As a blogger, writer, and reader, I’m constantly analyzing the current book market in an (usually feeble) attempt to discern the causes for its dismal state. Today, I was buying a book for my mother (Sue Grafton’s U is for Undertow) and was generally astounded by the book prices.
I read a great deal, and I’m in the book store quite frequently, but I usually buy classics. Classics are always cheap, and hardly run me more than $10.00. I also borrow a lot of books.
It appears that I’ve remained partially oblivious to the rising, staggering current prices of new publications. For example, Sue Grafton’s novel ran $30.00. The other books I inspected were around the same price. $30.00 is a great deal of money for a 400 pg. text. Arguably, the book’s entertainment value does not merit the cost.
Why so expensive? Well, there are a lot of reasons. Most can be boiled down to simple business and economic principles. The demand for books is at an all time low. For publishers to break even on publication expenses, the few units they sell need to produce a greater profit.
And while it seems that authors are the greedy ones, this is not the case. Authors earn just cents on every dollar for books that are sold. Books are expensive because their sales have to reimburse the publishers for marketing, distribution, design, and printing.
What does determine a books price?
-The author’s advance. Yes, authors do need a little money to get by. Keep in mind, for most authors this is only a few thousand dollars.
-Marketing. Publisher’s marketing departments produce advertisements, book tours, and hype for upcoming books. This can get pricey.
-Design. The aesthetic production values are vital to its sales. Not cheap, either.
-Distribution. It costs to get books out there. Publishers also have to pay if they want their clients book at the front of the store.
-Printing. Printing costs around $3 a book. That adds up.
-Commission. The store selling a book charges anywhere from 40% to 55% commission.
-Profit. The author and publisher might earn some money?
That’s seven different variables that add up to the book’s cover price. Even with the more expensive, popular books, authors aren’t making yacht-buying, hooker-harassing, house-building money. They might make enough to put food on the table.
This spells bad news for an already fading market. It’s a Catch 22. If publishers lower book prices to move more units, they’ll take brutal beatings on their profit margins. If publishers maintain book prices, the few people that still buy will be discouraged. Not to mention the current economic state of America.
Now, I know it’s the Christmas season; that always hikes up the prices of products in any market. Also, many of the books I looked at were brand new. Still, this has me worrying. Anyway, the best advice I can give for your holiday; don’t get mad at the authors, or the publishers. It’s fiscally out of their control.
Also, buy classics. They’re cheap.
God Save the Books,
C. Harder
I’m heartily sorry that I haven’t posted in quite some time. For those of you that keep up with my twitter feed, you know it’s currently finals week. This part of the semester always swamps me in work. I feel especially guilty for my absence since I wrote such a motivating post on satisfying goals.
The good news is that my blog is still picking up traffic, which inspires me, and gives me the (possibly false) notion that I have something to say. It’s about to be winter break and I will be posting non-stop. I’m thankful for all of you who stayed with me during this hiatus.
As far as literary news goes, I’ve finished Anna Karenina and Bird by Bird, and I’m starting Up Country by Nelson Demille. Anna Karenina was absolutely amazing. I didn’t think I was the biggest fan of classic Russian literature, (read Crime and Punishment) but Tolstoy’s masterpiece blew me away.
It could be possible that I’m just intimately familiar with the ins and outs of affection and jealousy in relationships, (or that Tolstoy was) but AK spoke to me on a level that few novels recently have. The situations, settings, and characters are almost shockingly believable. I truly felt that I was peering through a portal into real peoples’ lives rather than reading a book.
On the other hand, I wasn’t as impressed with Anne Lamott’s heralded novel, Bird by Bird. I’ve found that a lot of people who write these ‘how to write’ books do it through personal anecdotes. These anecdotes are typically funny little life stories, usually from the writer’s childhood. I’ve recently read King’s On Writing, and realized there’s only so much of these I can handle before the whole topic becomes stale.
Unfortunately, Lamott peppered her numerous anecdotes with humor. I say unfortunately because her attempts to be funny were painfully obvious. All the jokes were along the lines of ‘Life sucks, and if you have a friend who is a good writer, you hate them.” It’s funny to pretend to ‘hate’ friends, but only after the first time.
Also a great deal of her advice came from ‘writer friends’. ‘Writer friends’ may be one of the most pretentious labels for colleagues I’ve ever seen. I cringed every time I read a witty quote that was punctuated with that moniker. This ‘decoration’ got in the way of her message, which was a pretty good one. Anyway, it was a fine read, but it didn’t offer anything I didn’t know. Everyone you know will disagree with me.
