Publishers: do we need them?

Last week Jay Cross wrote:

"Two years ago I finished writing Informal Learning, Rediscovering the Natural Pathways that Inspire Innovation and Performance. Then my publisher took a year to produce it! Snails on valium move faster. Foot dragging does no one any good. Besides, as an author, I resent doing most of the work but receiving only ten percent of the revenue."

As a reaction to this, Jay is experimenting with selling his work directly, as PDFs for download. The first example, Learning is strictly business, is available now for just $8. This might not seem much, but I bet it exceeds the royalties Jay would have received from sales of one of his books.

I have a similar view to Jay. I've talked to many authors of professional books and have yet to find anyone who's made enough money back to repay the time they put in. At least not directly - of course an author can stand to benefit in other ways from the reflected glory, perhaps in terms of consulting or speaking fees. In the meantime, publishers get a very good deal - you do the work, they take the cash. I know publishers take a risk on printing and marketing, but they must do reasonably well or they wouldn't be in business. The situation is of course the same with conferences. Only the keynote speakers get paid. Everyone else is doing their bit as a form of self-promotion (or as a way to get admission to the rest of the event for free). Even though I've participated in this game for decades, it still doesn't seem quite right to me.

I've had a simple rule for years now and it works. If you want to pay me to write or speak, you can influence what I say (within reason). If you don't pay, then I'll communicate on topics of my choice, in my way. Seems fair.

Anyway, I paid my $8 and downloaded Learning is strictly business. At 4400 words it's quick to get through, which almost definitely suits most readers much more than the typical book. You have to wonder whether the conventional format for a professional book, 200 pages plus, has evolved purely for the convenience of publishers and retailers. Surely not every topic justifies this much depth. Somewhere between an article and a book must lie a vehicle for expressing great ideas more succinctly and in a much more timely fashion. Jay's mini-book is in this category. I got value for money from these quotes alone:

"Training managers and line managers must both unlearn the thought that corporate learning is like a school. It's not. School is a terribly inefficient way to learn, but that's another story. By and large, corporate classrooms and workshops are dead."

"Successful organisations connect people. Learning is social. We learn from, by and with other people. Conversation, storytelling and observation are great ways to learn, but they aren't things you do by yourself."