For those of us who self published, we took on the responsibility of marketing our books. Whether or not they get noticed falls on our shoulders and it’s a daunting task. It’s kind of like hoping someone will notice a single snowflake in a blizzard.
I pulled up my book on Amazon and realized that other sellers are offering it as low as $5.15. To be honest, I can’t really figure out how that is happening especially since nearly all my sales have been e-Books and Amazon is getting it directly from CreateSpace.
Locally, my paperbacks are available in a couple of stores and at festivals that I attend. I realize that the world is small but I can’t imagine how one of those books have ended up across the ocean and as far away as India.
What I know is this – I keep a small number of books on hand. There hasn’t been a huge printing because I’m the publisher and unlike big publishing houses, my printing budget is quite limited.
I wouldn’t have a problem with finding my book in a used book store or at a yard sale. I figure I’ve been paid and the buyer is free to do with it what they will. Okay – I’d rather it not end up in a bonfire…
But if it does, hopefully someone from the press is covering the burning…
I just have to assume that I’ve been paid for the books these online sellers are offering.
Being self published, I don’t know or understand all of the contractual details between writers and their publishing houses. I haven’t a clue as to how they work out the difference with books that don’t sale. It’s something I’ve never given much thought to until recently.
At my local Dollar Store, books – both hard and soft covers – can be purchased for (drum roll please) $1.00. I always assumed these books were out of print, that instead of the publisher sending the books to be shredded/recycled, they chose to sell them for cents on the dollar – hoping to recoup some of their investment.
On a whim, I purchased three books. Two were hard covers, one was a paperback.
When I got home, I visited Amazon and received quite the surprise.
The Crane Wife by Patrick Ness was available in either print and or e-Book. With only 20 paperbacks left in stock, I feel pretty safe in assuming that the publisher has essentially removed the book from print and perhaps tried to recoup some of their investment.
Shame by Greg Garrett was available only as an e-Book. (Other online sellers were offering it for as low as $0.01 plus shipping.)
Invisibility by Andrea Cremer and David Levithan: Amazon had 16 paperbacks left in stock. Like the other books, private sellers were offering it for as low as a penny (plus shipping).
That’s the thing, just because a book is out of print doesn’t mean it’s out of print as far as e-Books go. And while I don’t have a dog in this particular fight, it does seem a bit unfair to the authors that their hard cover/paperbacks are being sold for a buck and they aren’t being compensated.
I guess you have to consider the potential trade-off. A reader who isn’t familiar with an author and buys his/her book from a dollar store and likes what they read, might be more likely to purchase another book or e-Book at full price. In a way, its kind of like a weird marketing plan. The same might be applied to used book stores and online sellers. Maybe dropping $10.00 on an e-Book written by an unfamiliar author is out of the question for some readers. Whereas, we might be more inclined to pay that price for a book written by someone we trust to tell a good story. Seriously, it’s that line of thinking that has many authors choosing to offer a book for free.
As for the online sellers offering my books – they probably aren’t having much success. It’s hard to compete with a 99 cents e-Book. And while my books aren’t free, I’ve accepted the fact that I’m virtually unknown. I’m just holding onto the hope that someone notices this snowflake in the blizzard of published books.
dsmcknight.com 