Re: consequences of shift to ebooks

--- In [email protected], Chris Smith <smith@...> wrote:
> On Sun, 6 Jan 2008, auwg wrote:
> > Just guarantee me (and my heirs) a percentage of every sale and 
> > keep the company books open for sales audits.
> 
> Why not ask for a set amount for each sale? I realize the 
> percentage is so common it's hardly worth calling it a standard. 
> It's more like suggesting an alternative marks you as weird or 
> insane.

You can take a fixed amount per sale if you want.
I'll stay with percentage.

> But the majority of other items produced in quantity have a 
> price, not a percentage. I send 100 items to a business and I 
> expect one dollar for each. The business can sell them for $10 
> and make $900 - risking that nobody will buy. Or they can sell 
> for $2 and make $100, being fairly certain to go through them 
> all. Wise customers sell out the latter, later customers may have 
> to take the former. Or - they can give away 10 free to the first 
> few customers on a Saturday to drive business. They can have a 
> 50% off sale on Sunday, so its not $10, but only $5.
> And for every one, I get my $1. Or more to the point, I get $100 
> for the bunch, and I don't care which copy earns how much.
> It works for every other thing in stores. WHY does nobody try it?

Give it a shot.

> Is the value of the work so uncertain that authors can't fix a 
> price above zero? Do publishers simply hold all the power, and 
> simply don't want to change established business practices? Or 
> are authors unwilling to lose the chance of being a millionare in 
> the event their work is far more popular than they dreamed?

All but one of the above. I set my prices according to what I'd be
willing to pay for a similar work in e-format. While others might be
willing to pay more, other others :) might not buy at a higher price.

> There's a key tie-in to ebooks. I can see the outlines of a pure 
> ebook business model that says "pay what you think it's worth".
> Some people will pay nothing. Some will pay lots. The two key 
> measures are 'number of copies' and 'total money'. If someone 
> wants to read first and pay later, its easy. (It does mean no 
> more windfall sales or profits from incorrect readers.)

In an ideal world, that system might work, but in that same world, 
Miss America contestants wouldn't feel obliged to wish for world peace
51 times every year.
Ed Howdershelt - Abintra Press
Science Fiction & Semi-Fiction
http://www.AbintraPress.com
My Fictionwise Ratings: http://tinyurl.com/26v45



------------------------------------------------------
Post a message:   ebook-community [[at]] *
Unsubscribe:      ebook-community-unsubscribe [[at]] *
Switch to digest: ebook-community-digest [[at]] *
Switch to normal: ebook-community-normal [[at]] *
Put mail on hold: ebook-community-nomail [[at]] *
Administrator:    ebook-community-owner [[at]] *

(* == yahoogroups.com)
------------------------------------------------------- 
Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ebook-community/

<*> Your email settings:
    Individual Email | Traditional

<*> To change settings online go to:
    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ebook-community/join
    (Yahoo! ID required)

<*> To change settings via email:
    mailto:[email protected] 
    mailto:ebook-community-fullfeatured-hHKSG33TihhbjbujkaE4pw@public.gmane.org

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
    ebook-community-unsubscribe-hHKSG33TihhbjbujkaE4pw@public.gmane.org

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
    http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/