House, HarperCollins, Macmillan, Simon & Schuster, and Hachette), medium to large independent publishing houses (between US$5 million and US$99.9 million in annual sales revenue), and small independent publishing houses (less than US$5 million in annual sales revenue).

The publishing house pays all upfront costs in traditional publishing, and the author is expected to market and publicise the book, including being active on social media, having a website, possibly a blog, etc. An author may be paid an advance against future royalties, although it’s becoming less common today. No further royalties will be paid to the author until the publishing house recoups the advance money through book sales. The standard royalty rate is 10% - 15% on hardcover sales and 5% -7.5% on Trade Paperback sales. Book sales are the primary income source for traditional publishing, and the publishing market continues to thrive.

Dependent Publishing

University Presses are examples of dependent publishing, where the university underwrites its publishing activities. Nonprofit publishing houses are reliant on donations or grants to augment book sales. Many companies and organisations also publish books about themselves for their specific audience.

Self-publishing or Indie Publishing

Self-publishing crosses all genres, and the authors themselves fund all aspects of the publication, including printing costs and the production of an ebook. There are several options for self-publishers. For example, an author can do everything themselves or pay a company to publish their book. These companies were formerly given the derogatory term ‘Vanity Publishing’, now regarded as ‘old-school’ thinking. Another option is the hybrid publishing model, where the author and publisher share publishing and distribution costs. The publisher then produces and distributes the book.

An author also has the option to hire a freelance editor or cover designer and utilise an ebook distributor, such as IngramSpark, to print on demand in return for a cut of the profits. Authors can upload their books to online stores like Amazon’s Kindle and Apple’s iBooks.

However, since publishing went digital, the biggest challenge is no longer publishing a book, which can be done from a home computer. The biggest challenge is discoverability in a vast sea of 32 million books.

Reference: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/86747

Decisions, Decisions

Every author must eventually decide whether to go with a traditional publisher or self-publish as an indie author. Today, an author may ask, “What can a traditional publisher offer me in exchange for the rights to the book I’ve slaved over for years?” Furthermore, an established author who has built a direct relationship with her audience may well ask, “Why do I now need a publisher?”

Two Substack authors will help us understand the challenge of making such a decision by generously sharing their stories.

I asked them both five questions.

Ann Richardson

Introduction

Ann’s first book was published in 1983 by Routledge Kegan Paul. A university professor had approached her to write a book on ‘participation’, a concept in political theory, based in part on her PhD thesis. While she had received academic kudos for the publication, Ann subsequently decided not to pursue an academic career.

This publication fits within the Dependent Publishing segment, and, as Ann notes, ‘self-publishing’ was not even a concept then.

Over the next thirty years, Ann’s books were published by the policy institute she worked for and occasionally elsewhere.

Question 1: What made you decide to go with a publisher or to self-publish?

“Whenever I was writing a book, I would approach potential publishers and, happily, always found one fairly quickly. A book on people with learning difficulties was published by the Open University Press in 1989. In 1992, HarperCollins published my book on people with HIV and AIDS Wise Before Their Time. In 2007, a prestigious medical publisher, Radcliffe Publishing, published my book Life In A Hospice.”

By 2013-14, when Ann was preparing her book about Celebrating Grandmothers, the publishing scene had changed dramatically.

“Authors could not approach most publishers directly but were expected to find an agent to do so.  I approached twelve or so agents and was turned down every time. I can’t remember how I first heard about self-publishing, but I guess my research on the internet elicited some mention of it. I decided I would rather get my book out instead of the long delays likely to be entailed by the search for a publisher, and I chose to go the self-publishing route.”

Ann then had an unfortunate experience with a hybrid publishing company that charged her £300 to publish her book but was very vague about details regarding her royalties. This made her doubt whether she had received the total amount owed to her.

“I then learned about the Alliance of Independent Authors (ALLi), which I joined and realised I could self-publish directly onto KDP (Amazon) – and that was the beginning of wisdom. I subsequently learned how to publish on other ebook outlets, such as Apple, Kobo, etc., through an organisation called Draft to Digital (usually called D2D). There is another such organisation called Ingram, but I have never dealt with it.

“I immediately asked for the rights to my book about grandmothers, which I then published directly on KDP.  A few years later, realising the benefits of self-publishing, I contacted both HarperCollins and Radcliffe Publishing, took back the rights to my respective books and self-published them with new covers in the same way.

“When I produced my book The Granny Who Stands on Her Head about why I like being old in 2021, I did not hesitate but went directly for self-publishing.”

Question 2: Knowing what you do now, what is the one thing you would do differently at the beginning of your publishing or self-publishing journey?

The publishing scene has changed so much since Ann first published, but…

“If I were starting now, I would skip all efforts to find a traditional publisher (unless I had good reason to believe that a good one could be found easily) and go directly to self-publishing via KDP (Amazon) and other outlets.”

