Since the eBook piece of a few days ago generated some discussions, here's another interesting piece from Joe Konrath's blog:
You may know that my publisher, Hyperion, dropped my Jack Daniels series after six books, even though they continue to sell well as backlist titles. The only way I could get print books in the series into the hands of fans was to sign with another publisher.
Thomas & Mercer stepped up to the plate to give my fans what they want: more Jack Daniels books.
Amazon allowed me to get into bookstores--something self-pubbing couldn't do for me without a lot of extra work on my part. They offered me a terrific deal, and have done more marketing and promotion than any of the publishers I've previously worked with.
They've treated me with nothing but respect, listened to and implemented many of my ideas, and have been an absolute joy to work with.
They're the new publisher on the block. But they're already doing it better than anyone else.
This trend won't end with me. Amazon will continue to publish more and more authors, because the major publishers are making a lot of major mistakes and a lot of writers are getting hurt by the Big 6.
So my question to indie bookstores is: When other authors sign with Amazon, and they will, are you going to boycott them as well? What happens when it is a major, bestselling author? Is this how you service your customers, by limiting the amount of choice they have?
Follow this link for the full article.
