tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post2202282339012396804..comments2024-03-18T06:16:18.802-05:00Comments on A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: William Ockham Fisking Michael PietschJA Konrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comBlogger125125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-7996086951189554162014-09-14T08:24:19.757-05:002014-09-14T08:24:19.757-05:00He reminds me of every politician in Washington. A...He reminds me of every politician in Washington. And his letter makes me think of George Orwell's essay, <a href="http://www.orwell.ru/library/essays/politics/english/e_polit" rel="nofollow">Politics and the English Language</a>. <br /><br />The industry has developed an entire way of speaking and thinking that has killed their ability to consider new problems. <br /><br />It's almost to the point that it's like some sad former hero who no longer understands the world he lives in. <br /><br />Makes me kind of just want to shake my head and move on.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00574934475231023250noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-88910217593728166722014-08-18T10:22:48.044-05:002014-08-18T10:22:48.044-05:00terima kasih atas informasinya,sukses selalu.terima kasih atas informasinya,sukses selalu.vagina centerhttp://www.senglibeautyshop.com/2013/08/alat-bantu-sex-vagina-center.htmlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-30850829787498191772014-08-18T10:21:23.226-05:002014-08-18T10:21:23.226-05:00nice content.nice content.vakum penishttp://obatkuatsemarang.org/alat-pembesar-penis-vakum-penis-pompa-pengencang-penis/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-17143393398187627232014-08-18T10:17:02.980-05:002014-08-18T10:17:02.980-05:00thanks for sharing,i like your topic.thanks for sharing,i like your topic.obat pembesar penishttp://www.sexshop-semarang.com/vmenplus-herbal-obat-pembesar-penis-obat-ejakulasi-dini/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-69638207687596515732014-08-17T04:48:03.206-05:002014-08-17T04:48:03.206-05:00Walter Knight:
At that level, you can partly blam...Walter Knight:<br /><br />At that level, you can partly blame the credit-card companies. Their transaction fees eat up a considerable percentage of a 99-cent sale; not sure how much, but even Amazon will be paying a considerably higher percentage on a 99-cent transaction than on a $9.99 or $99 transaction.<br /><br />Visa and MC didn’t really want to do micro-transactions at all until the iTunes Store basically forced their hand. Apple had a knack for doing that. And even Apple, as I’ve read, barely broke even on a 99-cent song, after paying 70% to the label and then covering bandwidth, storage, and credit card fees. The bandwidth and storage are much cheaper now; not sure about the fees.Tom Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16067031472666752839noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-9237404487593714172014-08-16T16:29:36.074-05:002014-08-16T16:29:36.074-05:00I think Amazon should not take 2/3 of a 99 cent E-...I think Amazon should not take 2/3 of a 99 cent E-book. A 99 cent promotion at the beginning of a series benefits everyone, so the author should not be penalized for trying to promote.Walter Knighthttp://www.waltknight.yolasite.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-68207248254463355882014-08-16T10:40:29.737-05:002014-08-16T10:40:29.737-05:00The only times I preordered books were accidental ...The only times I preordered books were accidental -- I didn't look carefully enough before clicking buy, and then felt ripped off because I wanted a book to read <i>now</i> and had to spend yet more.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-45107455464892741612014-08-16T10:29:42.135-05:002014-08-16T10:29:42.135-05:00I have never pre-ordered a book or an ebook.I have never pre-ordered a book or an ebook.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-76822213632031754692014-08-15T21:33:55.359-05:002014-08-15T21:33:55.359-05:00For those of you asking "Why doesn't &quo...For those of you asking "Why doesn't "Publisher" just open their own online store, go check out Harpercollins.com<br /><br />That is a major publishers foray into the world on online selling. Keep in mind the prices they have there, and just imagine what they could be without competition.<br /><br />Anyone think they'd be lower without competition?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-36660126003310992222014-08-15T17:03:12.992-05:002014-08-15T17:03:12.992-05:00@Joseph Ratliff I wonder if everyone who emails hi...@Joseph Ratliff I wonder if everyone who emails him gets that. Like even his friends. <br /><br />@Kevin Do you really need to be on Amazon? Check out Gumroad or think about being a third party seller.William Ockhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13795149116565627671noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-43217211184662521582014-08-15T15:36:58.679-05:002014-08-15T15:36:58.679-05:00Hey Joe - sorry for the out-of-place question here...Hey Joe - sorry for the out-of-place question here, but I was talking to Rob Siders on FB about something. <br /><br />Was wondering if you've attended one of the annual all-expense paid retreat things hosted by Amazon with Jeff Bezos and his family? <br /><br />I know Hugh went to the last one and talked about building model rockets with Bezos, etc.<br /><br />Another friend went a few years back.