tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post4010579431296481376..comments2024-03-18T06:16:18.802-05:00Comments on A Newbie's Guide to Publishing: Pricing Books and EbooksJA Konrathhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08778324558755151986noreply@blogger.comBlogger92125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-29694215011201415192019-05-27T21:43:32.660-05:002019-05-27T21:43:32.660-05:00Your style is so unique compared to other people I...Your style is so unique compared to other people I've read stuff <br />from. Thank you for posting when you have the opportunity, Guess I'll just bookmark this blog.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-7340724073907797272019-05-27T15:01:41.414-05:002019-05-27T15:01:41.414-05:00That is a good tip particularly to those new to th...That is a good tip particularly to those new to the blogosphere.<br />Simple but very accurate information… Thank you for <br />sharing this one. A must read post!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-22654705137244705972014-10-29T17:37:11.386-05:002014-10-29T17:37:11.386-05:00Interesting article. What are your thoughts on big...Interesting article. What are your thoughts on big retailers doing price mark ups, rather than mark downs? I had an incident recently where the retailer covered the cover price with marker and then marked it up a couple dollars. Does that seem ethical? It was particularly frustrating that this retailer was far from an Indie book store.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-33620355780261735222014-02-18T10:52:13.803-06:002014-02-18T10:52:13.803-06:00I always enjoy reading your posts.I always enjoy reading your posts.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10029201539401303585noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-25014590944486220192012-06-04T12:45:30.964-05:002012-06-04T12:45:30.964-05:00I know I am late to this specific post, but I have...I know I am late to this specific post, but I have thought about this whole "agency model sucks" debate of the past few weeks and wanted to chime in. I think there are some major flaws in these arguments and it is not as easy as "agency model" sucks.<br /><br /><i>Under the wholesale model, an ebook that retailed for $9.99 was earning the author $3.12. Under the agency model, an ebook that retails for $9.99 earns the author $1.75.</i><br /><br />Lets turn this argument around. Under the agency model, an ebook that retails for $9.99 earns Amazon $3.00. Under the wholesale model, an ebook that retailed for $9.99 netted Amazon a loss of $2.50. So - how much longer do you think would sAmazon be willing to adopt the wholesale model?Frank R. McBridehttp://pulpdogg.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-90467109943235708732012-06-03T19:38:01.160-05:002012-06-03T19:38:01.160-05:00Hi Joe:
I agree with you on leaving the price off...Hi Joe:<br /><br />I agree with you on leaving the price off the cover. The problem is, from what I've heard (Dean Smith just blogged about it), many indie booksellers will refuse to carry a book with no price on the cover. So for an indie author who probably already faces a challenge to get her books into a physical store, wouldn't this just add another hurdle?<br /><br />You've mentioned that you've met dozens of booksellers over the years. Any thoughts on whether they truly care that much about the price on the cover?<br /><br />Thanks.<br /><br />MPMPnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-90539982510150090432012-05-26T11:06:03.190-05:002012-05-26T11:06:03.190-05:00Joe,
I'm not sure I understand your emphasis ...Joe,<br /><br />I'm not sure I understand your emphasis on having the price printed on the book. I understand about the various models of pricing (at least I think I do), but I don't see where having the price printed on the item or not really affects things. I know that I've ignored the printed price for years, just like I ignore the "sticker price" on a car. The vendor I'm dealing with in either instance will have a (possibly different) price of their own, and what comes out of my wallet is what I care about.<br /><br />I mean, if I order a physical book online from Amazon, I never see the cover price. I see what they advertise and charge me. Why do I care what they print?<br /><br />Now I know I care if they have contracts with publishers, etc. that limit/enforce what they can do, but that (to me) seems separate of the printed price.<br /><br />Guess I'm just saying that it seems like your emphasis doesn't match the concern.<br /><br />Brucebdillahuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14466127061961535014noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-92152493221003465262012-05-22T12:55:53.645-05:002012-05-22T12:55:53.645-05:00In 2008, the UK Sunday newspaper the Observer (the...In 2008, the UK Sunday newspaper the Observer (the sister publication to The Guardian) published an insert on books and publishing. Their breakdown of the cost of a £20 hardback was as follows:<br /><br />Retailer £11.00<br />Publisher £3.50<br />Author £2.00<br />Production £2.00<br />Distribution £1.00<br />Promotion £0.50<br /><br />They also noted that the average income of a UK author was £16,000 (a third of the national average). However, once you removed high flying authors and celebrities from the equation the average earnings for the remaining 50,000 authors was £4,000. As a result only 20% of UK authors in 2008 were making a living as writers.T Ludlowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04135962676990122827noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-9175767565996268992012-05-22T11:29:08.591-05:002012-05-22T11:29:08.591-05:00Reading all these posts about pricing I am reminde...Reading all these posts about pricing I am reminded of a boy I knew in high school. He was a genius writer from elementary school. He wrote beautiful, lyrical, perceptive stuff. And he was utterly in love with writing.