Quote:
Originally Posted by Moejoe
I agree, but on the other hand don't you feel somewhat ripped off when only 7-15% of your money goes to the actual author? Wouldn't it be great if I, or you, or any reader could give the full amount to the writer?
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Well, no, actually. Many authors, perhaps even most, need the editing, promotion, and distribution services. Even allowing for how limited those have become, they provide some value; the publisher should get some of the income for having bothered with the slushpiles and deciding "this one is worth reading." (Anyone who thinks otherwise should head over to Smashwords and just read whatever's free; if you run out, you can visit fanfiction.net; there's a couple-million stories of, erm, variable quality. Almost half a million Harry Potter stories alone--who needs the next book?)
I dunno that I think those services are worth 85-93% of the list price (in fact, I'm pretty sure I think they're not), but they're worth *something.*