<br /><br /><br />Thanks,<br /><br />JamieJamie Fordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11598784016743700502noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-37362569429527959592014-08-15T04:26:18.878-05:002014-08-15T04:26:18.878-05:00David Gaughram had stated it wouldn't be such ...David Gaughram had stated it wouldn't be such a good think for indies to have preorder buttons with Amazon.<br /><br />But I guess, if only for the sake of experimenting, it's nice to have this new possibility.Alan Spadehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12265515535005420739noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-12467960222262725802014-08-14T19:42:01.369-05:002014-08-14T19:42:01.369-05:00WOOHOO! I just got an email from Amazon that KDP a...WOOHOO! I just got an email from Amazon that KDP authors will now have pre-order buttons! Here is the email: <br /><br />Hello,<br /><br />We're excited to announce that you can now make your new books available for pre-order in Kindle Stores worldwide. <br /><br />With a few quick and easy steps you can create a pre-order page up to 90 days in advance of your book's release date--your pre-order product page will be created within 24 hours. When you make your book available for pre-order, customers can order the book anytime leading up to the release date you set. We will deliver it to them on that date.<br /><br />One advantage of using pre-order is that you can start promoting your Kindle book pre-order page on Author Central, Goodreads, your personal website, and other places ahead of its release to help build excitement for your book. <br /><br />Also, pre-orders will contribute toward sales rank and other Kindle Store merchandising ahead of release, which can help more readers discover your book.<br /><br />Visit your KDP Bookshelf to set up your new book for pre-order.<br /><br /><br />Best regards, <br />The Kindle Direct Publishing Team<br /><br /><br /><br />Tracy Sharp - Author of the Leah Ryan Serieshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12239533451929739327noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-59001050271272732932014-08-14T18:48:10.523-05:002014-08-14T18:48:10.523-05:00@kevin
You may want to rethink your thinking proce...@kevin<br />You may want to rethink your thinking process. Your time and cost for research is an upfront cost that you have already paid when the book is launched. The very best way to recoup your investment at this point is to simply maximize the revenue from the sales of your ebook. If you can make more money from selling your book for $2.99 or $4.99, then that is more money in your pocket. Just as an illustration, and to use an extreme example, if you could sell a million copies at $.99, then most likely it would probably be well worth it. The best approach is to experiment with prices and see for yourself what price actually works best to maximize your revenue. Again, think in terms of what will bring you the most total dollars, as at this point, that is all that matters....not how much you have invested.<br /><br />Study the charts on this post, until the concept that you can make more by selling for less sinks in:<br />http://www.hughhowey.com/data-guy-on-price-points/<br /><br />My wife and I sell non-fiction books and we are still experimenting with prices, but in the range of $.99 to $4.99. If you are not a well known author, then it helps to have a lower hurdle to someone trying your book. And of course, if your book(s) take off, you can always raise the prices then. That kind of control of pricing is one of the many joys of self-publishing.Nirmala (free spiritual ebooks)http://endless-satsang.com/free-ebooks-free-spiritual-books61.htmnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-18393682606698826542014-08-14T18:31:54.251-05:002014-08-14T18:31:54.251-05:00Kevin:
The thing to remember is that you don’t wa...Kevin:<br /><br />The thing to remember is that you don’t want to price with your emotions. What you’re saying, basically, is that you feel hurt that someone doesn’t value your hard work at $9.99 of his own money, and you don’t want to sell to a customer that only values it at $4.99.<br /><br />But you can’t take it personally. Maybe what you wrote is only tangentially related to what that reader is looking for, like the professor who only assigns one chapter of a textbook to her class. Maybe the same reader would be willing to pay $10 or more if your whole book was addressed to his particular needs; but you don’t have the time to write a different book for every reader, and the reader has to buy a bunch of different books to inform him about his particular topic.<br /><br />Now, it’s my suspicion – based only on anecdotal evidence, because people like Hugh Howey and Data Guy haven’t broken out nonfiction data for separate analysis, and Amazon isn’t talking – that nonfiction books will bear a somewhat higher price than fiction. How much higher, I couldn’t tell you. So I certainly understand your frustration at not being able to find the answers. I can only say that you’re more likely to discover the answers if you conduct all your investigations in a scientific spirit, with a cool head, forgetting for the moment that the work under the microscope represents your own time and effort.Tom Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16067031472666752839noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-35768266252066469982014-08-14T18:30:01.466-05:002014-08-14T18:30:01.466-05:00This comment has been removed by the author.Tom Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16067031472666752839noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-42608491568314841912014-08-14T17:51:28.209-05:002014-08-14T17:51:28.209-05:00In all of the discussion about pricing for ebooks,...In all of the discussion about pricing for ebooks, I wonder if there is a source for data on non-fiction books.