If you wonder what the deal is on the pricing of the new book on Amazon—it’s this. Penguin, which distributes DAW, wants to set the price of its e-book offerings. Penguin apparently pulled its e-titles from Amazon. Now Amazon has retaliated by selling Penguin-distributed books, including mine, at below half price. I don’t know how this will affect what I get paid, but this isn’t going to help the already-shaky finance of the book industry, which is already unable to deal properly with new writers and is being run by oil companies who don’t know beans about books or readers. Amazon, which sells everything in the universe, isn’t going to be hurt that badly if the whole book industry collapses.
Readers and writers and of course publishers will get hurt. The world of books and literature will be hurt. This is getting ugly. And may get worse. What happens when publishers close their doors and sell off all their rights to Amazon?
What happens when the people who sell everything and anything begin publishing all the books in the English language—read, publishing everything, no matter what its quality or origin, or copyright status? We’ve got Google on one side asserting they’ve got the right to publish everything, copyrighted or not, paying nobody, Amazon on the other, asserting they’ll publishing anything no matter the quality, with no care or guidance to the authors at all, and pay what they want—and I don’t think it’ll be good.
Support your local writer. We’re going to need all the help we can get to stay alive.
So, Amazon learned something during its last battle against a publisher, when they de-listed the Macmillan titles… Now, they play it smarter, and try to hurt the publisher’s finances? Sneaky. Almost nobody will defend Penguin as they defended Macmillan. Still, it’s the same issue: who writes the tune the others will dance to? Amazon is still trying to be not only the biggest bookseller in the world, but the sole intermediary between authors and book buyers. And indeed, who will find and nurture new talents if publishers are forced out of the business?
One other thing: for people interested in alternatives to Amazon, I suggest the British-based on-line bookseller The Book Depository.
http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/book/9780756406011/Deceiver
They offer reasonable prices and ship in almost every country in the world free of additional charges. Being in Europe myself, I often find that it’s no more expensive than Amazon, or even cheaper. And for a change, I know their business is selling books, not building a monopoly! 😉
Huh… I got the new book in the mail yesterday from Amazon, and was puzzled by email from Amazon about a bit of a refund I got back from the pre-order price. Mystery solved.
Oh, and I’m enjoying the book, but only a few chapters in so far!
Harper Collins has had a limited number of your ebooks up for over a year. Now, they are not part of the ebook pricing feud. They have kept their traditional model pricing with Amazon. The Authors’ Guild has had a number of communications about ebook royalties and ebook contract terms specifically with Harper Collins over the last few months. You might have your agent shake the Harper Collins accounting tree.
Worth looking into.
It is a scary and confusing time in the publishing world. I wish you the best, and plan to support you by buying your books from Closed Circle. It’s the only way I know to pay you directly for your wonderful books.
In the short term, Amazon takes a loss on Deceiver. The problem is that people are starting to think they should be able to buy hardbacks for less than $15, so they’re going to be more reluctant to pay full price.
And in the mean time, what I *really* want are all the Foreigner books on my iPhone. But they’re not available.
Deceiver looks wonderful! I can’t wait to dive into it.
They’re (Amazon) probably hoping that your Average Reader’s only going to pay attention to the discount pricing which in turn leads them into buying other stuff on the site at the same time. They’re banking on the fact that Average Reader’s not going to know about what they’re really up to, nor are they going to care if they’re selling said item at a temporary loss. They’re hoping that Average Reader will think of the great pricing and come back to Amazon for the next time that they want to shop.
It may not even be that much of a loss depending on what price they negotiated with the publisher originally. Then there’s going to be the expectation of “well Amazon’s selling this for x off why should I go local or to a brick and mortar store and pay more.” Granted, you can go online and find coupons for Barnes and Noble and Borders at any given moment as well as Barnes and Noble’s membership program, which touches upon what Sweetbo mentioned about coupons at brick and mortar stores. I think those are a different type of loss leader which affects the stores’ overall bottom line, not what they paid for any given book and the subsequent royalties paid to an author. I think it’s different than Amazon here because Amazon will negotiate their own “special” pricing that they pay, which is likely different than if the same item is sold to XYZ retailer. (This is true with not-books, I don’t know how they negotiate pricing with publishers. I’m guessing its on a similar scale.)
