Are those services valuable enough for what publishers charge, though? I don't think all those services enter into the cost equation to the same degree. I would guess marketing to be a much, much larger expense than say editing (which presumably is a somewhat constant cost per page, while marketing is open ended).
Maybe it makes sense for authors to bond together to alleviate risks. Again, the question is, what is the right price for that service.
I'd say publishers are just a normal business. They provide some services that have some value. But they are not the gatekeepers they used to be anymore, hence authors should be able to get much better deals now.
As for marketing, a single person with a million followers on Twitter can probably achieve more than a whole traditional PR section of a big publisher? Or a recommendation on the front page of Amazon...
Sure PR still has some value (getting into newspapers and so on). But it's not the only way anymore.
Maybe it makes sense for authors to bond together to alleviate risks. Again, the question is, what is the right price for that service.
I'd say publishers are just a normal business. They provide some services that have some value. But they are not the gatekeepers they used to be anymore, hence authors should be able to get much better deals now.
As for marketing, a single person with a million followers on Twitter can probably achieve more than a whole traditional PR section of a big publisher? Or a recommendation on the front page of Amazon...
Sure PR still has some value (getting into newspapers and so on). But it's not the only way anymore.