Emmy Award-winning producer Barney Rosenzweig’s innovative ways saved his TV series Cagney & Lacey from cancellation several times, but after publishing his new memoir though iUniverse’s print on demand program, he wishes he’d gone the traditional route.
Rosenzweig initially began the memoir, Cagney & Lacey…and Me, with much lower expectations. He originally planned to write a pamphlet to accompany the Cagney & Lacey DVD set being released to celebrate the TV show’s 25th anniversary. “I really began writing the book as a loss leader to come out with the DVD set,” said Rosenzweig. “I wanted the producers to know I was serious about promoting the DVD set and I hoped I’d be able to create some synergy around the release.”
With the help of his extensive diaries, Rosenzweig was able to complete the book in 18 months. The memoir focuses on the years he spent navigating the treacherous waters of network television, charting Cagney & Lacey’s creation as a TV movie, its seven year run on CBS and then four successful TV movies several years after the series was cancelled.
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I really didn’t do much investigation into the publishing business,” admits Rosenzweig. “And the whole publishing business is a business model I don’t understand. It seems to be a lot of throwing things against the wall to see what will stick.” Two of his friends--an entertainment attorney and an agent--checked with a handful of publishers about publishing the book. “They told me that the book had a good voice and interesting material but it was too small a niche market. So, I thought self-publishing would be the answer.”
A little research brought him to iUniverse. The company offered “excellent notes—all communication was electronic—and I was pleased with that aspect of the production,” he said. He enjoyed working with an editor but admits that “the timeline was horrific” for when he needed the book to come out.
“They delivered when they said they would but at the expense of the editorial process,” he said. “I had mere days to proofread. The actual release process was a trial.”
Rosenzweig developed a happy relationship with Susan Driscoll, president/CEO of iUniverse, who he calls “a standup person who was terrific to work with.” But he admits that most of the people under Driscoll, “found me abrasive. They’re used to publishing books by grandfathers for their grandkids. I was trying to put out a national release.”
“I knew that I wouldn’t be in bookstores, but I didn’t realize how devastating that would be,” said Rosenzweig. “Not having a warehouse full of books that will accept books back from booksellers if they don’t sell really puts a crimp in your ability to sell. Booksellers are not interested in becoming book buyers.” He also realized that his primary demographic was older female fans of the TV show and, he said, “they’re really not savvy about the Internet. When they saw me with Rosie O’Donnell on The View, they looked for the book in a bookstore, they didn’t order it online.”
He did manage to get the book and the DVD set on the market in time for Mother’s Day but because of a last-minute shake-up and change of distribution companies, the Cagney & Lacey DVD set didn’t get an enthusiastic push into the market. While Sharon Gless (who is Mrs. Barney Rosenzweig) and Tyne Daly were highly visible promoting the DVD on TV and in print media, there was virtually no promotion from MGM/Fox.
“If I were to do it again, I’d probably go the conventional publishing route,” said Rosenzweig. “Because, in the end, tying the book with the DVD release wasn’t important for sales.”
“I loved writing the book. I had a good time and I’m not bitter,” said Rosenzweig. “Right now I’m in the DVD business and in the book business secondarily. I own this book, so if a publisher comes along who thinks they can market it, I can move my book.”
Reiterating the fact that “profit was never a motive of writing this book, it was always meant to serve the DVD set,” Rosenzweig spelled out the financial rewards of publishing via Print on Demand. He believes the book has sold "a few thousand copies online" but notes that Amazon.com gets a third of the book's $22 price with each sale. "That leaves $14 and iUniverse pays me $2 or $3, which leaves iUniverse $11." Driscoll confirm
ed the figures, adding, "But of the $11 that iUniverse gets, we have to pay for printing, distribution, shipping, etc. Our actual profits are much lower."
Driscoll said she viewed the sales of Cagney & Lacey and Me as "impressive. But books like this have to be considered "long tail" seller. The book will have slow and steady sales. We consider the book to have a very long shelf life and sales over time will be very good."
Rosenzweig owns the rights to the four Cagney & Lacey TV movies and may release them on DVD this fall. He's currently preparing a collector’s edition of the book—a hardcover version with bonus material including an index and a synopsis of all 125 episodes of the iconic series—that would release with the next DVD releases.
“It’s a challenge to reach my demographic,” said Rosenzweig, “but there’s a woman running for president, there’s a female speaker of the house and a woman over 50 just won the Oscar. So I think we can still create a stir about our show. I think of this book not as a business, but as a labor of love or, if you will, an ego trip."