Having said all of that, I’m all about a bargain when I see one (who isn’t…) but if I’m bargain hunting, I’d prefer it to be a legitimate discount (in my case, Barnes and Noble’s discount membership program), not a silent backhanded protest game on the part of the retailer.
OFF TOPIC.
All Foreigner books on my iPhone…
Amen to that!
Actually, I don’t happily read a book first time in digital format, but rereads? Oh, yes! Which means I’m open to buying two copies of my fave books… perhaps not that many are, but…
I have to talk to my FiL about this, as a veteran of the publishing industry. He was a senior editor with one of the big houses, but got turned loose about 8 years ago in one of their periodic housecleanings. I’d love to get his opinion on e-publishing and what it will hold for authors, publishers, and the big retailers.
I consider Google suspect, they have said a lot of things
that sounded really good about digitizing libraries.
In the case of the internet archive, which has an enormous
database available, the Google scans are so badly done that
anyone who has been around searches for a different scan of
the item rather than waste time with theirs.
I do not think that crappy scans of public domain works are
in the public interest, some of the stuff is beaten up enough
from hard usage already.
One thing is sure, the Net has been very hard on any past
economic model and has not been kind to traditional business
models. The music industry has been able to buy the politicians to get their mad schemes into law, but the word
has gone out and killed them economically. When a major
artist gets up in front of a live concert and says he looked
at the store price of his music, then said, steal my albums
and make copies for all your friends, it should have been a
wakeup call to he industry.
I have never liked the megacorporation, with its economies
of scale business model run by seedy beancounters who do
more harm than good. So if we want quality science fiction
written the way the author wants to present the story the
only way to get it is by patronage (support of artist and
bard in the old way). These are very valuable members of the
human community.
My rule of thumb is to buy new titles from favorite authors in a local big-chain bookstore, with the idea that encouraging those chains to carry my favorite authors will help keep those authors on the shelves in those pervasive venues. I will use coupons from the Borders and B&N membership programs; it’s my understanding that these do not affect the author at all. (Is that true?)
If I don’t have a coupon, though, I’ll buy the book anyway: I am naturally stingy, but with a book, one is not buying an object, like a candybar, one is supporting an artist providing an experience that will go on for hours or days and have a lasting affect. Folks pay tens or even hundreds of dollars to watch a symphony (or a ballgame, where they tell the same story over and over again!); $25 for a hardcover is nothin’…
The idea to overcome is that you are buying a thing, when you are in fact hiring the services of a storyteller. (And thus buying a world or two at a time…) Closed Circle, with its direct connection to the authors, is hopefully the model for promoting that idea.
I try to buy back-catalogue stuff from an indy — like The Other Change of Hobbit or Keplers here in the Bay Area — with the hopes those guys will stick around. it seems like it is pretty much a labor of love for these stores. I will resort to Amazon, though, if all else fails; it’s always better to buy the book than not, I suspect.
I’ve been buying CJ’s stuff as it comes out since the late ’70s — just the other day I came across the Galaxy issues with the serialized version of “The Faded Sun: Kesrith” — so I’ve lucked out in snagging copies of everything before they’ve gotten difficult to find. As a result, I have not bought any of her (erm, your? our host’s? blog-comments… huh.) stuff as e-books. I’ve bought Fairy Moon, though, and hope to buy more. The “director’s cut” versions and new “covers” and extra stuff are appealing, but mostly it’s what i said above: days of enjoyment and years of echoes…
Since I live in Germany, I’m totally used to the fixed book price agreement that is in use here, and I’m continually amazed that other countries don’t have an agreement of this kind. Wherever you go in Germany (or Austria) to buy a book, you will pay exactly the cover price, no more and no less. The fixed price is canceled after the book has been out of print for a certain time so you can get older books cheaper in a “Modernes Antiquariat”, a special kind of bookshop for that kind of books.
