Quote:
Originally Posted by Cinisajoy
Leads me to ask who is it being unfair too. Is it unfair to the author who gets a bigger royalty? Unfair to the publisher? Unfair to those that would pay that price and not bat an eye? Unfair to those that don't want to spend that much on that particular book?
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I think the answer is that it is probably unfair to all but the Publisher. A greater royalty rate is not much comfort when there are none sold. Even 100% of zero is still zero. Of course, in all "fairness", I should point out that even if this price is not a mistake the likely intention of the publisher is not to deprive the Author of royalties but to divert sales from ebook to print book.
Having said that, I strongly agree with your comments. Fairness, whilst a wonderful thing, is usually highly subjective and far overused. It is usually impossible to be fair to everyone. And coming across as a whinger indeed makes the chances of a complaint being taken seriously very remote.
I concede that this pricing may well be a mistake. I am, as those who have read my past posts will be aware, not a fan of Hachette or traditional publishing in general, so sometimes can be too ready to assume the worst. I hope this proves to be true in this case.
There are many sources of books, both legal, doubtful and unquestionably illegal. Most books are fungible, and there are plenty of cheaper alternatives available. Otherwise, if one is prepared to wait there will be price reductions and promotions. There are libraries, both in our own countries and in other countries. If you are happy to read from paper, there is still a used book market. There is lending amongst friends and family. And, of course, there is piracy. The publishing industry is not unique. The best defence against piracy is to provide a great product, a reasonable price and an easy convenient method to purchase.
Amazon is doing this. Indie authors and publishers are doing this. It can be done.