<br /><br />I write non-fiction and am a bit frustrated by the idea that I have to sell my books for $2.99 to $4.99 to maximize my revenue.<br /><br />I understand that for fiction, but in the case of non-fiction, there is a "cost" in time and money in acquiring the information. In the case of a couple of my books, 30 years worth of time and experience and I don't want to try to calculate the cost.<br /><br />It would seem $9.99 is not too much to charge for those 30 years since it dramatically shortens the learning curve for the reader.<br /><br />I realize this is a bit off topic for this thread, but it is related to the broader general topic of pricing for ebooks.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-15729038602045271012014-08-14T17:16:15.667-05:002014-08-14T17:16:15.667-05:00Rex Kusler:
The short answer is that the people w...Rex Kusler:<br /><br />The short answer is that the people who run the big publishers are pretty nearly clueless about technology. They are not engineers or computer scientists; they don’t even know enough about those fields to know which firms to outsource to, or how to hire in-house experts of their own.<br /><br />Passive Guy (from thepassivevoice.com) says, based on quite a lot of evidence, that skilled tech workers just don’t want to work for the publishing industry. Their first choice is to work for tech companies; their second choice, to work for companies in other businesses that have a heavy need for technology and a strong understanding of it; third choice, companies that use some tech and are not actively hostile to it. Book publishers are at the bottom of the list, and tend to get the kind of tech people that can’t find a job anywhere better.<br /><br />You can see this in the shoddy and old-fashioned websites that so many publishers have. A lot of them can’t even implement a decent search function. I have often been told that Publisher X’s website is so badly organized that it is quicker to find the page you want via Google than to try to navigate through the website itself. (True for various values of X, but not for all.)<br /><br />Then consider that consumers don’t know which publisher works with which author, and don’t want to go to the trouble of finding out. Unless a publisher has a very strong brand identity of its own (like Baen, for instance), a store carrying only that one publisher’s books is likely to be a huge flop.Tom Simonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16067031472666752839noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-5320402755862427392014-08-14T13:43:28.910-05:002014-08-14T13:43:28.910-05:00Why don't Hachette and the other big publisher...Why don't Hachette and the other big publishers set up their own online bookstore and pull all their books from Amazon? They could even have someone design their own e-reader.Rex Kuslerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06629682795065138786noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-15691952747631195182014-08-14T12:42:34.314-05:002014-08-14T12:42:34.314-05:00Actually, I take it back. Amazon probably does hav...Actually, I take it back. Amazon probably does have data that shows there is something to be gained by bestselling authors. When they shared recently that ebooks priced at $9.99 sell 1.74 times as many copies as ebooks priced at $14.99 (for a 16% increase in revenue), I would guess this included a lot of titles by bestsellers, especially since Amazon does discount a lot of bestsellers down from the list price set by the publishers. So it would seem likely that this principle of finding the ideal price can benefit anyone including Stephen King.Nirmala (free spiritual ebooks)http://endless-satsang.com/free-ebooks-free-spiritual-books61.htmnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-37286124428565827022014-08-14T11:02:04.590-05:002014-08-14T11:02:04.590-05:00Anonymous said: "I appreciate your point but ...Anonymous said: "I appreciate your point but that's comparing two different books at two different prices."<br /><br />Actually, Data Guy compared the rankings,and then using data about the average daily sales at various ranks, he calculated daily sales of the top 500 books at $4.99 to the top 500 books at $9.99. He removed the top 10 in each category to remove the effect of extreme outliers, but even when he does the same comparison for the top 10 in each category, the results still show $4.99 as on average having the best total revenue, although not by as much of a margin.<br /><br />Also, It might not tell you that much to compare the same book at different price points as there are other factors than price that affect sales day to day (i.e. promotions or reviews coming out.) Although a split testing scenario would be interesting except that Amazon has no way for a KDP author to do that. <br /><br />But when you compare the average sales of 500 books to 500 other books on the same day, that suggests a pretty strong pattern is at play.<br /><br />And on what basis do you claim that there is nothing to be gained for a best-selling author to price lower? Do you know of any study that shows this? And do you know of any best-selling author that launched their book with an ebook priced at $4.99 or even $9.99? Maybe there is nothing for them to gain, or maybe there is. We will not really know unless they try it sometime and someone does release the data.