Neil Gaiman chimes in about books, bookselling, and reading
Neil Gaimain, because he is Neil Gaiman, has been offered by his publisher, HarperCollins, the deal of selecting a book of his to be free as an eBook on their site. A bookseller in Alaska wrote to him thus --
From Neil Gaiman's Blog:
"More on free and suchlike" —
Hello Mr. Gaiman:
As a bookseller, I am a bit surprised by your recent comment about free books and the HarperCollins download. When you say, "the problem isn't that books are given away or that people read books they haven't paid for. The problem is that the majority of people don't read for pleasure," you seem to miss the point that all of us booksellers are hoping to sell your book to READERS as well as non-readers. Our situation improves as more non-readers become readers, but we can't survive when the readers go elsewhere. I am not at all against free literature--I firmly believe that the more people read the more people read--but somehow, if we independents are to survive, we need to be included somewhere in the formula. I also believe that we independents have no RIGHT to exist, that our time may have passed or be passing, but it would be nice if we could survive; ...
Gee, I think that this bookseller is a little off his noodle. I know intimately how hard a time that we booksellers are having but jumping on Gaimain's back about a free eBook is not the way to deal with our problems. If anything I think that it is a positive thing that a book will be available like this. It is an enticement for more books to be sold.
Our problems are more from the collusion of large publishers and the chain stores to put us out of business.
Our problems are from us, Independent booksellers, getting a lousy 40% discount while the large chains and Amazon getting the sweet 75% discount (because the are considered distributors). This is just plain unfair.
Our problems are from not having an organization that advocates for us, but for the industry, which means the larger established chain bookstores (that are somehow considered independent) and the large publishers. Yes, I'm taking about the ABA. I think that they abandoned us long ago.
So yelling at Neil Gaiman is silly. Stop it. It's embarrassing. Gainman's answer...
I don't believe that anybody out there who can afford a copy of American Gods is going to not buy it (or another of my books) because it's available out there on line for nothing ... I don't see it as taking money from the pockets of booksellers....is exactly right, IMHO. Our profession has been hit by much larger missiles.
2 comments:
Einstein defined insanity as doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. For the last five years, since I was first thrust into a publisher's hat, I've heard independent booksellers complain that they can't compete with the superchains and the big boxes and Amazon...and then continue to do try and do precisely that.
In the world according to Wal-Mart, small stores have survived by offering customers what the big retailers can't and won't, yet over and over booksellers have refused to even look at excellent books published by new authors for one reason: no returns. This despite we as the publisher offering a 50% discount for direct fulfillment.
That 75% discount publishers have to give the big retailers may look good, but it also translates into thousands of copies returned. As far as I know, no one has yet calculated the environmental impact of returns, but how can it not be significant?
Independent booksellers are the conduit by which readers can discover new and talented writers. Independent publishers, especially those of us developing the digital publishing model, have the ability to ensure those talented people get published. It would seem that the potential benefit of a collaboration between us is well worth looking into.
This is about to sound mean but here goes...You don't know what the hell you are talking about.
Quote:
“yet over and over booksellers have refused to even look at excellent books published by new authors for one reason: no returns.”
Independent Booksellers have championed many books from many new authors. That's how many of the books that are considered perennial classics got made to be perennial classics
Quote:
“This despite we as the publisher offering a 50% discount for direct fulfillment.”
50% is still minuscule and doesn't pay the rent. Besides the smaller presses are not the ones that can fill our stores. In the end and empty store is a store that is going out of business. As for me, I sell online and this is still a real challenge because of the shipping costs.
Quote:
“That 75% discount publishers have to give the big retailers may look good, but it also translates into thousands of copies returned.”
And as for returns, it is the large chains who are doing all the returning, Independents rarely do returns. It is because we know our customers and know what will sell. The chains are the ones putting the discount book business on steroids and causing the prices of books to rise exponentially, thus causing many of the woes of the Independents. Read Andrew Laities' book the "Rebel Bookseller" he does and excellent job explaining this.
Quote:
“Independent booksellers are the conduit by which readers can discover new and talented writers. Independent publishers, especially those of us developing the digital publishing model, have the ability to ensure those talented people get published. It would seem that the potential benefit of a collaboration between us is well worth looking into.”
We have always championed new writers. I can't even count the number of new writers that I've personally championed and helped get their careers going. Forgive me for sounding pissed, but I really don't feel like being lectured to by someone who obviously thinks that Independent booksellers are idiots. We've been treated this way by the whole industry. Like we are the ones doing evil stupid things that have caused our own demise. It is the industry that has decided that Booksellers are to go the way of the dinosaur and with us goes the very heart of the business.