I hope I’ll be able to keep posting!
God Save the Books,
It’s important to have a healthy dose of daily reading. Most great writers agree it’s hard write without reading. Reading opens stylistic possibilities and technical nuances and gives you some idea of your competition.
I’ve recently been reading more and more. I’m constantly inspired to pick up a book by the newest line of insipid TV shows and mindless movies. I do love a great show or a good film, but I’m seeing less and less of those. I don’t mean to sound snobbish.
Reading is great for me because it lets me escape without making guilt. After a three hour video game binge, I walk away a groggy zombie. After a three hour reading binge, I feel reflective, pensive, and productive. Simply, it’s not a waste of my time or my brain; more importantly, it’s an intrinsic part of my passion (writing).
I always have a problem both reading and writing daily, and usually I sacrifice time for one in favor of the other. Let’s face it, we all have lives. We can’t just sit around reading and writing all day. Admittedly, I usually sacrifice reading in favor of writing.
A sure way to get around this problem of ’sacrifice’ is to have a concise book list. Many times, if I don’t have the ‘pressure’ of an upcoming read, I falter on my goal of reading one book a week. I convince myself that the book can wait. However, as I said, reading is as important as writing for a writer and this delaying is harmful to our progress.
It’s important that the list is full of books that are contemporary and classic; it keeps you on your literary toes. Books of varying length, difficulty, and genre keep interests fresh. A planned book list urges you to read, keeping your literary talents advancing.
So, today on my lengthy drive home for Thanksgiving break, I thought about a new, concise book list. I’ve been reading too many classics and I planned accordingly.
My List
1. Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy – Old, difficult and long.
2. Misery – Stephen King – New, easy and short.
3. Republic – Plato – Old, difficult, and medium-length
4. Bird by Bird – Anne Lamott – New, easy, short
5. Ishmael - Daniel Quinn – New, difficult, and medium-length
6. Chracters and Viewpoints – Orson Scott Card – Newish, easy, short
My list alternates between literary facets, keeping me excited for that next title. Near the end of the month (books 5 and 6), I’ll usually consistently keep books short. Now go make your own!
God Save the Books,
C. Harder
As writers, you and I have it rough. The profit margins of our business are pathetic. The respect for the craft is waning. Our biggest markets are crashing as people flock away from our products in favor of easier media. It’s a hard time. Especially for those of us just starting.
Anyone who’s a beginning writer today (and even those that aren’t) is scared about these times. If you’re in school studying the art, you’re probably questioning whether or not you’re making the correct investment. Whether it will ever pay off. Whether you should get a degree in business or engineering.
I’ve been having those moments recently. Most of the journals I’ve submitted to take ages to get back to me. If I get accepted, I trivialize the worth of the acceptance; if I get rejected, I exaggerate the gravity of the rejection. I’ve been reading (pun intended) too much in to the craft. It’s been discouraging.
Today, something happened that re-centered me. Something that made me realize that being a writer is worth it. Attending my last class, American Literature Before 1900, I was tired and ready to get home. As class started, I noticed that my professor had the college literary magazine in his hand – the one where my poem, Mission Statement, was published on the first page.
He had read my poem, and praised it excessively. Though I still think the praise was probably undeserved – a classmate had a much more powerful poem – it nonetheless was extremely affecting. I sat down after reading it out, and my professor ended the critique, saying, “ain’t this just a fucking good poem.”
There are few things that make me feel as wonderful as praise for something I’ve written. I will forever be grateful to my professor, Stephen Mooney; a small-town, large-minded man, who knows more about things than most anyone I’ve met. But more importantly, I’ll be renewed in my efforts to write.
I won’t say I got entirely discouraged, but it got hard to keep writing for a while. That’s why my blog suffered temporarily. Today I was reminded of why I write. Why writers write. It’s not for the money, fame, or glory, but for the appreciation and the art.
Professor Mooney, in half an hour, made me feel the best I’ve felt in a week– hell, a month. By giving my work the time of day, by giving it respect and scrutiny, it gave me purpose. And I remembered, blushing and smiling in front of the class, that that’s why I write. That’s why I want to write.
I hope it’s the same for everyone else. As Stephen King said at the end of On Writing, if you’re writing for anything but your self-gratitude, you’re doing it wrong. If you’re getting discouraged, just remember the type of respect that your skill gets, and know you can’t get it doing anything else.
