Love Lost Twixt Authors and Bookstores
There is a lot of discussion going on these days about the effect ebooks are having on the print book industry and nobody really has any good ideas yet for melding the two all the way down the distribution chain. The whole ebook thing is still so new and evolving that the print side on the publishing level is kind of floundering, reacting to the perceived threat and looking for ways to be part of the phenomenon.  The big chain booksellers have developed their own ereaders and apps for the publishers to use and independent bookstores that use the IndieBound platform for online sales have the ability to sell ebooks through that platform.  The wholesalers like Baker & Taylor, the platform host of my own webstore, have developed their own programs.
By choice, I don’t sell ebooks in my webstore because I don’t have enough sales there of other products to justify the additional cost yet. Someday, I hope to have enough traffic, or requests for ebooks, to add them. I don’t personally like the idea of ebooks, at least as they’re currently done, but I wouldn’t denigrate anyone who does like them. I do, however, have one really major objection and that is the idea, held by quite a few authors, that ebooks are the ONLY way to go.
A sidebar here. I first met thriller author J.A. Konrath several years ago when he did a remarkable whirlwind independent bookstore tour, visiting hundreds of shops. He was a force of nature, not to mention being a nice guy, and his brand of self-promotion was like nothing I’ve ever seen before or since. We never sold many copies of his books—unfortunately, he just didn’t appeal to most of our customer base—but we always had his books on the shelves and, now that the brick & mortar is closed, his books are available on the webstore. I bring all this up to show that I have no particular financial axe to grind.
Recently, Mr. Konrath issued a press release saying he has signed a contract withAmazonEncore for his next “Jack” Daniels book, Shaken, first on the Kindle and later in print. He says the traditional publishing community turned it down (I’m not privy to the reasons but I do know that his original publisher dropped their mystery line which is certainly not his fault) so I’m not surprised he decided to make this move. What DOES surprise me is this:
Q: So Shaken will be available in bookstores?
A: If they order copies, yes. We’ll see how the Amazon sales department does. I know for sure many of my bookseller friends will get copies into their stores. But I have no idea if the book will actually be stocked in any of the chains or indies. And, frankly, I’m not concerned. I believe this is going to sell well regardless.
See the rest of the press release here:
http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/2010/05/shaken-by-ja-konrath-press-release.html
It’s all well and good to pin your hopes on the ebook market but why would an already established author be so dismissive of the bookstores who have been at least partly responsible for his name being known to the reading public? Why wouldn’t he want us to continue carrying his print books for those readers who don’t want ebooks? What did we ever do to him to deserve such an attitude?
I don’t know if this is a wide-spread feeling among ebook authors—I do know of at least one other who seems to be leaning that way, at least when he continually pushes other authors into going the ebook route instead of the print market—but it seems very short-sighted to me. The print book may eventually go the way of the dinosaur but it hasn’t done so yet and there is still a place for print bookstores.
May 28, 2010
Posted in: Tales of a Bookseller
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2 Responses
I can see how that quote can be taken that way. But that’s not the spirit with which it was intended.
I have always loved bookstores. And I always will. But I’m pretty sure that Shaken will only be stocked by stores that no me personally or special order it, rather than the chain stores doing a buy and stocking it automatically (as with my other Jack Daniels books.)
The fact that the book is published by Amazon–a bookseller themselves–will no doubt turn some bookstores off.
What I’m saying is that I’m sure fans will find the book, even if it isn’t stocked If bookstores stock it, that’s awesome. If not, it will be available to order.
Hi, Joe,
Thank you for responding here. You and I, your book readers (by any method), my blog readers and my remaining and future customers all have one thing in common—we love to talk about books. To do that, we have to HAVE books and I think it behooves us all to protect and defend any means of getting them.
I’m glad you didn’t really intend what your comment implied as I think the collective we should be looking for ways to support all facets of the book industry.
By the way, there may be some stores that will object to the Amazon connection but we indies have been selling books put out by Barnes & Noble for years so I doubt this will matter too much. The wholesalers carry AmazonEncore at standard bookseller terms so it’s not like we have to actually order from the dark side
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