Leonce Gaiter's Blog - Posts Tagged "expensive-books"
Insane Pricing Protocols and What I'm Doing to Overcome Them
Pricing is one of the perverse quirks of the publishing industry. Publishers place ridiculously high retail prices on their books (near $25 for a regular hardback, $15 for trade paper) and then offer wholesalers a 55% discount in the hopes that they will pass that along to consumers. But sometimes they don't. Thus, you put a $15.95 price tag on the book and give distributors a 50% discount expecting the book to sell for around 10-11 bucks. Imagine one's surprise when it shows up for... you guessed it, $15.95!
To get around this, my publisher is switching distributors and placing a flat and much more reasonable price on "I Dreamt I Was in Heaven - The Rampage of the Rufus Buck Gang." Thus, in the next week or so, it should be showing up at Amazon for $10.99, and B&N should then compete with an equal or lower price.
I am a firm believer that books are too often overpriced. This industry pricing convention is a big reason. I was a bit of a fool to try to play into it. It beat me, but I've learned my lesson: Don't play in tainted sandboxes.
To get around this, my publisher is switching distributors and placing a flat and much more reasonable price on "I Dreamt I Was in Heaven - The Rampage of the Rufus Buck Gang." Thus, in the next week or so, it should be showing up at Amazon for $10.99, and B&N should then compete with an equal or lower price.
I am a firm believer that books are too often overpriced. This industry pricing convention is a big reason. I was a bit of a fool to try to play into it. It beat me, but I've learned my lesson: Don't play in tainted sandboxes.
