I recently read a book titled The E-Myth Revisited by Michael Gerber, and it was eye-opening, to say the least. It gave me a ton of ideas for how to hone down my own business, make it more efficient and effective, and work toward being more productive.
It also got me thinking about what it might look like to operate an indie publishing franchise. I did a little research on some of the various current models of publishing—small press, traditional, book packaging, non-profit—but I didn’t quite find anything like I was thinking.
So, as part of my fake master’s degree coursework, I drafted an essay laying out my ideas for a franchise system of indie publishing. Enjoy (or don’t—business isn’t as much fun as monsters!)
(If you’re interested in reading the book, here is a link.)
A Franchise Model of Indie Publishing
What if the process of independently authoring and publishing books could be franchised? What if you could create a system that any competent author, no matter their genre, skill level at marketing, business know-how, or networking acumen could step into and make work? What would that look like? What systems would you have to create to get it off the ground?
This is the question I am posing (and attempting to answer) after reading the book The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E Gerber. My goal is to map out the process of publishing an average, text-based fiction or non-fiction book, complete with all of the different options and choices that are part of the process. I also want to design a choose-your-own-adventure marketing system that could make it possible for a decent writer with good covers to make enough money to not only cover their upfront investment, but also have a regular monthly income (amount dependent on how many books the author has available and their relative value to readers).
Some aspects of being an indie author are easy to input into a franchise model. The publishing process, for example, and even the editing process, can be designed to be repeatable, with relatively consistent results each time. For example, I walk through the same design process of each book, from working with cover designers to inputting text into a template for the interior design—I simply use checklists to keep track of where I am for each project. Post finished manuscript, the process would involve hiring a copy editor to do edits, the author implementing those edits, then hiring a proofreader (or two) before the manuscript is considered done.
In terms of the actual publishing process, some of the first steps would involve hiring a cover designer and an interior designer, each of whom aligns with the franchise’s core principles, and who has experience in the genre. Choosing a printer would be another important step, taken early in the design process, as would choosing primary distributors. The distributors part could be pre-chosen for the franchise, based on the genre and/or the marketing system. Then, an e-book designer would be hired—or the author could be trained to do the design of the e-book and use the tools themselves.
Finally, ebook and paperback distribution would have to be determined. This is also a relatively straightforward process, and would largely be based on cost and quality factors. While there are many options out there, the franchise could pre-determine the printers, so the author wouldn’t have to worry about making choices; this way, we could guarantee consistent quality, timelines, and cost of printing. Then all books could be pushed to Amazon for purchase, and if there was a franchise system in place, the overarching organization could also handle ISBNs and copyright, and possibly create a small-press like distribution system that could reach libraries and small bookstores.
Distribution of e-books is a bit trickier, since this relies partially on the marketing plan. But there are really only two choices, and authors could be trained on both: going wide, or Amazon only. Either way, the platforms and tools currently available are easy to learn and use—it would be simple to develop a straightforward process and then train authors to use it.
Where it gets tricky is at the beginning and at the end of the process of developing a book. I’ll start with the beginning: deciding what to write. The reason this is tricky is because authors are a creative bunch and most of them want to write what they want to write. A few write to market, of course, but in general, subject matter, style, and voice all play a role in the success of the manuscript. But authors create their best work when they have the freedom to do so, so by imposing too restrictive of a system or a process, you risk reducing the quality of the books.
To help with this, I thought we could implement a program in which authors are encouraged (or possibly required) to explore a variety of genres, practice writing in different styles and voices, and make literary diversification part of their game plan. They would be required to publish in multiple genres (though the genres could be related), and encouraged to publish series, not simply standalone books. This would be true for non-fiction books as well. How-to books, informational books, and even memoir could be explored from a series perspective, and thus help create both a backlist (which will help with income) and a web for interested consumers to follow from one book to the next. Essentially, while we couldn’t guarantee that the author would learn to write quality manuscripts, we could mitigate the chances of poor-quality books being produced with the franchise branding by providing education on the actual process of writing before allowing authors to participate in the franchise.
Another complicated component at beginning of the process is timing. Some authors write quickly and can produce a book every couple of months or so. Others are slower, and can only produce one book a year. Of course, you also have your George R.R. Martins, who write one book every five years. The franchise system would be suitable for those who could write one or more books per year (allowing for the occasional dry spell even for the most prolific writers), but I think slower writers would find that the costs of running the business with only one product output per year would not be sustainable.
The other tricky part of franchising authoring is the marketing, which would be crucial for the success of the model. Marketing, while highly customizable, is extremely variable on the book, the genre, and the author. For example, some authors prefer book-heavy marketing, while others use their own face as the primary imagery for their business. Some prefer to focus on social media and newsletter marketing, while others focus their time and energy on paid advertising.
But a franchised marketing plan would have to be high-level enough that authors could plug and play based on their own personal skills, feelings, and genre, but specific enough that they knew exactly how to spend their marketing time and dollars. That said, the franchise itself could begin to build a base of readers, segmented by preferences, similar to the way that BookBub has done.
