I thought this post by Susan Gable was appropriate given our conversation a few days ago about lines closing.
The recent demise of yet another Harlequin line, this time the kick-butt
heroine line Bombshell, got me to thinking, which, as anyone who knows me
will tell you is always a dangerous thing. I heard from a number of readers
who were surprised by the closing, because they had friends who just “loved
that line!”
I’ve also heard things like this: “I can’t believe they closed that line.
I loved that line. I read those books every month at my library.”
Before I go any farther with this discussion, I have to offer up a
disclaimer. I love libraries. Especially as a child with a voracious
appetite for story, I borrowed armloads of books from my local library. I
love bargains, too. I shop like men hunt or play sports. It’s a victory
when I score a bargain. (New black cocktail dress, originally $79, marked
down to only $16. SCORE!) Used books are great bargains. Swapping books,
another great bargain. The new websites on-line, where you can “rent” a
book, in a system similar to NetFlix, are also an interesting bargain. Good
grief, even the airports these days have a program where you can buy a book,
read it, then sell it back to them. What a bargain!
But did you realize that those bargains could be putting your favorite line
or your favorite author out of business?
It’s a difficult, touchy subject for authors to discuss. We don’t want to
appear anti-used books (’cause we’re not — not entirely, anyway), or make
readers think we’re money-grubbers, always harping on them to buy our books.
We all know (believe me, we KNOW - most writers don’t make anywhere close to
as much money as people think we do) how tight money can be sometimes,
especially with the rising costs of gas and heating fuel, and food, and
taxes, and.well, you know. Everything.
We’ve been known ourselves to sometimes borrow and trade books, or buy used.
Or go to the library.
But publishing these days is a strictly-by-the-numbers business, which means
if the numbers don’t live up to the publisher’s expectations, a writer can
kiss her slot/line/future contracts good-bye.
“Where’s SoAndSo’s latest book? How come she hasn’t published another story
in that series that I love so much?” If you find yourself asking that
question, it could be that your favorite, SoAndSo, got cut loose because the
numbers of that last book in the series didn’t do as well as the one before
that. How did you get your hands on that last book? Did you buy it new,
contributing to the continuation of the series, or did you bargain read it?
Bargain reads don’t count towards our numbers.
Writers, especially those of us at the “lower echelons” of the publishing
world, need our readers more than ever. Without you, there would be no
point in what we do. (Well, okay, there’s a certain satisfaction in telling
yourself a story, but it’s the audience that makes it truly special. It’s a
shared dream.) But now, because of the numbers, we need your support even
more.
Our careers, our lines, even our publishers, live and die by the numbers.
So please, where and when you can, save a writer. Buy a new book. We’ll
all thank you for it. And that way, you’ll have more choices of books in
the future.
Well said.
I don’t have an answer to this conundrum, personally. As a long-ago former employee of independent and/or used bookstores, I stand firm in my love and support of those places and their inherent politics. As a former employee of a very, very small independent publishing company, I also feel *their* pain — putting so much time and effort and money into a book, only to have the big-box bookstores like B&N place an order and then ship back 90% of it (in not-so-new condition) when it doesn’t sell. I feel like an ass for having a Borders member card; I feel like an ass when I shop Amazon instead of the independent bookstore down the street from my house. (But they don’t carry romance!)
I understand that readers often don’t want to take a chance on a new writer at full price, so they go to the used bookstore. And at the same time, I understand that authors need readers to purchase their books new, so that those sales reflect back to the publisher.
I guess I just hate it that every damn thing comes down to money. *sigh* Capitalism. What a tragedy.
by Catherine Morris August 18th, 2006 at 10:33 amCatherine, I’m torn about it too, since I used to work at a used bookstore. I know they’re barely clinging to life and that sometimes that’s the only way people get to read certain authors. I guess my hope is that once readers do find a book in the used bookstore and enjoy the author that they actually go out and buy at least some of their work new. Of course, I might be naive. :-/
by Jordan August 18th, 2006 at 12:06 pmHey, I agree and promise to always buy your books NEW! I just want to put a note in here for us rural folks. For me to buy a good new book locally, I have Walmart, which had a limited selection. To go to a good book store other than Borders, which is an hour and 15 from my house, I have to drive almost 2 hours to Kansas City. I buy on line some times, but unless I am hooked up with an online store that carries what I am looking for, I am stuck with places like Half.com and all of the used places. Also, LOTS of us will buy a book and pass it around our circle as it is the only way to get good stuff at times. I know it doesn’t help from your standpoint, but remember what you said about a bargain??? I feel justified in spending $20 for a book when I know that 9 of us will read it!
