Taylor Swift's sway in the music business has granted her the power to do things her own way, with the moves she makes in a pop-industrial complex of her own making having the influence to boost economies. This media autonomy may now impact the book publishing industry, Sophie Vershbow writes in Esquire, after the star decided to skip the traditional route and self-publish her 256-page photo book, Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour Book under the banner of a new venture, Taylor Swift Publications. Vershbow says that Swift's choice to bypass gatekeepers can be summed up in her quote from a 2022 Rolling Stone article: "People often greatly underestimate me on how much I'll inconvenience myself to prove a point."
And which point is that? After manager Scooter Braun purchased Swift's masters, she began doubling down on owning the rights to her art. The musician continued to consolidate control (and earnings) over her work by working directly with movie theaters to distribute her The Eras Tour Movie, cutting out Hollywood entirely. Celebrity books often buoy sales across the board in publishing, helping keep the lights on for the 75% of titles that don't earn the advance publishers pay authors. With a built-in audience, Swift has the recipe for a new approach to releasing a book. While Vershbow assesses it isn't her job to save the industry, she writes that Swift's choice to only sell the $39.99 book at Target is a blow to indie bookstores. "Many stores rely on the holiday season to help keep their stores open throughout the year," says one such store owner. Read the full story here. (More Taylor Swift stories.)
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