God Save the Books,
C. Harder
P.S. Sorry I didn’t write yesterday. I’ve been following my guidelines, but I got sidetracked reading.
I’m on an ever-expanding quest to find literary magazines. There are a lot of them out there. Just google ‘literary magazine’ to find out. Anyway, most of them are great– they fulfill different, separate niches, and satisfy a wide consumer base. However, I came across one today that irked me.
Usually, journals will have some sort of guidelines. The guidelines can either refer to the length, subject or stylings of the work, and they’re often different for each magazine. However, hardly any of them restrict the fundamental ideals and tenets of literary production. It would restrict the authors and their work.
I say hardly, because I did find one that does have insane restrictions– Apple Valley Review. Now, far be it from me to attack any literary magazine. I’m hardly on any revered critical pedestal and this magazine is fairly popular. However, I do understand literature, and I understand the submission guidelines at Apple Valley Review are absolutely insane.
The guidelines, and I quote, are as follows:
“Please do not send us
—genre fiction (e.g., horror, science fiction, mysteries);
—work that is scholarly or critical, inspirational, or intended for children;
—erotica or work containing explicit language; or
—anything that is violent or more than a little depressing.”
So what the hell can we send you? Sure, a lot of magazines don’t allow genre fiction (though any type of fiction can be classified as such), and sure it’s normal to not want pornographic material submitted. The guideline I have a problem with is “anything that is violent or a more than a little depressing”.
Are you fucking serious? I don’t like to curse in writing (especially under the explicit language guideline), but this has got to be a goddamned joke. Anything more than a little depressing? So, that throws out Arthur Miller, Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, William Shakespeare, to name a few.
Some of the greatest works in literary history are more than a little depressing. It’s an embarrassment and a farce for this magazine to tailor to a group of literature in such a myopic manner. I wonder if the editors have read anything classically substantial at all.
Well, that’s all I really have to say. I can’t explain why those guidelines are ridiculous, either you understand or you don’t. It’s not my business and it’s a private organization, and that proves how utterly appalled I was to see this joke of censorship calling itself a literary magazine.
God Save the (Good) Journals,
C. Harder
As I promised before, I’ll still post up new fiction for the week. New fiction works are as follows:
The Wrecker
by Clive Cussler, Justin Scott
Crocodile Tears
by Anthony Horowitz
Green Lantern: Agent Orange
by Geoff Johns
The Original of Laura
by Vladimir Nabokov
Shadowland
by Alyson Noel
I, Alex Cross
by James Patterson
Looks good to me.
God Save the Books,
C. Harder
Firstly, I’d like to apologize for not posting recently. As a student, I have constant work; on top of that, I started two new books this week (Stephen King’s On Writing, and Leo Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina), and started making a better website.
The week didn’t come without production– I finished On Writing, added a few thousand words to my work-in-progress, and got quite a bit of work out of the way just in time for turkey day.
However that’s no excuse. I admit I’ve become slightly lazy, and for that I’m sorry. You’ll be happy (or apathetic) to hear that I’ve taken preventative measures against this sly laziness. A list of new guidelines for my production is taped to the wall above my desk. I’m looking at it as I type this.
The Rules: At least two posts a day on PtP. 4 pages filled in my journal. Read for an at least an an hour. Write 2k words on the computer. Watch no more than 1hr of television.
I’m sure these guidelines will help me. As an avid gym rat, I’ve become pretty adept at following a routine, and this kind of structure always spurs me.
So yes, I need to become more strict. That’s not the end to my introspection, though. I also thought about why I temporarily lost interest in my blog. Sure, it was only a couple of days, but when I write every day, there has to be a reason I didn’t post. It’s because I was losing interest in the subject matter, simply.
I love literature, but I’m not as big a fan of the industry. Sure, a lot of the news out there is interesting, but it’s already covered. I found myself scanning NY Times or the New Yorker or google just to find things to publish. That’s fine for certain articles, but not for the majority. Virtually creating carbon copies of articles that already existed was taxing. I created this blog to have express my opinion, in a fresh way, on a subject I care deeply about. Typing out another magazine’s slant just isn’t that.
So, with that in mind, I’ve rediscovered my goals and roots. From now on, there will be a lot more creative writing. Initially it’ll all be from me, but I encourage any of my readers to submit by e-mailing me. On that note, my readership has grown steadily since the founding of this blog, and I only expect it to continue to do so. So don’t be shy to submit and get a wider readership. I’ll write reviews of every piece I get.