<br /><br />But he was shit at math. He didn't have aptitude for it, but more importantly he didn't want to work on learning it. <br /><br />He said all the time "I don't need math. I'M GOING TO BE A WRITER."TeriBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04480129686580587312noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-5584994502727117952012-05-22T11:20:04.870-05:002012-05-22T11:20:04.870-05:00"I'm wondering if there is something we c..."I'm wondering if there is something we can do to enhance the image of indie books that deserve to be read."<br /><br />I look for indie-published books that have few or no reviews and review them. If the book sucks, I always give specific examples about what failed - to help the author if they are interested in improving their craft. I've learned a lot reading well-constructed critical reviews myself. <br /><br />I also call bullshit on other reviewers who gave false reviews, in my review. <br /><br />I'm sure the author of that quote was pointing towards some kind of "Indie-Approved" stamp but I cringe to think of the volunteer hours involved in creating, managing, and administrating such a project.<br /><br />There will be indie-slander by anyone invested in the status quo for a while, and they will point to the barely literate stuff to support their position.<br /><br />If it's a good book, readers don't care who pushed the "publish" button. And I think that after a while, it isn't going to matter very much anymore whether a book was published Indie or Trad.TeriBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04480129686580587312noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-76639031419436140502012-05-22T11:17:55.257-05:002012-05-22T11:17:55.257-05:00How can Amazon make a business out of selling eboo...How can Amazon make a business out of selling ebooks at less than cost?<br /><br />The answer is they can't.<br /><br />But they can put other distributors of books out of business.<br /><br />And when the other distribution channels are no more, Amazon can raise their prices and start to make a profit on ebooks.<br /><br />Authors will make money now via Amazon and that is a good thing. But to put all your trust in one big supplier whose tactics are to force other suppliers out of business, well, maybe that's not such a good thing.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-72513600067939409762012-05-22T07:59:17.079-05:002012-05-22T07:59:17.079-05:00There are not many bloggers who accept reviewing e...There are not many bloggers who accept reviewing ebooks in France. They prefer paperback. I hope it's not the same in the US.<br /><br />BTW, I've made translated my short space opera story, Marinopolis. If someone want to give it a try : http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005US9UDAAlan Spadehttp://emmanuelguillot.over-blog.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-64848494092914632992012-05-22T02:28:35.284-05:002012-05-22T02:28:35.284-05:00"I'm wondering if there is something we c..."I'm wondering if there is something we can do to enhance the image of indie books that deserve to be read."<br /><br />1. Do more indie book reviews on your blogs.<br /><br />2. Review books that people might want to read, reviewing boring stuff probably doesn't help.<br /><br />3. Give an honest review, good reviews about bad books ruin your rep as a reviewer.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-29137869973714009542012-05-22T00:19:39.059-05:002012-05-22T00:19:39.059-05:00Konrath, I noticed a thread on Amazon yesterday ab...Konrath, I noticed a thread on Amazon yesterday about how to avoid indie books. And the reasons are sound for the new gatekeepers: bad writing compounded by bad editing. The problem is that their solution was to try and find only traditional publishers.<br /><br />I'm wondering if there is something we can do to enhance the image of indie books that deserve to be read. A Konrath-esque stamp?Orlynnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-51328108510341395432012-05-21T21:03:30.497-05:002012-05-21T21:03:30.497-05:00@Hope Welsh
Amazon will still pay you the origin...@Hope Welsh <br /><br />Amazon will still pay you the original cut of 70% Retailer discounting is not the same as price-matching.<br /><br />Here is a helpful quote from Passive Guys blog (via Anthea Lawson):<br />"I’ve seen a bit of misunderstanding about Amazon dropping prices. Here’s the thing — if Amazon is choosing to discount your book, you will STILL GET the royalty amount on the price you set. They take the loss. Yes, they do this with indies.<br /><br />*However* if they are ‘price-matching’ your title to a lower price that they find on another site, then you only get paid royalties on the lower price.<br /><br />Barbara, if you don’t have your title listed more cheaply elsewhere (and check all the retail sites, some can be notoriously slow to post changes if you’ve changed, esp. Kobo and Diesel) THEN Amazon is actually doing you a favor, by putting your book on sale (ie. more attractive to readers) yet still giving you the amount you’ve chosen based on the retail price you’ve set.