Why Publishers Lose Good Writers (and Sometimes Their Sleep Too!)

Here are the primary reasons:

Royalties & Transparency – Writers often feel royalties are late, low, or lost in translation (literally and financially). They don't know the reason behind it as well.

Data Deficiency – Many publishers still run like it’s the 1980s, with Excel sheets that refuse to open and no real-time sales tracking.

Commercial Blind Spots – Marketing budgets are often smaller than the author’s coffee bill; visibility is sacrificed.

Creative Differences – Covers, edits, and positioning clash with the writer’s vision, making them feel unheard.

Ego & Relationship Management – The “my way or the highway” approach from either side erodes trust.

Systemic Challenges – Piracy, distributor dominance, and lack of digital innovation put extra pressure on publishers.

Have you ever heard the line, “Behind every successful author is a patient publisher”?

Well, in India’s publishing ecosystem, that line often comes with a footnote: “…until the author jumps ship to another house with a better royalty, glossier covers, and a marketing team that knows Instagram reels from film reels.”

So, why do publishers lose writers? Let’s take this with a pinch of salt...

Royalties: The Eternal Drama

Writers want their royalties on time, with clarity, and (let’s be honest) preferably with extra zeros. Publishers, on the other hand, juggle distributor cuts, unsold inventory, and retail returns. By the time the math is done, the royalty statements appear to have been written by a frustrated chartered accountant.

Result? Authors feel cheated. Publishers feel accused. Trust falls apart faster than a pirated PDF spreading on Telegram.

Transparency: The Elephant in the Room

Ask a writer how many copies of their book sold, and you’ll hear a long pause followed by: “My cousin saw it at the airport bookstore… so, at least one?”

The sad truth is that most publishers lack the necessary tech stack to track live sales across multiple platforms. The opacity is often not malicious; it’s simply a result of a poor system. But for a writer, “no data” feels like “no honesty.”

Marketing Woes: Out of Sight, Out of Print

Writers dream of book tours, reels going viral, and their book trending on Goodreads.

Publishers, meanwhile, may have a marketing budget that barely covers a press release and a plate of samosas for the launch event. In today’s noisy digital world, under-marketing is almost as bad as no marketing. Writers end up thinking: “If I have to market myself anyway, why not self-publish?” However, the reality is that even self-publishing doesn't help.

Creative Tug-of-War

Covers, edits, and blurbs are battlegrounds. A writer wants a minimalist black cover; the publisher insists on slapping a peacock, a lotus, and a motivational tagline. Somewhere between the editor’s red pen and the writer’s stubbornness, tempers flare. When authors feel creatively stifled, they look for greener pastures.

Ego, Empathy & Emails Left Unanswered

Publishing is as much about relationships as it is about books. A simple ignored email or a dismissive tone can sour the writer-publisher bond. Writers are sensitive creatures (a natural consequence of the job), and publishers are often overworked (a natural result of the job). A lack of empathy usually translates into a lack of loyalty.

Systemic Challenges: The Big Bad World

Let’s be fair to publishers. They’re fighting giants, piracy that eats 30% of potential sales, distributors who delay payments, online platforms that discount books until they’re cheaper than popcorn, and readers who still expect books at “Sabzi Mandi” prices. Add rising printing costs and shrinking attention spans, and you get why publishers sometimes can’t invest enough in their writers.

Digital Disruption (or the Lack of It)

The world is going digital, but many publishers are stuck in the age of fax machines and ledgers. Without proper e-book strategies, audiobook investments, or direct-to-reader platforms, they fail to meet writers’ modern ambitions. Writers then look for publishers who “get it.”

The Punchline?

It’s not always that publishers “fail” their writers. Sometimes, the ecosystem itself fails publishers, who then, by extension, fail their writers.

However, here’s the hopeful part: the future lies in transparency, technology, and trust. Publishers who embrace data-driven systems, fair royalty practices, empathetic author relations, and bold digital experiments will not just hold on to good writers; they’ll make them stars.

Until then, expect a few more “break-up” stories between authors and their publishers. After all, in publishing, just like in love, it isn’t very easy.