Regarding the Amazon thing, I stopped buying there after the Amazon-MacMillan fracas and am now sending my book money to bookdepository.co.uk instead. They have free shipping too, and I can survive waiting a tad longer for my books. After all, “voting with the wallet against Amazon” is some thing everybody buying books can do… and buying books at half price to the detriment of independent book stores, publishers and authors cannot be in our long-term interest as readers.
As an indie bookseller, this is depressing. It’s bad enough we’re getting assaulted by the Costco’s and Walmart’s, but Amazon is trying to eliminate us physically and on the Internet. We’re caught in the middle just like the authors, and if they hurt the authors, what’s left? The strongest relationship in the book industry has been the support of authors by the independent bookstore. We’re book lovers who promote, or hand sell, new and local authors. The big chains will have the big selling authors once a month for signings, but most indies will have weekly gatherings for authors. It would be a shame to lose that connection because of Amazon or Google. I’ll be offering e-books when my revised website goes live, but it won’t compete with Amazon’s price. The Book Expo will be in a couple of weeks, and I think the big question is how the independents can still support authors in the electronic age. I believe stores will become a destination for people to meet, and I will continue to support authors in the D.C. area any way I can, for as long as I can. BTW – on-line indies can get your book just as fast as the chains and Amazon, and you’ll get actual personal service. I want to thank Karen for tweeting me about this.
I absolutely agree.
The indie bookstores and specialty stores are going to be hit hard if publishers start folding, and I don’t know what to suggest, except offering a used book section, diversifying, opening a reading area and coffee shop, and doing ‘events’ and promoting independent publishers. The world is full of people who enjoy the mystique of books, and who want the ambience of books: and what is likely to happen, besides e-books, is the sudden proliferation of indie publishers, and the need of expert booksellers to figure who’s got good product. On our sidebars, there are not only the e-book publishers (mostly writers, who don’t have the capital or the time to work with a paper production) but small presses: Selina Rosen’s Yard Dog Press, Meadowhawk, and others. You will find some serious, serious writers doing books here, and some of these small publishers are willing to travel to a bookstore and do an event, featuring all their stock: they could be a new sort of guest talent. Stores willing to special-order make a warm-fuzzy people want to come back to; stores who greet their customers by name and tip them off about a new book they may like, etc.
We are all in a fleet of boats trying to navigate mined waters, and the internet that has helped cause this problem can also be the solution, to link consumers and providers together.
I’d just like to leave the viewpoint of another reader. I love books around me and have a room in my house I call my ‘library’. It’s were I spend most of my waking hours when I’m at home. For me there’s something comforting about real books. At the same time I love the convenience of carrying with me a number of books in e-book format on a single device (in my case it’s the iPad) because I can read whatever I’m in the mood for during my lunches and breaks.
Therefore, I have paid for the same book in different version. My favorite books exist in 3 versions, if possible. Hardcover, paperback and e-book. I don’t mind paying several times for the same book. The pleasure I derive from reading is worth it to me. Surely others feel that way, too. I am grateful to have all these options when buying a book.
And after reading the various comments here I also hope to make the kind of decision, when I buy another book in whatever format, that is of the most benefit to the author. Ultimately, the voice of the story-teller should never be silenced.
One good thing about a return to small, specialty publishers would be the return of book publishing to folks who actually care about books. I think that we can all recall the work of some of the specialty houses of the past and present which were (and are) a joy to hold. By comparison, the last couple of ‘Bren’ hardcover books look pretty shoddy. (NOT CJ’s fault the author has no control over this.) I hope that DAW/Penguin is using better paper than the old Gnome Press did in its last days, but otherwise even that Gnome product is superior.
Xenophon, thanks for the link to your book in progress. It sounds interesting, and I’ll read the excerpt and bookmark your site.
I have Foreigner and at least one other volume in the series…and yesterday, I ordered Deceiver in hardcover from Amazon. (And wondered at the $11 price.) — If I had known it was not going to benefit you, CJC, I would’ve gladly bought from B&N. If Amazon and Penguin / DAW are causing trouble for authors, I’ll happily switch to buying my books from B&N. Though, these days, I will also happily buy ebooks. Finding Closed Circle (and other ebook sites) is a real blessing.
I would greatly prefer for favorite authors to get more of their fair share of the pie by buying from them directly, or through ebook sellers or printed book bookstores whom the authors prefer for their distribution.
