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#1 | |||
Grand Sorcerer
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Authors Guild (finally) talking about deep discount clauses
From The Authors Guild:
https://www.authorsguild.org/industr...-double-cross/ Via The Passive Voice Blog: http://www.thepassivevoice.com/2015/...-double-cross/ Note that the AG is merely talking, not doing. But still, baby steps: Quote:
At the Passive Voice, two comments of note among many... ...first, the host: Quote:
http://www.thepassivevoice.com/2015/...comment-333921 Quote:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion%27s_share That is is how Amazon, Costco, B&N, etc can offer 40-50% discounts on books. No, they are not selling below cost (as the DOJ confirmed) but rather getting discounts that *boost* the publisher's take take so that the discount comes out of the author's hide. Generally, those deals (with Amazon, at least) include no returns clauses so the publisher's take is free and clear. The dirty secret of tradpub these days is there are two different business models: the "traditional" low volume full price/full royalty independent bookstore model (with returns) and the "big boy" model where the big discounts drive high sales volumes. (For assorted values of "high") In the publishing media the BPHs and their apologists pretend they prefer the old timey model but the truth is they encourage and exploit the discount model. And, this whole set of contract gotchas is yet another reason why big name authors and tradpub supporters harp so much on the (ever declining) advances. Royalties are a minimal part of tradpub income, assuming the book ever earns out. One way or another, the BPHs get their Lion's Share. They always have. The only thing that has changed is that that tradpub is not the only game in town and people are (finally) talking: the classic threat "you'll never work in this town again!" no longer has much bite as formerly tradpub authors in droves are quietly (and not so quietly) going indiepub. And many, if not most, newcomers to the game are forgoing the tradpub query-go-round time sink altogether. (As a friend of fine puts these things: "Gee, 70% of the reader spend vs 10.5% or less? Basic intelligence test, no?") Those that think all indie titles are substandard had better reconsider because many of the best reads now and in time to come will be found among them. The digital evolution marches on. The new battlefield is transparency. No more omerta. About frakking time! |
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#2 |
Addict
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A bit of a tangent:
Am I correct in assuming that the Kobo super coupons fall under these discounts and could be hurting authors in the end? Or since the BPH doesn't do coupons the little guys aren't so bad and the authors aren't (as) shafted? I've always had concerns about this. |
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#3 | ||
Wizard
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From the AuthorsGuild article:
Quote:
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#4 |
Member Retired
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Good to see someone is doing something to protect the producers of the art, but I'm not sure I agree with your above comment. I am personally yet to find any decent self-published works. The exception is The Martian and that was subsequently picked up and traditionally published.
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Just a Yellow Smiley.
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Quote:
What genre do you read? |
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#6 |
Member Retired
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Science-fiction, Fantasy, adult or YA. War and spy books. I'll read anything if it grabs me.
I started a thread about it: https://www.mobileread.com/forums/sho...35#post3207535 I don't want to be a hater, but I've yet to find anything self-pub that "got" me (apart from The Martian). |
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#7 | |
Wizard
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Quote:
Here is one list that purports to compile some of the authors who have started out self-publishing and then gone more traditional: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ronald...b_4064574.html There are also a number of authors who started out traditionally published but have gone the other way for various reasons (more money, trad. publisher not marketing them, disputes, etc.). The most outspoken that I have run across is J.A. Konrath. |
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#8 | |
Grand Sorcerer
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Quote:
Unless, of course, you truly believe that another self-pubbed book that "gets" you will never come along, then it's probably time to stop with the "They all suck (except for the ones that don't suck)" mantra. ![]() |
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#9 | |
Wizard
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#10 |
Grand Sorcerer
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One genre that has flourished under indie pub is superhero fantasies.
I can list maybe three original projects from the tradpub gang versus hundreds of good and interesting series from the indie side. And when you factor in current comic books prices, the prose novels are great buys for those looking for old-fashioned fun. Ditto for young adult paranormal adventure/ghost stories and more traditional variants of fantasy. And historical fiction. (Check out Libbie Hawker.) In general, the entertainment-focused genres are booming in indies. Conversely, the single genre that has least benefited from the ebook evolution is litfic. |
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#11 | |
Grand Sorcerer
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Quote:
![]() And Lois Bujold (among many familiar names) is now an indie. Last edited by fjtorres; 11-17-2015 at 06:11 PM. |
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#12 | |
Grand Sorcerer
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Quote:
When traditional publishers are publicly and openly complaining that they aren't getting as many good manuscripts and that the prices for the ones they like are going sky high you know the good writers are going elsewhere. Also, Indie publishing =/= exactly the same thing as self publishing. "Self publishing" includes vanity press victims like Author Solutions (owned and operated by the BPHs) whereas Indie publishing includes many "micro press" operations and a few author-owned businesses that are actually bigger than many small tradpubs. (Like WMG PUBLISHING and Kevin Anderson's side business.) And some authirs are both indie and tradpub. It's not an either of proposition. It's an entire spectrum of different business models that share one signature trait: independence from the entire agent/tradpub/critic establishment. That is where indie comes from. Last edited by fjtorres; 11-17-2015 at 06:13 PM. |
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#13 | |
Just a Yellow Smiley.
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#14 |
No Comment
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#15 | |
Wizard
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Quote:
Penric's Demon 6 Jul 2015 by Lois McMaster Bujold recommended http://www.amazon.com/Penrics-Demon-...dp/B0114LJ3BU/ http://www.amazon.co.uk/Penrics-Demo...dp/B0114LJ3BU/ http://www.amazon.ca/Penrics-Demon-L...dp/B0114LJ3BU/ |
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