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.