Authors are not united against Amazon
Many
of you are probably blissfully ignorant of the drama that's been
ripping through the literary world over the last few months. If
you have heard about the dispute, chances are you've read a story like this New York Times article
that is strongly slanted toward the big publishing houses and
best-selling authors. Many readers make the assumption that what's
good for Stephen King is good for all readers and writers...but that
assumption is wrong.
The top 1% of writers are
indeed aided by Hachette's practices to collude with retailers to force
ebook prices to stay high. However, the other 99% of authors who
lack the clout to have their print books shown in supermarket aisles
have been aware for years that we not only sell more books, we also make
more money, if ebook prices are low.
From a publisher's
standpoint, it makes sense to charge more for ebooks since that practice
makes print books seem more valuable as well. In our modern
climate, the only real value a publisher brings to the table is to print
books at a low cost and to distribute them widely --- every other
service provided by publishers can be outsourced by authors at a flat
fee rather than by giving away a cut of the royalties. So, even
though authors, Amazon, and even publishers
make less money on digital sales when ebook prices are high, publishers
are intent on maintaining those high prices to support their waning
paper market and to protect the status quo.
Let's be fair --- Amazon
is also looking out for their bottom line. The huge online
retailer wants ebook prices to be held below $9.99 because Anazon makes
more money that way. But the truth is that the reader also spends
less money when ebook prices are lower and 99% of authors also make more
money. Only the publisher loses out by becoming less essential as
the middleman between these two core groups.
The reason I'm writing
this post is because a few big-name authors have banded together to put
up $104,000 to buy an ad in the New York Times. Predictably, the
mainstream press is also parroting the point of view of the top
1%. Meanwhile, the other side of the argument hasn't been
represented in the media.
Amazon has put together a succinct and thoughtful analysis of the situation here
and is asking readers and writers to email Hatchette to state our
disapproval. And now I'm asking you to join in the email
surge. Because, in this case, what's good for Amazon is good for
readers and for 99% of writers, so we need to make our stance
known. Perhaps if so many emails hit Hatchette's inbox that their
server crashes, that news might be reported by the mainstream press?
