tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17976187.post5971998312145978462..comments2023-10-15T05:23:10.677-04:00Comments on Thirsty: A Biblioasis Miscellany: Why I loathe amazon.caUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17976187.post-86136967815318047852011-08-24T07:26:09.536-04:002011-08-24T07:26:09.536-04:00Pretty nice post. I just stumbled upon your weblog...Pretty nice post. I just stumbled upon your weblog and wanted to say that I've really enjoyed browsing your blog posts. <a href="http://www.joomla-web-developer.com/hire-joomla-programmer-2.html" rel="nofollow"> Joomla Developers for Hire </a>Joomla Programmers for Hirehttp://www.joomla-web-developer.com/hire-joomla-programmer-2.htmlnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17976187.post-68725545516639514342010-08-17T10:15:20.502-04:002010-08-17T10:15:20.502-04:00This post is really much more useful for the peopl...This post is really much more useful for the people who believe that these days if we have to go with the contemporary era then knowledge is the most important piller in each and every area.<a href="http://hopevote.com/kindle-coupons.html" rel="nofollow">Kindle Coupons</a>seomedicinehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09709888304426976702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17976187.post-54935717221330020392010-01-15T05:07:16.144-05:002010-01-15T05:07:16.144-05:00Affiliate Marketing On The Internet
Affiliate Mar...Affiliate Marketing On The Internet <br />Affiliate Marketing is a performance based sales technique used by companies to expand their reach into the internet at low costs. This commission based program allows affiliate marketers to place ads on their websites or other advertising efforts such as email distribution in exchange for payment of a small commission when a sale results. <br />www.onlineuniversalwork.comAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17976187.post-24616264075702594502008-12-01T00:32:00.000-05:002008-12-01T00:32:00.000-05:00Can anyone advise how to get a book listed in the ...Can anyone advise how to get a book listed in the catalogue at amazon.ca/? Their web site has no useful information that I can find nor can I see a telephone number to call information.<BR/>I am a small non-fiction publisher. I have just gotten my book listed at Indigo.<BR/>Thanks for any help you can provide.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17976187.post-79578616914516429262007-10-23T13:36:00.000-04:002007-10-23T13:36:00.000-04:00Another issue this raises is the fact that I, the ...Another issue this raises is the fact that I, the author of my book, only get a 40% discount, even when I order my books 50 at a time. Not only did I write the fucking thing, but I guarantee I've sold more copies of it than Amazon and Chindigo combined. If they're getting 45-55% off the cover price, shouldn't I? Maybe it's time we started putting pressure on for better deals at contract-signing time, until publishers can agree to give one discount only to all purchasers of books.Zachariah Wellshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02241595894807722933noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17976187.post-41089568749334072962007-10-23T07:15:00.000-04:002007-10-23T07:15:00.000-04:00for independent poetry, the best online store is A...for independent poetry, the best online store is Apollinaire's Bookshop.<BR/>http://www.bookthug.ca/miva/merchant.mvc?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17976187.post-59146624966940760312007-10-22T17:26:00.000-04:002007-10-22T17:26:00.000-04:00when our anthology, Threshold: six poets six women...when our anthology, Threshold: six poets six women, came out, we did readings everywhere... CBC, university, art gallery, cafes etc. etc. ... the glaring exception was Munro's bookstore, a so-called mecca of independent bookstores.... they couldn't give a rat's $#@ even though our editor was extremely well known, reputible publisher blah blah blah, and quite honestly, we put on a damned good show<BR/><BR/>Chapters/Indigo put on a real nice bash for us, good turnout... lots of copies in stock etc. etc... treated us very well... kept us in stock...<BR/><BR/>a month later, going into Munros, I asked if we could get our book onto the display out front for a week or two and how could we get it out there ... <BR/>polite smile ... no room<BR/><BR/>so I'm not a basher of Chap/Ind...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17976187.post-3791130102297874592007-10-22T11:14:00.000-04:002007-10-22T11:14:00.000-04:00Alex,I don't think anyone has crunched the numbers...Alex,<BR/><BR/>I don't think anyone has crunched the numbers. The problem is, as bookselling gets more and more consolidated into the hands of a few large players, it gets harder and harder to resist their demands. The typical bookstore discount used to be 40%. Now most publishers are giving Chindigo 45, amazon anywhere between 45 and 50 -- and through some programs as much as 55. A 5% increase may not seem like a lot, but the margins in publishing are extremely razor-thin: Andre Deutsch, I remember saying, used to put his profits at between 1-2%, and this was in an era of 40% discounts to booksellers, and a much healthier independent