Quote:
Originally Posted by Steven Lyle Jordan
I don't consider authors who want recognition over income as part of this equation; if they don't care what money they make, they can give their books away, or pay to have them distributed, or just shout to the skies that they've written a book.
The ebook pricing debate has nothing to do with them. It's a debate between those who primarily want a practical income from books in order to sustain a business, and those who primarily must pay for books.
The debate does have bearing on independent authors who want a practical income, and therefore, are on the same side with publishers in trying to maximize their profit for their work.
To be honest, if someone came to me and said, "We want to option your book for a possible movie, Jed Hackerson is set to direct, it will mean taking it out of circulation, but here's a check for $20,000 for the rights"... I'd take the cash. And buy a car. And wouldn't care if no one ever read that book again. That's because I have no pretentions about my work, but I know it's good, and that's good enough for me. (Maybe I'd negotiate a time clause allowing me to re-release the book if the movie deal falls through after some period of time.)
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I get what you're saying...but I don't think that it is completely true. Yes, maybe you would take the cash
right now but I don't think any writer gets into the business (in the beginning) looking purely to make money. It's really hard to make money in
any job, let alone the entertainment industry. It's quicker and easier to make money as someone's employee than to gamble on becoming a well paid author (and by well paid I mean making enough money that writing is the only full time job).
It's what Elfwreck said, most authors are more interested in being read and entering into history than they are interested in just making money.
Note: that is not to say that I think they don't want to make money - just that it is easier to make money doing something else.