Flaky Dune metaphor aside, there are a couple of interesting points there.
The Vanderbilt comparison, for one.
And this:
Quote:
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Some publishers just do not want to admit that “their fair share” is what stands in the way of progress, “When you have a book that your gut tells you is going to sell 400 or 500 copies, you don't have any room to move on pricing. You're already cut to the bone,” says one small firm owner that sells mostly to libraries. Perhaps thirty years of working with government and quasi-government entities has dulled his ability to improve on his business.
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I dunno...
Why would a publisher take on a book that "their gut" tells them is only good for 400 or 500 copies? More, having taken on such a project, how can they *not* do better than that? Sounds like "thirty years of working with government and quasi-government entities" has in fact dulled his ability to actually *market* a product. Even a crappy turkey of a book should be good for more than 500 copies...?
What do they do? Mimeograph a list of titles, mail them to the libraries, and wait to see if anybody notices?
BTW, at first glance I thought the thread title was asking if Amazon had *Dunned* publishing...
