Re: Beware of Amazon.com
Judy, I went to the Amazon Advanced Search page and searched on Midmarch
Press, got piles of books listed for the publisher Midmarch Arts Press,
most of which were $20 to $30 (one was much more, $90, but this was used
from a 3rd party seller). I don't dispute your publishing economics
caution, but see no evidence of pricing at multiples of the cover.
Pam
Judy Seigel wrote:
...
For a mainstream book by a large publisher, the economics of selling
through Amazon are probably workable: The book is printed cheaply in
China, Amazon will buy several hundred at a time, so the cost to ship
per book is negligible, etc, and I also figure that Amazon does not
demand 60% off the cover price of a book it will sell by the hundreds.
But for a specialty book, as for instance "Club without Walls," it's
most likely ordered one at a time. Amazon's rule is that it must be
shipped within 24 hours, which is going to cost the publisher at least
$6, more likely $7 ... plus of course the 60% discount from the cover
price... so unless the book is priced at over $40, the publisher will
clear only $10, which has to cover cost to print AND a royalty to the
author (however pitifully small).
At bookstores that are NOT Amazon, the commission is usually 40% OR
LESS ! On the 3rd hand, in my experience of small-press publishing, it
can be very difficult to collect for your sold books from brick and
mortar stores. They NEED the large publishers... they don't *need* you.
...
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