If we buy from used bookstores, anyway. According to Novelists, Inc — a organization that purports to represent “multiple novelists” — the rise of used book sales is severely threatening the publishing industry.The idea is that online services allow used and remaindered copies of a book can compete side-by-side with new editions, often on the same day the new edition is released, and they want to see a percentage of used book sales paid to the publisher to compensate.
NINC recommends that commercial used-book sellers be required to pay to publishers a “Secondary Sale” fee upon the reselling of any book within two years of its original publication date. A percentage of these fees would then transfer to authors in accordance with contractual agreements between authors and publishers, thereby reinforcing the Founders’ intent, as stated in Article I of the Constitution, to protect authors’ exclusive right to benefit from their work.
The fee would only be levied on books sold within two years of their publishing date, and they argue that most booksellers use electronic inventory systems anyway so adding this paperwork wouldn’t be a hardship.
Granted, they won’t sell as many $30 books when consumers see the same thing offered (slightly used) for $5 just underneath at Amazon. Times are tough for everyone,
and writers don’t make much money as a general rule. But I have to
think that this could be the last thing needed to bring down
already-struggling independent bookstores across the country and the
ultimate result of that would be: less new books bought.
New writers get their exposure from copies loaned or bought used, or checked out from a library. Not many people are willing to plunk down $24.99 to find out if they like a writer or not. But once that writer becomes a favorite, then new books are eagerly awaited. Or the reader may continue to buy used copies, the cheapskate, but will tell friends about the writer, post reviews at Amazon, and commit other word of mouth practices that all contribute to a best-selling author.
The biggest hurdle for a writer is not lost sales. It’s obscurity.
I think the publishers are starting to run into the same problem the
music industry has been grappling with for 15 years. Consumers want
their product, but not in the form or at the price that’s been handed
down from on high. Textbook prices run so high these days that students feel
perfectly justified in
finding ways to get them cheaply, and that sense of outraged, personal entitlement is exactly the sort of thing that birthed the music pirating industry.
Instead, publishers need to find ways to bring down the price of new books. Avoid the trade paperbacks, which are just big paperbacks with a 50-80% markup. Give away books that are the first in a series to encourage sales of the later books. Baen Books has been doing this for a decade and it’s worked very well for them.
Publish more e-books, and price
them affordably (i.e. not as much as the print edition, since the
reader knows perfectly well you’re not paying for materials or shipping or warehousing or returns or pulping). The number of people reading e-books is growing thanks to Amazon’s Kindle and the rise of e-book readers for the iPhone and iPod Touch. You might even try bundling e-books with
hardcover editions, so that readers get a variety of ways to read their
purchase. Movie studios are doing this now with DVD releases, including
an official portable version to combat video piracy.
Ultimately what will work is if publishers give readers a reason to
want the new edition. If they only punish readers for buying a used one, the readers may decide to buy nothing at all.
So, in other words, Novelists, Inc. wants to subsidize authors whose work isn’t compelling enough for the original buyers to want to keep them.
Perhaps publishers are having trouble because people are tired of reading the same old thing. How many times can one read a self-help book which rehashes what a former celebrity said?
And,really, do we care about a celebrity’s angst? I know I don’t, and you know why? Simply because, with all due respect, they are people just like the average joe. I certainly respect their talent, but, for goodness sakes, what’s personal should remain so!
Also, how many times can one read formula novels?
Where has originality gone?
Aida L. Irizarry
http://www.byreasonofpassion.com (a novel)