Thursday, January 29, 2009

book buying and the changing times, how does it affect things?

Hello all,
In my groups I recently asked a question on book buying habits and how it affects authors and the publishing world. Here is how I worded my question to the groups:


I have a question for all published authors. I am considering changing alot of
my shopping habits and have already done so in many small ways. But I was
wondering last night as I bookshopped, do you all get paid a certain
royalty from the publisher no matter the bookseller? Or do you make more money
from books sold at say Barnes and Noble, over books sold at Walmart? Does it
matter? Is there a preference for where you'd like readers to buy your books?
Does it help more if they are bought directly from the publisher, ie eharlequin.com, or the Harpercollins
website, or does it help more when we purchase them from a chain bookstore or
what?

I know you get nothing when we use PBS or UBS
but does it matter to your bottomline, or your sells, or your
listing if we buy from different stores?

I hope my question
makes sense

Now I'd like to discuss this on my blog. I know that it matters to sales for authors that we buy new vs buying used or booksharing. I also know that with things as they are many of us are having to cut back, change our shopping/buying habits in order to survive. However I do hope to not see this mean more great authors are let go by publishers due to slow sells. I remember a few years ago everyone complained there weren't any good historicals being published, however when asked most admitted to not buying any either, they were getting them at UBSs and libraries and such so the publishers didn't see historicals selling. Now we are overloaded in alot of opinions with paranormals, namely Vampires, but that is what was/is selling. I see a larger variety myself out now, but still wonder with the changing times how our book buying choices will fall out in the future. So I want to know from everyone how has your bookbuying habits changed? How does buying used affect you? Do you still want/hope/plan to buy as many new as you can? Authors, can you help to explain how the difference in buying from one store vs another affects your future books being published? I'd love to see this discussed openly and without hurt feelings for blame or any other hard things. I just want to have a better idea of what MY choices now will mean for the future of the Romance industry I so dearly love. If you have a thought on this, or just want to ask more questions about how things really work please ask.

hugs,
WendyK

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