In explaining the advantages of self-publishing, Ann states:

“First and most important, in my view, self-publishing gives an author complete control over the final product. This includes the content, layout, cover, advertising blurbs, and all sorts of other things. (One of my books was a very peculiar size when it was traditionally published.)

“Traditional publishers tend to edit the work and can override the author’s views on decisions. Such publishers may show the author the cover, but the author rarely has any say – and, consequently, many authors dislike the covers of their books. Basically, the book belongs to the publisher. When you gain control over these issues, you realise how important this is in the pride you feel in your book.

“Any serious self-publishing author will engage an editor, a proofreader, a cover designer and, in some cases, someone to format the layout. All these services are available from very competent freelance providers, of which the author has a choice. This is no small matter.

“Secondly, the income is much better when you self-publish. The royalties gained from traditional publishers are typically 10-15% of the sales price. The royalties earned from ebooks published on KDP are 70% of the sales price (and with paperbacks, 60%). It does not take a mathematician to determine which is better for an author.”

As the Overview mentions, publishers expect authors to market and publicise their books. Ann discovered that the lion’s share of a publisher’s marketing budget is spent disproportionately on bestsellers and well-known authors. After her experience of doing most of the marketing for her published and self-published books, Ann believes:

“…there is very little advantage to publishing with a traditional publisher, aside from prestige, access to book reviewers in prestigious outlets (such as newspapers and magazines) and some book prizes.”

Question 3: What was your biggest publishing or self-publishing challenge?

“Marketing is almost always the biggest challenge for authors, and it has certainly been mine.  While some authors are reluctant to sell their wares, this has never been a problem for me. When you have been self-employed, you have learned to sell your skills. I even find it fun. Nonetheless, there is a very crowded market for books out there, and it is difficult to find a way to enable yours to stand out from others. But there are ways to market books; involvement with ALLi helped me learn about them.”

Question 4: What would you never do again?

“Given the topics I write about, I would never approach a traditional publisher again. The likely benefit is not worth the likely cost of endless delays in finding an agent, the agent finding a publisher and then losing control of the product.

“This is not to say that this is always the right course for everyone, but it is the right course for me.”

Question 5: What were your three most successful book launch strategies?

Having concluded that a launch party was essentially an expensive self-indulgence, Ann simply put her books up on KDP and slowly marketed them using various strategies.

“First, I took up blogging in 2015 for a very successful online magazine (600k subscribers) for older women (Sixty and Me) in the hopes that this would sell a lot of copies of my book about grandmothers. I discovered that it did not work well as a sales medium, but I also discovered that I loved blogging – and I still write regular posts for them. In addition, I joined Substack in late 2022 and have certainly sold some books via this means.

“Second, I enjoy talking about my books to live audiences and have taken up invitations to give a reading from one of my books – and also sought out ways of doing so. I have done a few book talks every year for the last decade. These sell a few books, sometimes pay a fee for the talk, and are an enjoyable way to spend time. However, they are not a significant marketing tool.

“Third, marketing on social media is a very successful activity for many authors, but I did not have good experiences. I never seemed to do well with Facebook. I used to sell quite a few books via Twitter (sadly, no longer) and then discovered that ads on Amazon could prove very successful. I did this for several years, but recently, such ads became too expensive for the return, and I stopped.

“Finally, I have done well with book promotion sites, which are organisations with good reputations and large mailing lists. You pay them a fee (which varies hugely), and they send out a notice of your book, which is deeply discounted (often 99c/99p), and books sell. I have done exceptionally well with BookBub, which is widely seen as the queen of book promotion. Despite hefty fees and a discounted book, I have made money every time by the sheer volume of sales.”

In fact, the sales figures for Ann’s fourth book on growing old, The Granny Who Stands On Her Head, have surprised her. About 5300 copies have been sold since its publication in late 2021.

As discussed at the beginning of this post, a large market of older readers want books with people or characters they can identify with. Ann’s autobiographical book fits the bill, with highly relatable insights such as “But worrying also goes down to the grandchildren,” something I can personally identify with! So her sales are not so surprising.

While books in the Dependent Publishing segment of the market have a more specialised readership and Ann’s two latest books are not in the popular genres of romance and crime where high sales might be anticipated, she is justifiably proud of the fact that she has achieved well over 10,000 sales of the self-published versions of her books.

Congratulations, Ann, on an excellent result.

Ann’s Substack Newsletter, The Granny Who Stands on Her Head https://substack.com/@arichardson

Lori Tucker-Sullivan

Introduction

With 16 years of experience in bookselling and publishing, Lori had insight into many of the ‘ins and outs’ of publishing and, as a freelance writer, her work has appeared in The New York Times and The Washington Post. Lori also knew first-hand how difficult it was to get traction in bookstores with a self-published book. She also knew from her own experience what it was like for women to have to figure out who they would become after the man to whom they were so connected passed away. Her experience of widowhood and her deep love of music and musicians eventually led to her book I Can't Remember If I Cried: Rock Widows on Life, Love and Legacy.

Question 1: What made you decide to go with a publisher or to self-publish?

