…Look, I’m sorry. You cannot expect to charge paperback prices for something made digitally and not have people look at you all cross-eyed. I self-publish books now. I have at least a limited understanding of publishing costs. If you’re an author and they’re telling you the only way to make back expenses is to charge that much for the Amazon e-book, see if you can figure out where they’re skimming money off of the top*.
Moe Lane
PS: It’s also hurting (most of) your sales.
*Spoiler alert: everywhere. They’re skimming it everywhere.
I think we already talked in a different post about how the traditional publishing industry is basically doomed. Decadence and corruption like this are just markers of that, in my humble opinion.
I wouldn’t say doomed. They have merely transitioned into money laundering for the elite, much like fine “art.”
The rest is window dressing.
Eh. Times change.
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The sheet-music industry collapsed following the rise of radio – why learn to play it yourself if you can just wait for the DJ?
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This is just the next evolution – when Moe can set out his wares at his own prices, *and* give people a way to give him *even more monies* if we so choose (Patreon) .. why does Moe need to pay a New York bureaucracy?
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That said .. ‘s gonna shatter and collapse, not disappear entirely .. sheet music is a good model for what’s coming.
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Mew
I can make a **very weak** case for the $11.99 Kindle price tag.
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The author can put the book on sale at “80% off list” pretty easily.
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The author can pull a “Cards Against Humanity” and bump the book up to $11.99 during holiday buying seasons, having it normally at $2.99 or whatever.
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Neither of these is a particularly good argument, but .. it’s possible some creative side-hustlers are up to ’em.
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Mew
I can’t imagine paying that much for a paperback, much less for a digital file that I have to take extra steps to actually claim ownership of. (In direct defiance of evil EULAs by corrupt organizations.)
I can’t imagine paying that much for a paperback, much less for a digital file that I have to take extra steps to actually claim ownership of. (In direct defiance of evil EULAs by corrupt organizations.)