<br />Nirmala (free spiritual ebooks)http://endless-satsang.com/free-ebooks-free-spiritual-books61.htmnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-52626140787540369962014-08-14T09:53:24.233-05:002014-08-14T09:53:24.233-05:00Nirmala offered some good examples of how earnings...Nirmala offered some good examples of how earnings vary with price.<br /><br />"Specifically, on average $4.99 ebooks sell a bit more than 3 times as many units as $9.99 ebooks. Do the math. It still means that pricing an ebook at $4.99 earns you more: about 1 and a half times as much. Pricing an ebook at $4.99 earns over 7 times as much as pricing one at $14.99. These are average results and do not predict how any one ebook will actually sell, but it does clearly show that lower prices can sell more ebooks and earn more dollars."<br /><br />I appreciate your point but that's comparing two different books at two different prices.<br /><br />The only way to test this is to market the same book at two different prices and see which makes the most money.<br /><br />Like split testing used for websites.<br /><br />Self-publishing authors change their prices all the time. But usually it's lowering it from around $5 to a dollar or even free in order to try to gain a fan base.<br /><br />They rarely put it up to near $9 because there is a perception among their buyers that the book isn't worth $9. That's a different argument of course.<br /><br />Stephen King's fans on the other hand expect to pay a higher price and do.<br /><br />Will Stephen King or James Patterson sell more books at a lower price? They are best selling authors already. What's to gain?<br /><br />Fans of best selling authors are already happy. They queue to buy those books. Only Amazon gain by trying to control the price of the goods they sell.<br /><br />Good luck to them if they can get away with it.<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-72487793134439138562014-08-14T09:40:49.951-05:002014-08-14T09:40:49.951-05:00Re making money by writing academic books Tom Simo...Re making money by writing academic books Tom Simon says:<br /><br />"I’ve known a few professors who did just that, and none of them made any serious money at it."<br /><br />I'm sure different people will have different experiences. Some authors are not smart when it comes to contracts.<br /><br />I have known people who have sold works on a buy out that then went into twenty printings and became standard texts. They regret that decision.<br /><br />But I also know people who have done very well by negotiating a better deal rather than feeling grateful to be asked to write by the publisher.<br /><br />Non fiction does very well if carefully researched. Books take longer to write. But have many author benefits. You might not get invited to events to talk about your latest zombie opus. But you can be deluged with invitations to talk about your latest work on behavioral economics.<br /><br />We talk a lot about price and sales in the indie world. But very little about quality. A point raised by The Guardian newspaper recently.<br /><br />http://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2014/jun/04/is-your-book-self-published-masterpiece<br /><br /><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-66254231270377902272014-08-14T09:30:03.147-05:002014-08-14T09:30:03.147-05:00Tom Simon points out:
"Academic publishing i...Tom Simon points out:<br /><br />"Academic publishing is a notorious ripoff. Scholars, university libraries, and students all complain very loudly about being forced to buy books from publishers at extortionate prices."<br /><br />Everyone complains about the price of things they need but can't afford.<br /><br />But work has value. Barring Amazon intervention it's up to you how much you sell it for.<br /><br />The education system is as much part of capitalism as any other aspect of society.<br /><br />Others on this blog think the academic book market is small when discussing pricing.<br /><br />Amazon disagrees. Yesterday Amazon announced that it is opening its second campus bookstore.<br /><br />Maybe after taking over campus bookstores everywhere they'll do a Hatchette and 'persuade' publishers to reduce those prices too.<br /><br />http://www.digitalbookworld.com/2014/amazon-expands-campus-bookstore-program-launches-at-purdue/<br /><br /><br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-57539256295650684622014-08-14T08:05:23.873-05:002014-08-14T08:05:23.873-05:00I worked in a Barnes & Noble back in the early...I worked in a Barnes & Noble back in the early 1990s and back then, it was the same fight with a different enemy. B&N discounted all books; NYT bestellers at 30%, hardbacks at 20%, and trades at 10%, if I remember correctly. B&N was the Great Satan of publishing for this, driving out mom & pop stores in an assault on culture (Sleepless in Seattle, anyone?). <br /><br />At the same time, the big publishers swallowed it because it also meant more books on the market in more locations. The discounts were steep, but where else could readers go? B&N's model was about bulk and never anticipated alternatives like the Internet, Amazon, or even ebooks.<br /><br />Now, Hachette is having the same fight with Amazon, where it sells 60% of its books. That's hardly a position of strength from which to negotiate. I think Amazon knows it and Hachette will yield, taking what it can get in the new lansscape just like they did against Barnes & Noble's discounts.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com