“When I first came up with the idea of tracking down and profiling the widows of rock stars, I only knew I wanted to do this as a project that maybe could become a book. After the first few interviews, I knew I had book material.

“I was fortunate that a colleague in publishing offered to help me craft a proposal. We shopped the proposal around to all the Big 5 in 2017-2018 and got rejections. Because the book was part music history, part profiles of lesser-known women, and had my own grief story as a through-line, several publishers said they didn't know where the book would be shelved! They were complimentary of the writing and even the subject matter but were confused by the book.

“I kept finding the women and writing the book even without a publisher’s interest. A friend suggested I send the proposal to publishers specialising in music books, and they were more interested in the project. Purely coincidentally, BMG, the large corporate publishing and music rights company, had just opened a book publishing office in LA in 2018, and one of the women I interviewed connected me to the Sr. Editor/Publisher. He offered to look at the proposal and, six months later, wrote back saying he wanted to publish the book. Had that not happened, quite possibly, I would have eventually considered self-publishing.”

Question 2: Knowing what you do now, what is the one thing you would do differently at the beginning of your publishing or self-publishing journey?

“If I were starting today, I would feel less beholden to larger publishers. I was at the point of selecting the cover design with BMG Books when they decided to close their book publishing division, so three years after getting a contract, I was now without a publisher again!

“They eventually sold my contract to Backbeat Books who ultimately published my book. Now, Backbeat has been sold to Bloomsbury, and I'm without any direct assistance as I try to promote my book because of the shuffle that's going on.

“I'm not sure I would consider self-publishing, but I would explore more opportunities to reach readers directly, like Substack, TikTok, podcasting, etc. There are more opportunities to connect directly, which is throwing yet another wrench in traditional publishing. A friend who spent her career at a Big 5 publisher and recently retired said she is certain big publishers are now planning for the "post-literate society," which seems apocalyptic. But...maybe they should be preparing for the post-hardcover book society.”

Question 3: What was your biggest publishing or self-publishing challenge?

“I've probably outlined that above--keeping up with the industry changes that were happening as I completed my book. It still amazes me that I've been under contract with three publishers for one book through no fault of my own! Equally, there is the need to do all promotions on your own. Unless you are contracted with a Big 5 publisher that sees big things for your book (because you're already well known and/or have a large platform), you can plan on doing promotional work yourself. I would try to work on building that platform earlier, but it's very hard to get through all the noise out there.”

Question 4: What would you never do again?

“In terms of meeting the women I've met, collecting and writing their stories and documenting their struggles and challenges, I would do nothing differently. That experience has been life-changing and really special, even if the book was never published.

“In terms of publishing, much of the most challenging part was out of my hands (I literally fell to the floor weeping when my BMG publisher called to say they were closing and wouldn't be publishing my book). So I'm not sure there's anything I wouldn't do.

“I can say I would try to moderate my expectations for the book since, of course, I thought it would be an instant bestseller, and there would be interest in it from all the talk shows and national media. But that didn't happen either, even with PR support, which I paid out of pocket.

“Like Debby Downer, I feel like saying that the one thing I wouldn't do again is dream big!” 

Question 5: What were your three most successful book launch strategies?

“Given my previous work, I had many contacts with wonderful independent bookstores and could travel to several for events. But events are small these days, even with the stores doing promotions. But they have also been wonderful experiences, regardless. And I believe my book has sold before and after, even if people didn't come out.

“I have connected to multiple large book clubs, most at "planned communities" with a golf clubhouse and large book clubs. They bring me in, feed me dinner and drinks, purchase the book ahead of time (so I don't have to worry about that), and I talk about the process and some behind-the-scenes info. I've had a few of these with 30+ people. I've not yet figured out how to connect with more of them, but I hope to. The demographic is my target audience (women 40-65 who like classic rock music).

“The third thing is to be a good literary citizen, promote other writers, and develop a large base of friends and fans. I had 60+ people at my launch event. I've met with friend groups, book groups, writing groups, etc. All those connections have been cultivated over the years, as well as online and in-person local groups.

“I ask for favours: Please request my book at your local library (and share my starred review in Library Journal), request it at B&N, share it on your social media, give reviews on Amazon, etc. Ask! People love being a part of the journey!”

In I Can't Remember If I Cried: Rock Widows on Life, Love and Legacy, published this year, Lori writes about the devastation and grief experienced by fourteen rock widows but also of their incredible strength and resilience.    

 Lori’s Substack Newsletter Flick of the Wrist: https://substack.com/@lorituckersullivan

In Conclusion

In her article Postpartum Publishing: On the Highs and Lows of Bringing a Book into the World, Tawny Lara suggests that:

‘Perhaps this is how authors should look at the entire writing process. From conception (the idea) to gestation (writing the proposal and finding an agent) to labour pains (writing, launching, and promoting the book) to having our guts on the table for the world to see.’

A huge “thank you” to Ann and Lori for putting themselves out and sharing their publishing journey with us!

What are your thoughts on the shifting publishing landscape?

Kisane xoxo