The secret roles of publishing

What does it mean to work in "publishing" these days? I asked myself that question last week as I was talking with family about what it is that I do with my time. One of them asked me just how it is that a book goes from an idea to a book sitting in my living room?

It was a good question, and one I started answering confidently, but then had to stop and think about. I realized there is a simple way to explain it that goes like this: 1) Author writes book, 2) Publisher loves it and publishes it, 3) Readers buy it and love it. That's the simple version.

But there are so many other steps along the path, especially with the evolving landscape now and the rise of self-publishing as a legitimate and respected option.

But what are those roles and what do they do? That's what I want to dig into this week.

1. Ghost Writers: What happens when you want to publish a book but you don't want to write it yourself? You get a ghost writer.

2. Literary Agents: What do agents do in this age of self-publishing? Do you still need one as an author? What can agents do that nobody else can?

3. Marketer: What does it mean to "market" books in the digital age? Who are these people and what do they do?

4. Bookstore owner: It used to be that a bookstore was where you found books on shelves. But in the age of competition over new formats, ebooks, and so many other options for buying and reading books, the role of the bookstore owner as curator and respected filter for the community is just as important as it has ever been.

5. Author: What do authors do with their time? Is it all spent at a typewriter in the woods? Or on a laptop in the coffee shop? For example, Charles Bukowski would look a lot different today than he did 50 years ago. What does an author need to do now that wasn't even around in the 1960's?

Image source: woodleywonderworks via flickr