Julie Barrett is a freelance writer and photographer based in Plano, TX.

First Macmillan, Now HarperCollins?

Fresh when it gets here from Julie Barrett
Tuesday, February 2, 2010


(Disclosure, I'm in an anthology called Two of the Deadliest that is published by HarperCollins.)

Apparently HarperCollins is now ready to sit down and renegotiate with Amazon for a deal sort of like Macmillan wants.

Yeah, I'm in favor. And yes, I'm wary of publishers pulling an RIAA deal. But there are differences that I see.

The first is tiered pricing. If you don't like the price now, wait for it to go down. That's what people do with hardback vs. paperback. No big deal. I'm happy that you're buying - even if it's at the lowest price. Yeah, I probably don't get as much as I would if you buy at the higher prices, but I'm still happy that you're buying. I'm a frugal person, too. I understand.

Yes, there's a bit of a dichotomy there. I'm frugal, and I support other writers and artists to whatever extent that I can. Yet, I also get that writers and artists as a group are undervalued. I face this all the time when potential clients balk at the price I charge. However, I've negotiated a rate with the publisher, and they set the cover (list) price. I can't negotiate directly with YOU. I also can't tell my publisher I think they're charging too much or too little. And you know what? I don't want to. I don't know every little factor that went into pricing. I do have a basic grasp of the economics involved, though. Besides, I signed the contract.

So my last post still stands. Support a Macmillan author if you can. The buy buttons are still down for books. And you know what? That's wrong for the authors. This is a dispute over ebooks. Taking down the links to buy print books only hurts the authors in the end.
Tags: Publishing Amazonfail

Filed under: Publishing   Amazonfail         

  4  Comments
 

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lisa said:
I have read your posts and some of your links. I am still rolling it all around in my brain, trying to put myself in the shoes of each side of the debate.

Date: 2/3/2010 3:49:47 PM Date: 2/3/2010 3:49:47 PM

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Julie said:
As upset as I am over this, the best I can realistically expect someone to do is to read up on it and make an informed decision. Thanks!

Date: 2/3/2010 9:13:43 PM Date: 2/3/2010 9:13:43 PM

Gravatar
lisa said:
I have read your posts and some of your links. I am still rolling it all around in my brain, trying to put myself in the shoes of each side of the debate.

Date: 2/3/2010 3:49:47 PM Date: 2/3/2010 3:49:47 PM

Gravatar
Julie said:
As upset as I am over this, the best I can realistically expect someone to do is to read up on it and make an informed decision. Thanks!

Date: 2/3/2010 9:13:43 PM Date: 2/3/2010 9:13:43 PM





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