Exploring the intersection of creativity and the gig economy, we delve into the question of whether creativity can be commodified. Is it possible to purchase innovation on demand, or is creativity an innate quality that resists commercialization?
When authors are guaranteed a cut of their own book sales, they tend to work harder and get more creative
Book contracts that give authors a share of sales rather than paying them by output alone through a flat fee also propel them to produce more interesting content.
- The findings may prompt publishers to consider changing their pay structure in ways that reward writers for originality.
Advice for creative gatekeepers
Without an incentive structure allowing content providers to reap the rewards for their efforts, workers may have low incentives to boost the quantity or novelty of what they create.
- And if the platforms choose to maximize their own profits by opting for a fixed-price reward system, cutting workers out, they could end up stifling creativity.
A novel approach
In China, e-publishing platforms have become a multibillion-dollar industry, attracting more than 1 million authors and over 300 million readers
- Authors tend to produce commercially popular fare, such as romance novels, mysteries, crime fiction, and books about science fiction and martial arts
- Market competition is fierce, and less than 10% of books generate enough income for an author to live on
The pay structure matters
As competition intensified, authors who were paid a fixed price for their work did not appear to change their productivity
- Those authors who received a cut not only produced more but were more likely to write creatively
- The message is that a fixed-price arrangement favors the publishing platform
- Platform promotion can play a key role in driving the commercial success of a complementary product
