Richard McGowan's Blog: Smashed-Rat-On-Press - Posts Tagged "instinct"
Customer Tired of Waiting, Publisher Loses the Sale
I like smart girls a whole lot, and I like books about their adventures. One of my favorite characters growing up was Pippi Longstocking and Pippi still owns a warm little piece o' my heart even today.
Yes, yes, I'm aware that I'm quite a few years outside the normal demographic niche for books like that, but I'm still discovering great girls. (For example, Nancy Springer's Enola Holmes, Caroline Lawrence's Flavia Gemina, Jennifer Allison's Gilda Joyce, or even Philip Pullman's Sally Lockhart.)
Or, Carrie Cross's young heroine, Skylar Robbins.
A while back I read the first two of the Skylar Robbins books, and I've been just dying for the third book, The Mystery of the Missing Heiress to come out. Well it came out a while ago, and I'd been planning to buy the e-book edition... Sadly, the publisher apparently decided to stall the e-book for what seems like centuries; but the paperback has been out since March... That's about a 5 month delay, which is at least 753 in book years. I've been sighing and checking, and at several points I've considered just buying the physical book so I can get on with reading it...
Until today. What changed? The e-book still hasn't come out (for Kindle or whatever your personal e-vice is). But I saw an autographed used copy for sale on the 'Zon, for less money (including postage) than I would have paid for the paperback. Of course, I couldn't resist that. So I bought it. * I'm half ashamed of myself because I like this author's work and I want to support it.
So. The take home point here for Teen Mystery Press is this... I would have paid $10 for the e-book if it had come out yet. But you, Teen Mystery Press, and poor Carrie Cross both lose this round.
However, being who I am, I'll also offer in public to put my money where my sentiments are. So, I hereby swear on a stack of assorted hefty holy books gathered from the far corners of the galaxy that I will buy the e-book of The Mystery of the Missing Heiress whenever it finally comes out, so that Ms Cross gets the little royalty bits that come with a first sale, instead of the nothing that comes from a used book changing hands.
However (and this is a long-shot I know), if Ms Cross happens to show up on my doorstep before then, of course I'll spring for lunch and an exotic coffee drink at any restaurant within a 5-mile radius of my humble Santa Banana abode.
_____
* Update Sept 1, 2017: Yay! The book arrived in today's snail post! It is indistinguishable from a brand-new unused paperback, except that it's inscribed and autographed on the inside front cover.
Yes, yes, I'm aware that I'm quite a few years outside the normal demographic niche for books like that, but I'm still discovering great girls. (For example, Nancy Springer's Enola Holmes, Caroline Lawrence's Flavia Gemina, Jennifer Allison's Gilda Joyce, or even Philip Pullman's Sally Lockhart.)
Or, Carrie Cross's young heroine, Skylar Robbins.
A while back I read the first two of the Skylar Robbins books, and I've been just dying for the third book, The Mystery of the Missing Heiress to come out. Well it came out a while ago, and I'd been planning to buy the e-book edition... Sadly, the publisher apparently decided to stall the e-book for what seems like centuries; but the paperback has been out since March... That's about a 5 month delay, which is at least 753 in book years. I've been sighing and checking, and at several points I've considered just buying the physical book so I can get on with reading it...
Until today. What changed? The e-book still hasn't come out (for Kindle or whatever your personal e-vice is). But I saw an autographed used copy for sale on the 'Zon, for less money (including postage) than I would have paid for the paperback. Of course, I couldn't resist that. So I bought it. * I'm half ashamed of myself because I like this author's work and I want to support it.
So. The take home point here for Teen Mystery Press is this... I would have paid $10 for the e-book if it had come out yet. But you, Teen Mystery Press, and poor Carrie Cross both lose this round.
However, being who I am, I'll also offer in public to put my money where my sentiments are. So, I hereby swear on a stack of assorted hefty holy books gathered from the far corners of the galaxy that I will buy the e-book of The Mystery of the Missing Heiress whenever it finally comes out, so that Ms Cross gets the little royalty bits that come with a first sale, instead of the nothing that comes from a used book changing hands.
However (and this is a long-shot I know), if Ms Cross happens to show up on my doorstep before then, of course I'll spring for lunch and an exotic coffee drink at any restaurant within a 5-mile radius of my humble Santa Banana abode.
_____
* Update Sept 1, 2017: Yay! The book arrived in today's snail post! It is indistinguishable from a brand-new unused paperback, except that it's inscribed and autographed on the inside front cover.
Smashed-Rat-On-Press
The main purpose of this blog is to announce occasional additions and changes to the SROP catalog or the site. And it doubles as a soap-box from which to gesticulate and babble...
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