From: Pam Niedermayer (pam_pine@cape.com)
Date: 06/19/01-06:17:51 AM Z
Yes, it is a business; but from the standpoint of most authors (I'm
excepting those extremely successful authors who can demand their own
terms), just as for most musicians (excepting to some extent the most
successful), the contracts highly favor the purely business end, the
publishers and resellers. Quite often the behavior of both sure smells
rotten, e.g. how returns are managed, the length of time authors have
to wait to be paid (I know, this is to cover returns), promotion
budgets, remaindering (I know, this is a tax issue, but the practice
means that a lot of copies are sold with little or no remuneration to
authors, not that I don't appreciate cheaper books, just not sure it's
ultimately healthy).
I'm not disputing that it's a business, nor have I confused anything
here, fully understand the difference between publishers and
resellers. Originally I was merely trying to point out that use of the
term "give" when it comes to the cut taken by resellers is incorrect,
that they earn their cut by adding value, such as packaging, shipping,
transaction management, advertising, and the like. And that this is
particularly true in the case of Amazon, since a book gains so much in exposure.
Pam
bmaxey1@juno.com wrote:
>
> > In general, I'd agree that the book publishing industry is rotten,
> > right up there with the music industry, when it comes to rewarding
> > creators for their work; but I'd suggest that it's not fair to lump in
> > good resellers with the bad. If Amazon pays relatively promptly and
> > Borders does not, then why tar Amazon?
>
> It is a BUSINESS. A writer writes and a publisher publishes. The
> publisher wants to pay as little as possible and the writer wants as much
> as possible. Please do not say the Publishing Industry is rotten. You are
> painting the entire industry with the same brush. If it is a good book
> and it gets published by a publisher, the author has done something very
> few could do and that is a great accomplishment. A publisher will want
> another book. Become a Koontz, King, Ludlum or Clancy, and the publisher
> will fly to your house at your whim to peel you grapes for your dogs and
> cats if you demand it.
>
> Writers are suppliers of raw materials. Writers seem to have a special
> something about them; or at least the general public thinks so. The
> public does not understand that the books you purchase are fought over
> and everyone wants their fair share. When you purchase a book from some
> resellers, there is processing, packing and shipping -all that adds up to
> cost.
>
> The reseller cares little about the author and the above mentioned
> on-line sellers will sell anything regardless of its merit. I wrote and
> sell two books and I will have no problem getting an ISBN number so the
> largest resellers will list. It is money and profit, sink or swim.
>
> Seems to me that you are equating the publishing industry with the
> sellers. Yes, the sellers sell what the writer writes and the publisher
> publishes and I agree, it is not appropriate or sensible to assume every
> seller is the same.
> ...
-- Pamela G. Niedermayer Pinehill Softworks Inc. 600 W. 28th St., Suite 103 Austin, TX 78705 512-236-1677 http://www.pinehill.com
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