However, the news component of my blog isn’t gone. This blog is on literature – contemporary and classic, electronic and print, dynamic and constant– and literary news is a big part of that. I’ll release a weekly list of new books. I’ll release a daily page of literary news links, so you can read it straight from the source, and I don’t have to copy. I’ll also post examples of daily conversion, book reviews and general think pieces. I’ll also keep the Time Machine and Daily Quote section.
This blog started off as a documentation of literature’s conversion into electronics. That hasn’t gone by the wayside, though it will be handled differently. Read: a lot more interviews, a lot less opinion. I’ve found there’s only so many articles that I can do on the kindle and google books before they become stagnant. If you write or read at all, (any old Joe) and want to be interviewed, email me.
So that’s about it. With my self-inflicted rules, new goals, and dynamic posts, hopefully this blog will be even more fun to read and write. That’s it. Thanks for reading.
Wrap Up:
Submit short stories or request interview– e-mail me at Pagestopixels@gmail.com
God Save the Books and Blogs,
C. Harder
Kindle for PC has finally been released. Kindle for PC allows users to read their books (the same books that are available to the Kindle device) on their computers. The software was announced late last month, and gives users even more options when it comes to e-books.
Initially criticized for using DRM to strictly control and manipulate e-books, the Kindle for PC software gives users a little more flexibility, (hopefully) taking their minds from Kindle’s glaring bugs. Another nice perk is that books will be able to be displayed in full color. Since most books are in black text, I have virtually no idea what the point is. But it’s a nice addition.
No Kindle device is required. With availability on all current PC platforms and a Mac product being developed, this is very accessible software. However, in its early stages, the software is experiencing a myriad of technical difficulties.
Early reviews reported that automatic syncing failed constantly, and that even logging in wasn’t always flawless. Most problems concerned the server-side connection (Amazon) of the operations. I’m sure this stuff will get worked out though as the software matures.
It’s nice that Amazon is giving their users this flexibility, though I don’t really see the point. The Kindle device is attractive because of its easy-to-read screen, and simplistic stylings. Using the software on a computer negates all that. Who really wants to cuddle up with their laptop and scroll through the equivalent of hundreds of word documents?
I know I don’t. It’s more convenient, but it’s seems like a backwards step. Come-on, we already have books online. I guess it’s nice that it’s free. Anyway, instead of scrolling with my 7-lb laptop, I’ll sit back with my light $5 copy of Leaves of Grass.
God Save the Books,
C. Harder
The Center for Fiction announced that John Pipkin is to be awarded the 2009 First Novel Prize for his novel, Woodsburner. The annual prize includes a $10,000 cash award and was presented at The Center for Fiction’s Annual Benefit and Awards Dinner in New York City on Nov. 9, Booktrade reports.
I keep seeing this book pop up, and I continually remind myself to purchase it. I’m a huge fan of transcendentalist writings, and while Thoreau isn’t at the top of my list, this book sounds promising. Fundamentally, it’s a fictionalized account of a true story in which Thoreau accidently starts a conflagration, scorching hundreds of acres.
In an interview with Amazon, Pipkin continually asserted that Thoreau may have been driven to create his magnum opus “by his remorse over having brought about the destruction of the very thing he so loved”. An in-depth look into such a pivotal event, one that has not been well documented or analyzed, is a breath of fresh air.
I’m excited to pick it up today.
God Save the Books,
C. Harder
In an attempt to further the amount of industry news reported in this blog, I’ve decided to start making regular lists of upcoming books. I’ll welcome any personal reviews and post them here.
Unfortunately, I probably won’t be able to give too many personal assessments of the listed work; I’m still getting through my classics, but I’ll do all the research I can. It’s significant to know the new releases, in any case.
BOOKS FOR WEEK OF NOVEMBER 9th
Larry Bond’s Red Dragon Rising: Shadows of War
by Larry Bond
The Disciple (Tommy Carmellini Series #4)
by Stephen Coonts
The Fleet Street Murders (Charles Lenox Series #3)
by Charles Finch
Diary of a Stinky Dead Kid (Tales from the Crypt Series #8)
by David Gerrold, Stefan Petrucha, Rob Vollmar, Jim Salicrup, John L. Lansdale
The Mirror and the Mask
by Ellen Hart
Ice
by Linda Howard
Destroyer of Worlds
by Larry Niven
The Crisis
by David Poyer
New York
by Edward Rutherfurd
Seems like some potentially great reads.
God Save the Books,
C. Harder
