The whole ‘We’re going to start selling ebooks for $14.99′ initiative is an impressive display of wishful thinking.
In honor of Publishers’ $14.99 initiative here’s a list of eBooks selling for $5 or so and doing really well -
- Waking Up Blind: Lawsuits over Eye Surgery by Dr. Tom Harbin. 5 stars on 7 reviews. It’s at $4.99 – Langdon Street Press are hereby excommunicated from the Society of Myopic Publishers (SMP).
- Nicholas Sparks has Dear John for $4.39, The Last Song for $4.99, and most of his other books for just $7.99. Way to go Mr. Sparks.
- The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold is at $4.99.
- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson is $5.50.
By the way, lots of these books (Dear John, Lovely Bones) have movies coming out.
To make things worse for Publishers we have those pesky indie authors who dare to bypass the SMP -
- Indie Author Elisa Lorello has her books at #7 and #49 in the Kindle Store. Both books are rated 4.5 stars. How dare she not spend 4 years trying to get a book deal first.
- When Angels Cry by Maria Rachel Hooley. It’s a Contemporary Romance rated 4.5 stars on 9 reviews.
- Wrapped by Meryl McQueen. It’s a romance/coming of age story rated 4 stars.
A lot of the Price Wars are about Control
Thomas Brookside’s comment at GalleyCat really hit the nail on the head - Publishers hate the fact that Indie Authors can go direct to readers.
- It’s hard for Publishers to justify giving authors just 15% if Authors can go direct to Readers.
- Publishers no longer have the ability to tell authors – You can’t publish your book credibly unless it’s with us.
- Publishers can’t control prices if Indie Authors are selling their books for $1.
- The Kindle Store gives Indie titles the same shelf space as a published book (provided the indie title is selling).
It’s all about control and getting the lion’s share of profits.
The politically correct stance is to talk about the sustainability of books – Even though $9.99 is more than enough to sustain books.
It’s amusing to see Publishers become less and less relevant and not realize it. The weaker their position becomes the larger share of profits and control they push for.
Filed under: free books Tagged: | kindle book deals
I check this site everyday to see what books are available, at less than $9.99. Thanks !
I enjoy reading all the information you find on the Kindles, e-readers, and related news.
Keep up the good work !
I was really upset when I saw that the publishers (just like the ‘record companies’) were angry/upset at and fighting the trend because Amazon “allowed” independent (2nd tier) authors to publish directly at lower prices. It’s a wonder they haven’t managed to outlaw libraries! I regularly read authors who self-publish exclusively, and they beat the ‘typewriters’ off the big name authors.
I continue to check this site every day, and on average, I buy at least one or two books a week that I see mentioned here. (At 14.99, I would buy *NO* books a week. I would just go back to getting the all from the library, borrowing from a friend, picking them up at the thrift store or going without.)
Does anyone know if the Ipad allows ‘family sharing’ of books like the Kindle does? I share my Kindle account with three family members, and as soon as Amazon releases the next version of the Kindle, I’m going to share my account with 4 family members, since someone will get the hand-me-down kindle. (At that point, I think I’ll be at the limit.)