Since the eBook piece of a few days ago generated some discussions, here's another interesting piece from Joe Konrath's blog:
You may know that my publisher, Hyperion, dropped my Jack Daniels series after six books, even though they continue to sell well as backlist titles. The only way I could get print books in the series into the hands of fans was to sign with another publisher.
Thomas & Mercer stepped up to the plate to give my fans what they want: more Jack Daniels books.
Amazon allowed me to get into bookstores--something self-pubbing couldn't do for me without a lot of extra work on my part. They offered me a terrific deal, and have done more marketing and promotion than any of the publishers I've previously worked with.
They've treated me with nothing but respect, listened to and implemented many of my ideas, and have been an absolute joy to work with.
They're the new publisher on the block. But they're already doing it better than anyone else.
This trend won't end with me. Amazon will continue to publish more and more authors, because the major publishers are making a lot of major mistakes and a lot of writers are getting hurt by the Big 6.
So my question to indie bookstores is: When other authors sign with Amazon, and they will, are you going to boycott them as well? What happens when it is a major, bestselling author? Is this how you service your customers, by limiting the amount of choice they have?
Follow this link for the full article.
2 commentaires:
Nice post. Sadly, I think independent bookstores may now be in the same position that video rental stores were in the mid 90's. (Anybody remember video rentals?) Internet movie streaming was a blip on the horizon back then. A lot of people thought it would never happen. Then it got close, and it was big and scary and it came up fast. Some of those stores went from video to DVD and Hi-def, and included online access to movies, but most of it was too little and too late.
I see some bookstore owners acting the same way now, because that blip on the horizon is getting big and they're afraid. Unfortunately, it's going to be tough times ahead for them and it has nothing to do with Konrath or any other writer. The technology changed. Those who survive that change will adapt quickly. They'll be clever and insightful and they'll evolve along with the rest of the world. Maybe they'll specialize in hard to find books, rare and antique items, etc. Or maybe they'll come up with distribution arrangements that allow them to sell special digital editions.
I doubt many will survive and I feel sorry for them, but I also felt sorry for the guy that used to own the video store downtown. If you think about it, he could have boycotted Brad Pitt movies, but that wouldn't have made much sense either.
This is bizarre to me. Don't we want to see writers succeed?
Post a Comment