Canadian Romantic Fiction Author Rusty Blackwood Questions Discount Purchasing of Books
- Posted on 14th December 2015
- in Fiction Romance Novels, Romance Drama, Romance Fiction, Romantic Fiction, Thoughts& Views
- by admin
#romance #fiction #drama #romantic #image *Photo courtesy of Photobucket ©
Romantic fiction author Rusty Blackwood questions discount purchasing of e-Books …
After you read this article obtained through this link from The Book Insider ® please return for a few words from yours truly.
As an Indie romantic fiction author and writer, all I can say about this article’s topic is it is a load of manipulative bullshit. For those who don’t write, let alone publish what you write, you may not understand the seriousness of what this article entails, or what it means to those who try their best to scrap-out a living through the words they write.
Now being generous is one thing, and something that everyone should do, but it is quite something different when it is expected, and or taken for granted.
How would you like it if the product of whatever it is you work at, or create, or simply do, be expected to be given away for free, or very little compensation for your efforts? In the world of writing – I’m sure in any field for that matter – a give-away and or freebies are used to create awareness of a newly written piece, or to help to promote what it is you so diligently try so hard to produce with hope it might garner interest, and a possible sale. But when it is expected, it becomes something entirely different.
How are writers suppose to make a living – let alone a decent one – if the reading public is always waiting to pounce on that freebie, or next-to-free download of a Kindle, NOOK, etc.? Heaven only knows these formats are priced cheap enough to begin with. It costs very little to publish an e-book, but even they should not be taken for granted when it comes to the way they are sold.
I find it astonishing really. I have spoken with people at different public venues I have done, who think it entails nothing to write a book, let alone the process of publishing it, and then marketing it to the public. They cannot fathom the price placed on a book – to them a numbered amount of pages with type on them pressed between two covers. Why should they be expected to pay what is asked for that? And then there is the coveted e-book which sells for an outrageous fraction of the price of a simple paperback – Heaven forbid a hardback.
The next time you are waiting in line at the bookstore to cash-out that fantastically lowered book price in your hands, or scanning the outrageous amount of online retailers touting the cheap downloads and free e-books – even for one day – think about the cost to the author, and or what you begrudgingly take away from them. Might not mean much by way of thought, but the thought might drastically change if the day was to come when there were no books anywhere to stock your shelves with the latest fantastic steal.
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And as I always say, support your local authors, as as all your local talent in the Arts!
Rusty.
Tags: 'Willow's Walk', author, authors, best romance novels, Canadian Indie author Rusty Blackwood, fictional romance, Indie authors, literary news, media, Passions in Paris: Revelations of a Lost Diary, romance, romance author, romance novelist Rusty Blackwood, romantic fiction author Rusty Blackwood
Wow, that is deep food for thought. So many Indie authors have total giveaways, it makes me wonder how anything with a price can compete. Good for you, Rusty!!!
Thank you for stepping up to the plate and commenting on this subject, Eleanor! It is something which I believe ALL authors should step up for, because it affects all of us, but especially Indies, who have not had the fat royalty advance to help ease the lack of later compensation. Naturally a reader is going to pounce on a freebie, I had even given a two day free download for Passions in Paris when I first released it in order to bring awareness to the novel. Needless to say the downloads were staggering, it was almost as if readers troll the sites looking for whatever is free, for once the offer expired, so did the request for downloads; people had to then pay for it, yet why should they do that when they know they can get something else for free. I truly do believe that marketing reps need to protect their clients just as much as the authors need to protect their work. Thanks again for you comment.