Free stuff ramblings

Terri Bischoff

Free stuff. Everyone wants free stuff, right? Or at least discounted stuff. We want the best deal we can get, we shop around and we clip coupons. I admit that I check groupon quite often to see what deals they have going on. But sometimes I wonder what that mentality is doing to us as readers and to publishing.

Let's say that you read two books a month (and let's face it, some of us knock out two books in a day, so that is a very conservative number). If one is a hardcover and one a trade paperback, that is $40 a month or $480 a year. That is a nice chunk of change, isn't it? Let's say you buy four trade paperbacks a month. Approximately $60 a month or $720 a year. I get why people don't want to pay full price for books. I absolutely get it. In fact, I think I get it more than most folks do because before this gig, I worked in bookstores where we got free books and ARCs. In a lot of indie stores the owners allow booksellers to buy books at cost because they want their staff to be well read. Now I wince whenever I have to shell out big bucks for books.

But here is the flip side - if the publisher doesn't make back what it has invested in the series/author, then that series/author is dropped in a heartbeat. The author has to earn back the advance we paid them. That is the first hurdle. The second hurdle is selling enough so that both parties are making a profit. We have to sell A LOT of books to make that happen. It's not a perfect system and there are so many things at play.

Bottom line is - if readers aren't buying books, the author isn't getting paid and neither is the publisher. Quite often in this equation, publishers are made out to the be the bad guys. We are the gatekeepers that reject hundreds of submissions for the few that we actually acquire. We are the ones who no longer support author tours or book signings like we used to. We are the ones supposedly making all the money off the backs of readers and authors. I'm not entirely sure that is the case. Yes, I reject a lot of manuscripts. Author support isn't what it used to be. I'm not actually sure who is making money in this business.

Side note: As a publisher we end up giving away a ton of books. We send out ARCs to reviewers and bookstores. We hope that this investment will pay off over time when it comes to reviews and handselling books. We run contests through goodreads and facebook. I've been known to give books to folks who I know will talk up a book if they love it, even if they aren't a traditional reviewer. I get hit up for books all the time. And I expect it. It is part of the business. I will gladly put books in the hands of those who can reach a larger audience of readers.

Last week I was at a signing at our local mystery bookstore, Once Upon a Crime. There were two authors there that I count as friends. When it came to signing time, I picked up a copy of each of their books to have them sign. I already had an ARC of one of the books. The author asked me, don't you have a copy? And she knew I did because she gave it to me. But I told her, an ARC doesn't help your sales or help the bookstore's sales. So yeah, I shelled out. I love free books just as much as the next guy, but I have come to value books more than I did when I was a bookseller. Now I know how much work an author puts into a book. Most authors write one book a year. ONE BOOK. Countless hours of writing, and editing, and plotting. Usually followed by more editing. I know how much work the publisher puts into a book. I've blogged on the publishing process before and would be happy to again. I know how much work booksellers put into their stores. Man, do I know. It's hard work. So much time and energy is spent by the author.

I guess I don't know what my point is other than this - even if you buy a book at a discount, it still helps the bottom line of the author and the publisher. Hopefully it also helps the bookstore you bought it from. (Call my crazy, but I will sing the praises of indie bookstores til the day I die.) Yes, we all love free. But free is never free. As a consumer, we might not be able to buy all we want. If I'm not distracted, I can easily read four books in a weekend. But I can't financially support that kind of habit. I do get books from the library or friends and I buy what I can. My boys are totally spoiled because I will buy just about any book they ask for. What we shouldn't expect, as readers, is that authors will happily give away copies of their books. 

Maybe my point is this - we need to start valuing what people create. I don't exactly have a plan of how to do that. But I do know that even though I can read a book in a couple hours, my reading pace doesn't negate what it took to create that book. And frankly, my job is to find exceptional books that are commercially viable. If I won several million dollars, I'd buy books and give them away for free because I love to give away books. Sure, I would probably buy them at a discount, but I would make sure that it counted toward the royalties for the authors.

Sorry for the rambling today. It's been that kind of week! And, if you follow the Midnight Ink facebook page and sign up for our newsletter, you will have many opportunities to win free books. :)

Comments

[Lynne Patrick]

Terri, well said! I fear for the future of the book trade when I see books discounted to les than half price at my local supermarket, and only buy the ones whose authors can rely on sales in tens of thousands. That said, I love a freebie as much as anyone - and have often gone on to buy an entire series after discovering it through a review ARC! Isn't that what it's all about?

[Brenda Buchanan]

I love your posts, Terri!

[Terri Bischoff]

Absolutely. It's all about building readership. One of the things that prompted this post was an author telling me how many requests she gets for free books. It's a tough position to be in - author says yes and ends up giving away a bunch of books and doesn't record any sales for it or author says no and angers a potential reader. My opinion on that quandary is the same I have about illegal ebooks - that person was never going to buy it in the first place, so it isn't a lost sale.

[Terri Bischoff]

Thanks Brenda!

[Dru]

Great post