Amazon Offer

[Mark Robson]

I just dropped by amazon.co.uk to check my ratings - I'm not obsessive about it, but ... well, OK, so I might be a little bit obsessive! Show me an author who doesn't want a handle on how their books are selling. However, I happened to notice the offer that they have put on my new book. Imperial Spy is being offered at a whopping 42% discount pre-publication. This makes the book £3.99, plus whatever they are going to sting you for postage. If you're making an order of books large enough to get the free postage, then this is the best deal I've ever seen from a book supplier for my work. I could not supply the book for anywhere near this price!

Just thought I'd let you know.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...406839-9649212

[Rane Longfox]

It's interesting to hear about this. I've always wondered, do you, as the publisher and author, still get the same amount of money, even if they discout it hugely? How does that work?

[I, Brian]

Okay, got me. Pre-ordered.

[Mark Robson]

Originally Posted by Rane Longfox

It's interesting to hear about this. I've always wondered, do you, as the publisher and author, still get the same amount of money, even if they discout it hugely? How does that work?

In short - no! It stinks really, but I get about half of my normal royalty on copies sold in this way, lowering it from roughly 6% of the cover price to about 3%. As I also have no control on how many are sold at high discounts, there is little I can do about it. That said, it is not about the money at this stage. I want readers - lots of readers - as many readers as I can convince to try my work. Once I have these hooked on my writing, then the money should come in with subsequent titles ... well that's the theory, anyway.

[Rane Longfox]

That's still very unfair. Shouldn't you get to control how much your books are sold for?

[Mark Robson]

Originally Posted by Rane Longfox

That's still very unfair. Shouldn't you get to control how much your books are sold for?

Ah! Now that would open up a whole can of worms, wouldn't it? That was the great thing about being self published. I controlled everything. I also made a decent amount of money per book. The disadvantages were that there were very few who took me seriously as an author, distribution was a nightmare, and there was a mass of paperwork and accounts that had to be dealt with. Am I better off being published by a major company? I feel I am. It is a logical progression, and in the long run I will stand to make a living rather than hobby money from it.

If you talk to any author about royalties, you will seldom find they are totally happy with the way the system works, but I always try to look for the positive in every situation.

[Mark Robson]

Have just discovered that apart from the discount mentioned in the first post on this thread, Imperial Spy is also a part of the 3 books for £12 deal currently being offered on a large number of books at the moment. If you're interested in this, then you can find Imperial Spy here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...610925-9430066

and the main page for navigating the offer here:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...610925-9430066

[Teresa Edgerton]

Rane, I think you are forgetting that the publisher (which in the case of Imperial Spy is not Mark) assumes all the expense and the risk. They've also paid him a substantial advance, which he gets to keep no matter how well the book sells. (Though if it makes more than expected, he gets more.) In return for all this, he gave up some of the control he had as a self-published author.

[Cosmo]

:-O nooooooooooo i just baught imperial spy why did i have to read this now!!