CONTACT CAROLINE
facebook
rss
tumblr
twitter
goodreads
youtube

  • Home
  • Write Away Blog
  • Books
    • Books
    • Trompe l’Oeil
    • Heart Land
    • Gothic Spring
    • Ballet Noir
    • Book Excerpts
  • Video Interviews
  • Press
    • News
    • Print Interviews
    • Plays
    • Ballet Noir in the Press
    • Trompe l’Oeil In The Press
    • Gothic Spring In The Press
    • Heart Land Reviews
  • Contact
  • About
  • Resources
    • Writer Resources
    • Favorite Blogs
    • Favorite Artists



Winners And Wing Nuts

Sep 25, 2014
by Caroline Miller
Amazon, eBook prices, Hachette publishing, Jeffrey Dorfman
0 Comment

The war over the price of eBooks between Amazon and the large publishing house, Hachette, still rages.  Hanchette wants more money for its books.  Amazon wants to charge the public less.

Recently, a petition signed by  nearly 900 of Hanchette’s most prominent authors appeared in the New York Times.  In it, the writers accused Amazon of threatening their livelihood.   Among the names that appeared were bestselling authors Stephen Colbert,  Donna Tartt, J.K. Rowling and Stephen King. (“Amazon: At war with the book trade,” The Week, August 22, 2014, pg. 16.)

 Hanchette claims charging anything less than $15 per eBook has a disastrous effect on the publishing industry.  Amazon disputes the claim.  Lower prices increase sales and the greater volume compensates for the initial loss, they argue.  (Ibid pg. 16)  Amazon goes on to questions why Hanchette needs for more than $10 per book.  Electronic printing costs are next to nothing and eliminate expenses associated with warehousing and distributing.  (Ibid pg. 16.)

 Jeffrey Dorfman of Forbes.com, suggests that what’s really at stake isn’t Hanchette’s concern for the livelihood of its authors.  They’re afraid that as eBooks become popular, their money-makers will bypass publishing houses and upload their works directly on to Amazon.

 I’m inclined to accept Dorfman’s reasoning.  That Stephen King has to live in fear for his livelihood is doubtful.  On the other hand, less well-known writers who average $1000 a year– wing nutters as one critic called them —  could benefit from greater volume.  (Blog 2/19/14))  Still, I’m skeptical.  If Amazon wins this argument, the market will function as it always does.  Writers like Stephen King and Donna Tartt will reap even greater profits than they do now while wing nutters, like me, will continue to  peck at the crumbs.  Seeing two publishing giants go after each other may be entertaining but for the little guy, the outcome doesn’t matter much. 

publishing dispute

Courtesy of theweek.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Social Share

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

*
*

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Contact Caroline at

carolinemiller11@yahoo.com

Portland, Oregon author Caroline Miller had distinguished careers as an educator, union president, elected official and artist/advocate.

Her play, Woman on the Scarlet Beast, was performed at the Post5 Theatre, Portland, OR, January/February 2015

Caroline published a serialized novelette, Marie Eau-Claire, on the website, The Colored Lens.  She also published the story Gustav Pavel,  a parable about ordinary lives, choice and alternate potential, on the website Fixional.co.

Caroline has published four novels

  • Ballet Noir
  • Trompe l’Oeil
  • Gothic Spring
  • Heart Land

Subscribe to Caroline’s Blog


 

Archives

Categories

YouTube-logo-inline2 To access and subscribe to my videos on YouTube, Click Here and click the Subscribe button.

Banner art “The Receptive” by Charlie White of Charlie White Studio

Web Admin: ThinPATH Systems, Inc
support@tp-sys.com

Subscribe to Caroline's Blog


 

Contact Caroline at

carolinemiller11@yahoo.com

Sitemap | Privacy Notice

AUDIO & VIDEO VAULT

View archives of Caroline’s audio and videos interviews.


Copyright © Books by Caroline Miller