My perspective: I am vision-impaired. So a trip to get, well, anything, is more hassle than for most people. Like most avid readers, I buy books from favorite authors or if something looks good, to keep. (‘Spensive, but so is cab fare, and…I get to reread ’em.) So a trip to the bookstore or library means an armload of books, and there’ll always be at least one or two scifi books. (The budget may suffer if I don’t watch it.) Yup, if I see something new that looks good from the book jacket (author, title, cover art, blurb, reviews inside) that is new to me, in it goes. Might find a new gem. (Rarely a stinker.) My parents owned a small business. I saw first hand how the advent of big warehouse chain stores hurt the mom-and-pop art shops. Hmm…and I will have to hunt up an indie bookstore around here, it’s a big city, so B&N and its ilk rule. I also know, from same, that being a small businessperson or one who relies on periodic sales of creative works means money is usually tight. It’s been a real eye-opener seeing these comments. — Whatever most benefits the original author/artist and indie sellers, also benefits me as a reader/viewer/listener, and keeps them, like me, afloat, inside of being gobbled up by the big ugly corporate/bureaucratic entities.
Closed Circle? Other indie ebook/book publishers/sellers? Distributors that the authors most gain from and I get a good price from? Excellent. I would rather them.
I think we are seeing a massive cultural shakeup, as the internet continues to affect old, traditional ways of getting art (such as books and music and film) out there to the public. The big guys are getting shaken to their cores. Fine. The little independent guys and girls are being squeezed by the old traditional models and objections, roadblocks, by those giants, to *paying* and *promoting* the artists fairly. But the internet also gives the little guys and girls a hugely powerful tool: The ability to sell and promote and interact *directly* with their customers, fans, patrons). However, the big challenge is getting the word out to the potential fans/buyers. Once that hurdle’s jumped, the artist (author) can build a bigger fan/client base, because instead of the local neighborhood, it’s the local planet. 😉
Above all, wishing the authors, artists, small business people all the best. Hey, not only do folks like me depend on y’all, but often we are out there, small business people and creative artists too.
And always remember you don’t need a dedicated reader to read Closed Circle books: we offer elebenty-different formats, including .pdf, so your PC or Mac can suffice, with text-size adjustment. And with color covers, which I hope we never lose.
Woe be to the small and medium size towns where indie bookstores don’t exist. I envy readers who say they can run on down to that indie store! We have only one book store in town (associated with a national chain of music and video stores. They drove the other booksellers in town out of business by offering 5 to 10 % discounts then when the other stores went out of business, bye-bye discounts.) I am forced to deal with Amazon or other large on-line stores. To soothe my conscience I search out authors and try to give back the only thing I can to help them. I write reviews and I make recommendations. I talk to people in airplanes. I’ve demonstrated my Kindle to seat neighbors and demonstrated that you can buy books from independent e-book publishers such as CJ and Closed Circle. And at the end of the day I can make a donation to CJ or Jane to make up the difference between what I paid and what I would have paid at that non-existent indie in my town.
Well, as a veteran of the digital music wars-I spent my professional career from 1970 as a recording engineer-I can state that digital publishing wars are one up on the music wars: you actually know that there’s a war on. The music business didn’t know the war was on until they lost it.
Some of us tried to warn the execs about the implications of digital technology but two things happened. They didn’t understand it at all and they were blinded by the enormous profits they got from reselling you your record collection. Not the same in publishing and you have the advantage of seeing how not to fight the war. But I don’t know how copyright can survive in a world of perfect copies at a keystroke. It’s a tough one.
Phil Brown
Well, Penguin USA is certainly not on the ball. They sent me an email to say you had released a new book. I followed the link and it was to Conspirator, not Deceiver.
If you want a copy of the email to beat someone over the head just let me know.
Please forward it. This is par for the course. They insist on running everything and have no idea what they’ve just published.
They released the Conspirator paperback at the same date as the Deceiver hardback… at least that’s how it was at my local sf/f bookshop. So I guess that’s the release they were promoting.
Not mentioning Deceiver in the same mail seems like borderline moronic, though.
Which email address?