Lee Child - BBC Newsnight interview and discussion on The Passive Voice.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by crossi

I think the publishers should be able to set any WHOLESALE price they want for the ebook. Any price at all, even if it is so ridiculously high no one would buy it like $100 for a harlequin novella. But they should have no say at all in what the retailler sells it for as long as they receive the full wholesale price. Let the retailer give the book away as long as the publisher gets it's money if that is what the retailer wants. If the retailler wants to pay the publisher $100 for every book they give away the publishers should be delighted. If they want to stop this, for some weird reason, they could always raise the wholesale price to $200 and get twice as much, or $400 or $1000. Whatever. Eventually the retaillers couldn't afford to give away any more.

I agree.
But I allow for the idea that negotiation may required to accommodate both the seller's need for margin or profit, and the vendors need for both profit, and the desire to protect their brand from the race-to-the-bottom, Walmart effect of too-low pricing.
If those accommodations can't be reached through a particular wholesale and retail price combo, then they may come about through minimum allowed prices contracts, or it make come about through alternate sales models, like agency.
If both parties are ok with the deal, and it's not illegal or otherwise slimy, I'm OK with it, even it if means higher prices. I may not pay the prices, they may lose me as a customer, but I accept the principle, and I don't fault them for it.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by ApK

If the publisher did not make and offer an ebook version of the book,...

Then this forum wouldn't exist and we wouldn't be here.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

Then this forum wouldn't exist and we wouldn't be here.

Pinko nihilist tubesock simian. Get a haircut.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by ApK

Pinko nihilist tubesock simian. Get a haircut.

I'm back. How do I look?

[Kumabjorn]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

I'm back. How do I look?

Like someone only a mother could love.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by Kumabjorn

Like someone only a mother could love.

My barber said it's the real me

[Barty]

Those nipples will haunt my dreams.

[Waylander]

Who the %!*$ are you calling 'civilised', you @$*&$!?

On a serious note though, thanks to everyone for keeping this a place of eloquence and good natured discussion. I can't remember who in this thread said it, but it is often the person with the most strident opinions and aggressive/personal language that picks up most on others supposedly using the same.

As far as the actual discussion goes, I would just like to say well done to Lee Child for poking his head above the parapet, as it was quite brave for a legacy author like him to go on TPV where everyone is in the "opposite" camp. On his actual points though, I do agree that he is slightly out of touch with the majority of authors, but as far as he is concerned, from his perspective he is keeping up with the times, but as we know he has a skewed perspective given the position he's in. It's not entirely his fault, and good on him for engaging. It's more than a lot of legacy authors have done, and different things suit different people.

Personally, I don't mind paying a slightly higher price on ebooks, but do object to them costing more than the physical version. Even though I do read more ebooks than before, my reading is still majority paper, for fiction and non-fiction, so I'm happy reading in whatever format. What I would like to see, as a book consumer in the UK, as far as p-formats go, is a return to A-format for commercial fiction, as the size is better, and it delineates between c-fic and lit/non-fic. Just my penny's worth.

[BelleZora]

I've never given Lee Child enough thought to have an opinion about him, but I have a bias against the authors jumping on the Hachette propaganda bandwagon. Although he seems out-of-touch with most authors, I have to say that I really liked Child's willingness to engage on TPV. Although he was rude on occasion to other participants, he had already been the object of vitriol before he even came on the site. I saw him as giving as good as he got. I still wouldn't take up his side on this, but I liked the dude. Maybe enough to read all the Reacher books, this time in order.

I don't go along with any idea that his super-writer status prohibits him from swinging back when attacked.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by BelleZora

I don't go along with any idea that his super-writer status prohibits him from swinging back when attacked.

"Swinging back when attacked" is poor metaphor here. You might fight back when attacked physically to protect your self from harm. Being polite would NOT have caused him harm.

Metaphors on the matter of returning rudeness with more rudeness should be more on the order of:

"Sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never hurt me."
or
"Don't stoop to their level."
or
"Two wrongs don't make a right."

...As the moderators here often have to remind most of us.

His status as a super-writer is only relevant in that, as one who's living is directly tied the public's opinion of him, he should be extra-aware of the above, as there are more people who will dislike him for being insulting than who will like him for it.

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by ApK

"Swinging back when attacked" is poor metaphor.

His status as a super-writer is only relevant in that, as one who's living is directly tied the public's opinion of him, he should be extra-aware of the above, as there are more people who will dislike him for being insulting than who will like him for it.

I'd bet it will be more like 50/50. Also, he writes tough guy thrillers. His core audience is more likely to admire him for standing up for himself/giving as good as he gets as opposed to turning the other cheek.

I thought he handled himself well. I don't think authors should have to get walked on just because they are selling books (or any product). But, like I said--it probably will come out 50/50 because everyone's backgrounds and expectations are different.

[ApK]

Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks

I'd bet it will be more like 50/50. Also, he writes tough guy thrillers. His core audience is more likely to admire him for standing up for himself/giving as good as he gets as opposed to turning the other cheek.

Hmm. Interesting point.

For the record, I haven't even read the comments, I'm just commenting on the topic in general.

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by ApK

Hmm. Interesting point.

For the record, I haven't even read the comments, I'm just commenting on the topic in general.

And as a general rule, your point stands, and it's a good idea for an author to remember that we do have to cater to our audience.

Having read the comments, from my standpoint he wasn't rude except to one person who was badgering the hell out of him. He tried to make points and it so happened that not everyone agreed with him, but that more came down to a discussion, not rudeness. Some people did take exception to the fact that he didn't think 8 to 10 dollars was a lot to spend on a book, which brought on a discussion of whether he understood people who truly have trouble making ends meet. And so it went.

[Kumabjorn]

Those who engaged him in serious discussion received serious, and polite comments, those who slung mud received it in return. He could just have stayed away, it's not like he needs the aggravation. Instead he choose to participate, and I for one thought it interesting that he got daily updates on his sales numbers and that his e-book sales had plateaued and that paper still outsold digital.
He presented hard facts where we tend to have a lot of debates based on pure speculation. Perhaps MR should start hosting Reddit style AMAs with authors?

[L.J. Sellers]

Originally Posted by harriska2

I like small time authors like LJ Sellers who self publish. I *always* buy her books.

Thanks for the shout-out. I have the most loyal readers, and I appreciate them.
L.J.