MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - As Competition Wanes, Amazon Cuts Back Discounts (trims free lunch)

frahse · 07-05-2013, 03:06 PM

As Competition Wanes, Amazon Cuts Back Discounts
By DAVID STREITFELD, NY Times
Published: July 4, 2013

"Jim Hollock’s first book, a true-crime tale set in Pennsylvania, got strong reviews and decent sales when it appeared in 2011. Now “Born to Lose” is losing momentum — yet Amazon, to the writer’s intense frustration, has increased the price by nearly a third.

Jim Hollock wrote a true-crime story set in Pennsylvania.

Mr. Hollock’s first book had decent sales when it appeared in 2011, but now that it is losing momentum, Amazon raised the price.

“At this point, people need an inducement,” said Mr. Hollock, a retired corrections official. “But instead of lowering the price, Amazon is raising it.”

Other writers and publishers have the same complaint. They say Amazon, which became the biggest force in bookselling by discounting so heavily it often lost money, has been cutting back its deals for scholarly and small-press books. That creates the uneasy prospect of a two-tier system where some books are priced beyond an audience’s reach."

read more -
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/05/bu...ounts.html?hpw

(Disclaimer) As an occasional author, I too have felt the bite of this, and hell I like a free lunch as well as any author.

07-05-2013, 03:06 PM	#1
frahse occasional author Posts: 2,315 Karma: 2064403292 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Wandering God's glorious hills, valleys and plains. Device: A Franklin BI (before Internet) was the first. I still have it.	As Competition Wanes, Amazon Cuts Back Discounts (trims free lunch) As Competition Wanes, Amazon Cuts Back Discounts By DAVID STREITFELD, NY Times Published: July 4, 2013 "Jim Hollock’s first book, a true-crime tale set in Pennsylvania, got strong reviews and decent sales when it appeared in 2011. Now “Born to Lose” is losing momentum — yet Amazon, to the writer’s intense frustration, has increased the price by nearly a third. Jim Hollock wrote a true-crime story set in Pennsylvania. Mr. Hollock’s first book had decent sales when it appeared in 2011, but now that it is losing momentum, Amazon raised the price. “At this point, people need an inducement,” said Mr. Hollock, a retired corrections official. “But instead of lowering the price, Amazon is raising it.” Other writers and publishers have the same complaint. They say Amazon, which became the biggest force in bookselling by discounting so heavily it often lost money, has been cutting back its deals for scholarly and small-press books. That creates the uneasy prospect of a two-tier system where some books are priced beyond an audience’s reach." read more - http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/05/bu...ounts.html?hpw (Disclaimer) As an occasional author, I too have felt the bite of this, and hell I like a free lunch as well as any author.