Seth's Blog : Backlist confusion

Backlist confusion

The backlist are the products already in the marketplace. Built earlier, still sold. The frontlist is the new.

Restaurants have regulars (backlist) and new patrons. Broadway shows are attended by people who see three to ten shows a year, as well as folks going to their very first production. Supermarkets sell staples (like milk and bananas) as well as new products. Software companies, farmers, even rock stars have backlist items.

Today’s post is the frontlist of the blog, the other 10,000 posts are the backlist.

Two things are true, in a surprising juxtaposition:

Publishers spend almost all their time on the new books. The frontlist gets attention from editors, marketers, salespeople, publicists, and the rest of the team.
More than 100% of their profit comes from the backlist.

That’s not a typo. Every viable publishing house loses money on the frontlist. They do it to build a backlist. to create a catalog that pays the bills over time.

The confusion starts with the name.

Let’s call it what it is. The foundation list is the backbone of the organization and the engine for sustainability and profits.

And the experimental list is just that. A chance to invest in things that aren’t sure to work (because no one knows anything for sure about the future), with a focus on adding to the foundation list.

Now that the confusion is cleared up, we can make smarter decisions about how to spend our time and invest our resources.

Make your experiments actual experiments.

Devote time and money and focus to your foundation.

Improving your foundation always pays off. And being bold with your experimental list is easier once you call it an experiment.