<br /><br />Retailer discounting. Different than price-matching. Make sense?"<br /><br />And PG said:<br /><br />"What Anthea said.<br /><br />Many of the misunderstandings about Amazon’s price-matching price changes end up being traced to some little webstore someplace that updates its database and prices every six months."<br /><br />----<br /><br />hope its okay to quote them here just wanted to reassure you. you can read more at<br />http://www.thepassivevoice.com/<br /><br /><br />JacquesAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-54108817878158545412012-05-21T20:42:32.332-05:002012-05-21T20:42:32.332-05:00Re: Typesetting costs. I'm currently employed...Re: Typesetting costs. I'm currently employed with an academic publisher, and if other typesetters are at all like the ones we use, the typesetting time cost will be exactly the same. Obviously, this doesn't apply to publishers still using letterpress printers -- but I can't think of many who are. Typesetting is pretty much all digital now, so the cost is going to be about the same.Radiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03551411789036050549noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-29658349475365817282012-05-21T19:49:21.717-05:002012-05-21T19:49:21.717-05:00Hi Joe, excellent post, however, you say:
"Wh...Hi Joe, excellent post, however, you say:<br />"Why is publishing the only business so concerned with setting the retail price of its products?"<br /><br />Well, it isn't.<br /><br />There was a famous case in the UK in the 90s concerning ASDA supermarkets (now, sort of ironically, owned by Wal-Mart) and Levi's (the makers of denims).<br /><br />ASDA were selling Levi's denims way below the suggested retail price. Their pricing strategy worked — it got people into the store, ostensibly to buy a pair of Levi's and ultimately spend money on groceries.<br /><br />Levi's countered by refusing to supply ASDA supermarket, claiming that for their products to be available at such an affordable price cheapened their brand. The issue of who sets the public price went back and forth for a year or more. <br /><br />You'll also find Dolce i Gabbana, Rolex, Vuitton, Ducati, and various other (so-called) premium brands guard their wholesale supply lines, and inflated mark-ups, ferociously.<br /><br />ASDA filed a suit - claiming that Levi's were offering preferential supplier discounts to preferred resellers. They won. But Levi's laggardly pretended that they could not supply the requested lines in the quantity demanded — i.e. they deliberately limited supply in order to starve demand and keep prices high. <br /><br />Any mom and pop store wanting to resell any of the above mentioned brands, and possibly resell them at discount, will find a mountain of excuses as to why the particular product 'cannot be made available at this time'. <br /><br />Also, ask yourself why is it more difficult to buy Spanish olive oil than (so-called) labeled Italian olive oil (most of it produced in Spain and Greece )in the United States? Or, Spanish ham? Ask yourself why you can travel the world and marvel at beautiful pyrotechnic displays created by Spanish, French, Maltese, Italian, British, Australian, Chinese, Japanese, Irish, Canadian et al pyrotechnic companies in most countries in the world, and not U.S. based companies — then look at the home U.S. market. The U.S. pyrotechnic market is dominated by the Mafia. True. Been there, done it with scars to prove it. <br /><br />And, while looking at these things, look at the cinema distribution racket.<br /><br />Free market my arse.<br /><br />The import of foodstuffs and entertainment from Europe into the U.S.A. is bound hand, foot and head by over-zealous protectionist legislation and shady gangsterism. <br /><br />The problem now is is that domestic U.S. suppliers think they get away with the same trick with domestic, i.e. U.S. consumers. <br /><br />The CEO of Wal-Mart once said that he wasn't in the retail business so he could go play golf with his rivals; I suspect Jeff Bezos, and Amazon, think along similar lines when it comes to keeping customers happy.<br />Regards.Haarlson Phillippsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-82063374472507868152012-05-21T18:54:21.487-05:002012-05-21T18:54:21.487-05:00A note on the history of prices on books: After th...A note on the history of prices on books: After the Civil War, sales of books took off. Most publishers were also booksellers. They got in the habit of advertising a list price and then selling the book for less. The also typically offered only 20% off to bookstores and didn't account for postage (which often exceeded the profit on a book shipped from NY to California, for example). <br /><br />So about 1875, the Booksellers' Association (which included publishers) agreed to stop discounting. The plan quickly fell apart but most publishers and booksellers agreed something should be done. <br /><br />At the American Publisher's Association meeting on Feb. 13, 1901, the group agreed that its members would only sell at net prices (meaning list price) and would only sell to dealers who agreed to also sell at list prices. The group also recommended "that the retail price of a net book, marked net, be printed on a paper wrapper covering the book."