Love and miss you!
by Debbie Southers August 18th, 2006 at 2:19 pmDEB
Deb, I understand about location playing a huge part in people’s buying behavior. You go with what’s around you. The problem with buying one book and splitting it between nine people is that the publishing companies then believe that only one person bought and read that author’s book. So when it’s time to give that author another book deal, she can’t get one based on poor sales.
by Jordan August 18th, 2006 at 3:46 pmJordan, as usual, very well said! And true. I always buy new. I cant’ remember the last fiction book I read from the library, maybe Anais Nin 7 years ago…
It’s a tough call to make, because I want to save money too, but because I’m behind the scenes, I know what buying new in a bookstore does for an author’s numbers…
by Vivi Anna August 18th, 2006 at 6:27 pmVivi, I think the bottom line is that you have to be choosier when it comes to making your selections. Book buying is expensive now that the prices have jumped. I don’t buy near as many as I used to, but I still buy most new due to what it does for the author.
by Jordan August 18th, 2006 at 6:37 pmI only buy new (unless it’s an older series that you can’t find in the stores anymore) even though I work in a used bookstore and it pays my Amazon Visa bill. Most of our customers are only buying the older books that you can’t find in stores - or they are checking out a new author - many people don’t have the money to “waste” on a book by an author they don’t know, just in case they don’t like it. But, by the vast amounts of “new” books that come in - they do go out and buy new books. One interesting thing about Bombshell. When I mentioned it to my customers on Saturday this was the usualy response:”How could they not be selling? When I go to buy them, the store is always sold out. You can’t buy what’s not there.” Something doesn’t compute here.
by Bailey Stewart August 18th, 2006 at 8:48 pmI bought Bombshells religiously. Same with Flipsides. Maybe I’m out of step with the bookbuying public? On the subject of used vs. new, I nearly always buy new, unless the book is out of print and unlikely to ever be reprinted. I figure it’s a matter of voting with my dollars and encouraging publishers to make more stuff I’ll enjoy. Great post, Jordan!
by Lynne August 18th, 2006 at 8:59 pmBailey, Good for you on buying new. I know at the used bookstore I worked at people wanted the latest books used. Some came in for the backlist of certain authors, but overall they wanted the latest releases. I only bought the used ones when it was an author I wasn’t sure about. If I liked them, then I bought their next book new. As for the Bombshells, I found the same thing to be the case. I’m wondering if the orders were low. That would explain them selling out quickly. One theory I read implied that because the books didn’t have a HEA all the time that romance readers abandoned them. :-/
by Jordan August 18th, 2006 at 10:15 pmLynne, I definitely vote with my dollars. Sorry all the lines that you liked have closed.
by Jordan August 18th, 2006 at 10:16 pmI read this elsewhere, and was of two minds about it. Yes, I can see the point of saving the lines, etc. And if it’s a favorite author, or I have the money to spend, I definitely do buy the books new.
But when things are a little tight, as they’ve been lately (the economy is screwed, folks), I’ll hit the used book store or library in a sec, rather than not reading what I want at all. And sometimes it does come down to that simple choice, unfortunately.
by raine August 18th, 2006 at 10:22 pmWhat a TERRIFIC post, Jordan!
by Sunny Lyn August 19th, 2006 at 8:44 amI use the UBS for out of print titles, but I’d rather see publishers keep titles in print with POD. I live in the boonies, so I do a lot of bookshopping online. But I do try to buy it from the bookstore or Walmart first. I would think that Amazon orders would count on an author’s numbers, though. (I’m talking new book sales, not used.)
by Charlene Teglia August 19th, 2006 at 9:22 amRaine, I didn’t write this entry, so I can’t tell you what Susan Gable meant. I know for me that if someone can’t afford to buy new due to economic situations, then that’s a whole different ball of wax. You do what you have to do when the money is tight.
by Jordan August 19th, 2006 at 10:43 amThanks, Sunny!
by Jordan August 19th, 2006 at 10:44 amCharli, Those numbers absolutely count, when buying new from Amazon. I know a lot of people don’t like purchasing from them, but sometimes (due to location or convenience) you have no choice.
by Jordan August 19th, 2006 at 10:45 amI buy hardcovers, from Amazon, or with a Borders coupon, if it’s a must have read that I can’t wait to come out in paperback. (just got Kay Hooper’s Sleeping with Fear. AMAZING by the way) I am much more careful with spending on romantic suspense, though, because of too many inconsistent reads. I do plan to use the library more in my area now that they’re all in a big consortium, but only for reading older things and sampling authors outside of romance. I always donate my books, either to the Salvation Army (so others on a tighter budget can still read and enjoy) or I give them away. (A month ago we hosted a media swap where all our friends traded and gave away all manner of books, movies and discs. Found a great band that way and bought another CD). Publishing is a tough racket. I like the way Baen has the free library and escriptions and uses that to increase sales. It’s a novel concept. I don’t think libraries kill numbers, though. I think a variety of things go into the death of a line, or, a writer sometimes having numbers issues. I think Bombshell had the deck stacked against it when they pub came out and said it wasn’t regular category, but packaged and shelved it as such. Very thought provoking post.
by Ursula August 19th, 2006 at 4:24 pmUrsula, You’ve brought up a good point about packaging. I think separating these lines from the others would’ve been a much better idea. Same thing with the new Nocturne line, even though I know that’s not what they plan to do.
by Jordan August 19th, 2006 at 4:36 pm