Why PRE-ORDER?
Pre-orders for everything from books to future DVD releases to high-end electronics have been around for a long time, and a big question when considering whether or not to purchase an item in advance of it's release is: "Why should I lay down my hard earned money for something I'm not going to receive for weeks, or even months?"
I've asked myself this question and have found a few answers specifically regarding book publication and sales, some of them quite startling.
Pre-orders are usually (but not always) charged to your credit card or PayPal account AFTER your order ships. If you're dealing with a small website (like mine), your account will be charged when you order. Bigger websites like Amazon, Smashwords, et al, DO NOT charge your account until the item becomes available. So you have time to cancel that order if you change your mind.
Pre-orders benefit the buyer. That's right. You. Pre-orders are usually taken at a discounted price. For example, pre-ordering my new novel from my website will save you a couple of bucks off the retail price after May 1. Same with the digital version currently available from Smashwords.com. Pre-orders also allow the distributor time to acquire enough hard copies of the book to ensure that all orders are filled as close to the release date as possible. This means you get your copy faster than others who have waited until the release date.
Pre-orders benefit the distributor. For those of us indy authors who use the Createspace Publication Platform, the buyer has to wait additional time for the Print On Demand service to PRINT the book before it even ships. Pre-ordering allows the book to be pre-printed and shipped immediately.
Pre-orders benefit the author. Well, of course they do. Why else would an author allow it? Book publishing is all about the numbers and the rankings. If a book sells a hundred copies on it's release date, great. Wonderful. But if that book has 1,500 pre-orders, gathered over the course of a few months, those pre-orders bump up that number of initial sales on the release date to 1,600. "So what?" you may ask. Amazon and other online retailers rank their book sales by the number of copies sold. If that initial number is high, Amazon rates it higher in their rankings encouraging more sales and an even higher ranking. This means more sales for the author and, ultimately, lower prices on later works. The New York Times bestseller list also includes pre-order statistics in it's ranking system. Stephen King's latest novel had hundreds of thousands of pre-orders. Which means that King's work was a #1 New York Times Bestseller even before the initial release date! One can only imagine his royalties earned on that novel, before it even hit the shelves.
My point is: Pre-orders are good for everyone. Readers, authors, and distributors alike. However, you should take the time to find out if your account will be debited on the date of the order, or on the actual date your order ships. If you'd rather not pay for something in advance you can research other options (such as waiting for Amazon to offer pre-orders instead of purchasing from the author website, or ordering the digital version which is usually available first). If you know the author is worth the wait you may decide to go ahead and lay your money down in advance. Not only will the author earn more from that particular sale, but you'll likely save a couple of bucks in the bargain.
I've asked myself this question and have found a few answers specifically regarding book publication and sales, some of them quite startling.
Pre-orders are usually (but not always) charged to your credit card or PayPal account AFTER your order ships. If you're dealing with a small website (like mine), your account will be charged when you order. Bigger websites like Amazon, Smashwords, et al, DO NOT charge your account until the item becomes available. So you have time to cancel that order if you change your mind.
Pre-orders benefit the buyer. That's right. You. Pre-orders are usually taken at a discounted price. For example, pre-ordering my new novel from my website will save you a couple of bucks off the retail price after May 1. Same with the digital version currently available from Smashwords.com. Pre-orders also allow the distributor time to acquire enough hard copies of the book to ensure that all orders are filled as close to the release date as possible. This means you get your copy faster than others who have waited until the release date.
Pre-orders benefit the distributor. For those of us indy authors who use the Createspace Publication Platform, the buyer has to wait additional time for the Print On Demand service to PRINT the book before it even ships. Pre-ordering allows the book to be pre-printed and shipped immediately.
Pre-orders benefit the author. Well, of course they do. Why else would an author allow it? Book publishing is all about the numbers and the rankings. If a book sells a hundred copies on it's release date, great. Wonderful. But if that book has 1,500 pre-orders, gathered over the course of a few months, those pre-orders bump up that number of initial sales on the release date to 1,600. "So what?" you may ask. Amazon and other online retailers rank their book sales by the number of copies sold. If that initial number is high, Amazon rates it higher in their rankings encouraging more sales and an even higher ranking. This means more sales for the author and, ultimately, lower prices on later works. The New York Times bestseller list also includes pre-order statistics in it's ranking system. Stephen King's latest novel had hundreds of thousands of pre-orders. Which means that King's work was a #1 New York Times Bestseller even before the initial release date! One can only imagine his royalties earned on that novel, before it even hit the shelves.
My point is: Pre-orders are good for everyone. Readers, authors, and distributors alike. However, you should take the time to find out if your account will be debited on the date of the order, or on the actual date your order ships. If you'd rather not pay for something in advance you can research other options (such as waiting for Amazon to offer pre-orders instead of purchasing from the author website, or ordering the digital version which is usually available first). If you know the author is worth the wait you may decide to go ahead and lay your money down in advance. Not only will the author earn more from that particular sale, but you'll likely save a couple of bucks in the bargain.
No comments have been added yet.