<br /><br />Macy & Co. (now Macy's) regularly offered books at a discount. They sued and mostly lost. The courts said that publishers could set and protect prices on copyrighted material but not on out-of-copyright books. [I suspect this is why Amazon can force the stores that sell the Kindle to only sell it for the price Amazon sets -- as an aside, Amazon seems to think discounting is good for everyone else's products, but not for its own].Scott Brown / Eureka Bookshttp://www.eurekabooksellers.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-50475973157284024082012-05-21T18:25:36.706-05:002012-05-21T18:25:36.706-05:00Hope, is it possible that Amazon is price matching...Hope, is it possible that Amazon is price matching another store? I checked Smashwords and your story The Storm Within is marked at 99 cents just like at Amazon. <br /><br />If that's not it, perhaps you should give them a call. <br /><br />--WarrenWarrenhttp://warrencurtly.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-49711562571648382862012-05-21T17:07:10.699-05:002012-05-21T17:07:10.699-05:00Hope - Why don't you have more control over pr...Hope - Why don't you have more control over pricing? I set the price on everything and have not seen the fluctuations you have experienced. I suggest shutting off any channels that are shorting you, because they shouldn't be unless you have signed one of those funny contracts that transfers your pricing rights. <br /><br />But if you haven't done that, I don't understand how you are getting undersold.dannoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-77579657425629248032012-05-21T16:56:32.093-05:002012-05-21T16:56:32.093-05:00We've started our own indie publishing company...We've started our own indie publishing company as well. It's been a lot of fun getting into the publishing world. Some fun books thus far have been "Waffle Street" and "How they Stash the Cash." We love working in the indie business. http://sourcedmediabooks.com/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-89147771908531155882012-05-21T16:41:54.718-05:002012-05-21T16:41:54.718-05:00I thought the pricing we can do as an indie was re...I thought the pricing we can do as an indie was really good--til I looked at what I was making now.<br /><br />One of my books, for instance, was priced by me at $2.99-but Amazon is selling it at 99 cents--and I'm making 33 cents per book--not what I intended to make.<br /><br />Same with one of my print books--they are selling it for less than the price I set.<br /><br />All in all, I'm still making more per book than legacy published authors are.<br /><br />Indie authors have huge advantages--but there are a few pitfalls, too.<br /><br />For me, the only huge disadvantage of being an indie is that I will not see my book in a grocery store shelf.<br /><br />With the small press I have a book through--I make next to nothing--and they have priced the book much higher than I'd have priced it--which means it's not selling. I make less than a dollar on a $5.99 book. <br /><br />Me, I'll stay indie--but I would like more pricing control.Hope Welshhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04007282596035816113noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-3220517081805728392012-05-21T15:21:59.049-05:002012-05-21T15:21:59.049-05:00I like to keep my comments simple and short. To th...I like to keep my comments simple and short. To that end, well said, Joe. Keep thinking.<br /><br />Respect,<br /><br />Thomas L. Scott<br />Author<br />Voodoo Daddy<br />http://thomaslscott.comThomas L. Scotthttp://thomaslscott.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-35581478020174939362012-05-21T14:21:12.022-05:002012-05-21T14:21:12.022-05:00@ anonymous at 1:52
You said:
"W'sale 7...@ anonymous at 1:52<br /><br />You said:<br /><br />"W'sale 7.99: Publisher 4:00; Author 25%net 1.00<br />Agency 7.99; Publisher 5.59; Author 25%net 1.40"<br /><br />Actually, my e-book royalty in that kind of scenario would be @ .90 cents, based on what I've seen on my royalty statements for the past year. Here's why.<br /><br />You're assuming that the *only* cost taken out of net is the 30% retailer's cut. But that's rarely the case. As I mentioned above, many (most?) tradpub houses use a 3rd party distributor for their e-books, and those guys take a percentage, too. Other odd costs that are possibly included are 'amortized' DRM and formatting added into the 'cost' of the e-book. Like I said, my 25% of net e-book royalty is running around 11% of cover...<br /><br />So before you go extrapolating what an author will get paid, take a look at some authors' royalty statements and see what's really up. :)<br /><br />Also! Don't forget to take 15% out again of the "author's" share to give to their agent. The pie shrinks all the time.Anthea Lawsonhttp://www.anthealawson.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11291165.post-71571695906378387582012-05-21T13:51:40.202-05:002012-05-21T13:51:40.202-05:00I left the price off of my Createspace paperbacks....I left the price off of my Createspace paperbacks. Pretty sure that it was a suggestion by Aaron Shepard that nudged me in that direction. <br /><br />I have my wholesale price and the retailers I work with can sell the book for whatever price they want.<br /><br />Also, if I decide to change my price I don't need to have my graphic designer change the art!!<br /><br />BTW: Passive Guy pointed out that Createspace is now doing POD in Europe. If you have CS titles, you have to opt in to the new program. Very easy to do!Veronica - Eloheimhttp://eloheim.comnoreply@blogger.com