Have you heard of Taylor Swift?
Well, of course you have. And chances are you know about the dispute with her former record label over the ownership of the masters of her first six studio albums. Out of this, she re-released the previously recorded albums from 2021 through 2023 to gain COMPLETE OWNERSHIP of her music.
What does this have to do with Bookling Media, you might ask?
An author's ownership of their work is just as important as a singer’s rights are in the music industry space. The book industry should be taking notes and making the same changes. And now, with our new book FLOAT, by Larry Daley, Bookling Media is making it happen!
Here is how: We allow the author-illustrator to retain all their intellectual property rights to their creation!
To put it bluntly, the traditional publishing model is broken. It is nearly impossible for creators to make a living on book sales. Royalties are generally cents per book, and many authors never surpass their advance.
To add insult to injury, the author sells their rights to the publisher. The publisher can pull marketing support for a book or take it out of print leaving the author with little recourse, and no way to make money from their work. This happens more often than most realize.
Self-publishing has never been easier, but comes with its own challenges, not the least of which is the stigma in the book trade around self-published titles. It is unfortunate the way the industry treats those who take their destiny into their own hands.
Bookling Media’s model was designed to protect creators’ intellectual property rights, provide the support that a publisher provides, and offer legitimacy in the eyes of the industry that comes from being published “traditionally”.
I founded Bookling Media in 2020. I published my own book first to build out the model, the processes, and the industry relationships necessary to develop, print, distribute, and market children’s picture books.
We’re not talking about a one-person show and print on demand here. I hired experts who have worked at the big five publishing houses to edit, format, and produce our books.
What I am building is important, and FLOAT is no less important. It is a huge step for Larry Daley, the author-illustrator, as his first published picture book. But it is also a huge step for Bookling Media, a small independent press. FLOAT legitimizes Bookling Media as a true publisher in the eyes of the industry.
FLOAT isn’t just a children’s picture book. It is the start of a revolution that challenges the status quo in the publishing industry. It proves that there are better ways of publishing.
Help us change this for the betterment of the publishing industry and for all author-illustrators.
Please consider backing our FLOAT preorder campaign.
Thank you for the support!