Quote:
Originally Posted by neilmarr
***In this modern age of instant d/l there is no need for ebook retailers, they are just parasites on the creative process***
I understand your feeling, Weed, but smaller houses and self-publishing authors do need the shop-window showcasing of effective retailers.
Online retailers -- even the most predatory -- tend to charge much smaller sales commissions than brick-and-mortar bookshps ever did, and there is no penal sale-or-return policy on ebooks, which means that, by and large, they're well worth their split.
Of course, if you can go direct to the author or publisher (if you know who they are and where to find them), that's the best deal all round because we don't charge commissions on our own sales and all royalties remain intact.
Do bear in mind, though, that although few people in, say, India have ever heard of BeWrite Books, for instance, or many of our lesser known authors, we are making sales through local ebook retailers who have made their presence felt there.
Cheers. Neil
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I agree with Neil here. In fact, if I were a publisher (which may happen) I may not even bother selling discounted books through my own website. I'd probably focus on sales through Amazon since that is where most people would find my books. Additionally, the better a book sells, the better placement it gets in Amazon searches, "other customers bought this," etc. Every sale on a publishers own site is a sale that doesn't contribute to his marketing. A sale on a publishers website may make him more money for a single sale, but if a single sale on Amazon helps build additional sells then a publisher is better off not selling through their own site.