Disclaimer: This is a rant from a consumer’s point of view. No wait, a pissed off consumer’s point of view.
Dear Publishers:
As one of your very best customers who routinely buys multiple books each month, you should care what I think, right?
So, here goes: Stop making me feel as if I’m doing something wrong – something lesser – when I buy an eBook. That’s exactly how I feel when you:
- Hold back an eBook release date until after a print book is published.
- Eliminate any discounts – the kind of discounts found everywhere on print books – by your stupid Agency Pricing model.
- And, God forbid, charge more for an eBook than a print book. What – I mean what the hell – are you thinking?
Next week is the national conference for Romance Writers of America (RWA). Blythe Barnhill, Sandy Coleman and I will all be attending, and hopefully learning a lot. Last year was my first time at RWA, and while the conference is almost overwhelmingly huge, I had a blast getting to meet some wonderful authors (both published and aspiring), reviewers, and other book industry types. I’m also looking forward to seeing what the publishers have in store for us going forward.
The way I see it the Internet community amounts to a workplace for romance authors. Every single reader who hangs out in Romancelandia is a potential customer for the books authors want to sell.
The curtain goes up on AAR version 3.0 on Monday morning.
You heard it here first, folks: AAR is about to undergo a facelift.
One of the things romance readers share is the undeniable fact that we are all readers. And, as the dedicated readers we all are, we are passionate about the books we love.