That said, I think a specific yet flexible marketing plan is totally doable. We could create multiple marketing patterns for several different genres, and the author could simply create (or hire someone to create) the marketing materials based off of their particular situation. For example, a science fiction writer might create buzz around their book by sharing world-building information, imagery from the book or series, quotes, a video interview with the author, and then throw a launch party. They would have access to the franchise-level ARC team to get reviews on their book, and they would begin by having their book Amazon-only, to take advantage of the Kindle Unlimited program and the other marketing options Amazon offers. Then, they would be required to invest a certain number of dollars into Facebook ads, Amazon ads, or Google ads, and we would either train them on this or provide experts to actually do it for them. Then, there would be regular, custom newsletters, regular social media updates, and that sort of thing. We could create a map for them to follow step-by-step. A romance author might be similar, but they might focus more on blog tours and giveaways—the trick would be in testing several different systems on a variety of different authors and books, and seeing how well they work. All authors would have access to marketing professionals, whose job it would be to help the author create a marketing plan specific to their book, series, and genres. And of course, they would be welcome to step outside the box and experiment with other tactics if they wish.
It’s pretty common knowledge that the more books an author has available, especially if they are in series or trilogies, the more money authors are able to make. As a result, this franchise system would require a certain upfront investment of both money and manuscripts. But as part of it, the author would have access to the franchise’s network, training opportunities, distribution network, and more—things that indie authors as a whole do not have access to. Though, I think either the franchise would have to charge them for access to the system, or they would have to give up a certain percentage of sales to the franchise to continue using the network and resources available (to be determined by someone with more business acumen than I).
Another relevant piece is that in order to be successful in the franchise model, a certain level of quality would be expected. We wouldn’t be able to guarantee that every author ever would be able to make this system work. Some books are just too esoteric; others just aren’t good; and still others might be too complex to fit within the franchise model. For example, books requiring a lot time and research to develop might not fit well. Children’s books might not fit well, as they are a completely different audience, and have a significantly different process for development than word-heavy fiction or creative non-fiction. In addition, chapbooks of poetry have a completely different audience, different style of book, and different expectations surrounding the publication and marketing processes.
Rule #1 of The E-Myth Revisited states that “the model will provide consistent value to customers, employees, suppliers, and lenders.” This means that the franchise itself would build custom relationships with printers, designers, suppliers, marketers, publicists, website designers, bookstores, and whoever else might be required throughout the process. Then, franchisees would have the ability to pick and choose from those individuals or organizations for the production of their books. This will also enable to keep costs standardized, and reduce or entirely eliminate issues with flaky cover designers or vanishing editors.
Rule #2 states that the models should be operable by individuals of the lowest possible skill. I think there should be some sort of gateway to entry that involves testing the quality of writing. Perhaps the individuals would have to take a test, or maybe their initial two or three manuscripts should be read by in-house reviewers for viability. Perhaps we have a pre-entry course that goes through the basics of writing, and even expert writers would be required to take it if they wanted to participate in the franchise. That said, as long as someone has the ability to write a clean, coherent story, I think they should be allowed to participate in the franchise. Right now, in order to be a successful indie author, you have to also be a marketer, a business person, an accountant, a designer, an editor, a project manager—and it seems like we could have a lot more wonderful books out in the world if authors weren’t intimidated by all of these other hats, or forced to spend time learning how to do them instead of crafting more stories. By having a franchise system in place, authors would have to know to do two things instead of ten: write a book, implement the franchise system.
Rule #3 of The E-Myth Revisited states that the model will be a place of impeccable order. Creativity is often messy and all over the place. This franchise model will allow for the writing process, the actual act of creating art, to be as messy and all over the place as the writer wants or needs it to be. But the process of publishing and producing the book—this would be neat and tidy.
Rule #4 of The E-Myth Revisited states that all work in the franchise model will be documented in the operations manual. This is an obvious course of action—this way, anyone participating in the franchise never has to question what to do. Everything they need to know—every name, every process, every step of every process—will be laid out in an easy-to-read, easy-to-understand format. They would also be trained on this process, and have access to a mentor or consultant to help them as they figure out what they’re doing.
Rule #5 of The E-Myth Revisited states that “the model will provide a uniformly predictable service to a customer.” Based on the idea that the customer is expecting either pleasure and entertainment or knowledge, this would mean we would have to ensure a certain base level of story quality. We also would want the books to have beautiful covers that represent the genre and content of the book; interior design that is clean, simple, and representative of the genre; e-books that are customizable by the reader; and the print or production quality one might expect from a traditional publishing company. Individuals who are unable to produce these results or are unwilling to use the resources provided to them for producing these results would be discontinued from participating in the franchise in order to maintain the franchise brand.
The final step in the process, #6 in The E-Book Revisited, states that the model will utilize a uniform color, dress, and facilities code. This is slightly less relevant, at least the way it’s phrased in the book, since the idea behind this franchise is that it is operated entirely online and authors would be working from their homes. However, it would be necessary to set expectations about social media presences, website design, using logos on books, book design standards, and that sort of thing. The franchise would have a clear-cut branding that would be sharp enough to differentiate franchise books as being part of the larger organization, but flexible enough that authors could also incorporate elements of their own brand and style in order to create differentiation.
Books and stories are nothing more than a vehicle to experience emotions, learn things, and be a part of something bigger than yourself. A franchise model of publishing would manifest this idea not only within the books that are created as a result, but in the way the system works, how the authors work together with the franchise teams, and in the creation of a system that enables the creation of art.