infrastructure. <BR/><BR/>But if you say no to amazon, or chapters, what happens? They don't carry your books. Which means you're not as visible, you're selling less, your authors are upset about their book not being available on amazon, other authors you may want to attract to your press won't consider you because your books are not available through amazon (this has happened to me once, and was one of the reasons I reluctantly swallowed the high costs of distribution. Others have mentioned it as a major concern.) You pull out from dealing with these behemoths, and the Canada Council will question your judgement and threaten to cut your funding (you're not trying to SELL your books! I know of one case where this is is the fate facing a publisher trying to make fiscally sound -- though unpopular -- decisions.)<BR/><BR/>And this gouging hurts small literary presses the most. It's a matter of scale: larger publishers have a lower cost threshold due to the number of copies they print and sell. They therefore have more room to negotiate when it comes to discount. Your average literary publisher, however, with print runs between 300 and 1000 copies, has no margin at all.<BR/><BR/>Take you average poetry book, retailing for $18.95. Even at 40% to the bookseller (-7.58); 20% to the distibutor (-3.79); and 10% to the writer as royalty (-1.89): the publisher is only left with 30% (or 5.69). Out of this he needs to have the book designed and typeset (hard to do for under $600.00, or on a print run of 500, $1.20 a copy; he needs to get it printed (even with low production standards this will cost $2.50 a copy, at a minimum, and likely more.) This leaves the publisher less than 2.00 a copy , and he still hasn't done any promotion, sent out review copies (30-50 at $2.00 a copy P&H), books to awards. And it's unlikely he'll sell all of them, so the actual cost per copy sold is much, much higher. And, to be honest, I'm sure I'm forgetting something.<BR/><BR/>Increase that bookseller discount even to 45%, let alone 50%, 55%, and it becomes even tighter. Small press publishers often lose money on every copy they sell. Grants help alleviate this, but no where near as much as most people outside the industry think.<BR/><BR/>Is it any wonder publishers are trying to move to net -- as opposed to list -- clauses?<BR/><BR/>Anyway, I should get back to work: you probably know all this anyway. But it shows just how dangerous these deep discounts can be to publishers. And until we as publishers can get on the same page and demand that these retailers start playing fair, they won't play fair. And, alas, that is a long, long, long way from ever happening. We are, after all, rodents fighting for crumbs: what are the odds we'll ever work together in a truly meaningful way?vafvnytbiblioasishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18095243375615643176noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17976187.post-75322499018930353112007-10-21T04:22:00.000-04:002007-10-21T04:22:00.000-04:00I tend to use Amazon a fair bit, mainly because of...I tend to use Amazon a fair bit, mainly because of the discounts (I buy a lot of books and it adds up). I guess I should reconsider. I stopped going into Chindigo stores a year or so ago. Whenever possible I buy from small press publishers direct. <BR/><BR/>I've never understood Amazon's ability to get those discounts. It's something I've seen other online "whale" retailers getting in other industries and it confuses me there as well. Yes, they're big and have a wide reach but publishers are slitting their own throats giving them that kind of pricing control. At some point you'd think they'd look at the bottom line, as well as other issues, and say it's really not worth it. But I suppose the big boys have crunched all the numbers and they figure it is.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17976187.post-42714267461889925772007-10-20T20:20:00.000-04:002007-10-20T20:20:00.000-04:00Z-No, M-R are good, And maybe that's the answer: ...Z-<BR/><BR/>No, M-R are good, And maybe that's the answer: start supporting independent booksellers who have managed some sort of online presence. I know Munro's accepts online orders, and seems to have a good system. I think Bolen's does as well. In Ontario, perhaps Bryan Prince -- though that might not be up yet. Buying direct from the publisher is always an option. And several publishers -- including ourselves, Gaspereau, PQL -- sell directly on ABEBOOKS. <BR/><BR/>You don't get the discounts amazon entices you with. But those discounts have a very detrimental effect on publishers -- and with them, writers -- anyway. <BR/><BR/>Amazon.com is actually better. They've set up a separate program many publishers use, and it works much better. Though the discounting again remains incredibly steep -- I think it's 55% -- and you have to pay a yearly fee, and pay for the books to ship. With small presses like Biblioasis, they are often ordering only a title or two at a time, and single copies, which means the shipping costs into the states eats up almost anything -- and often more -- than you might make from selling books through them. So though the system is much better in terms of bibliographic data, the publisher is being squeezed just as badly, and perhaps more so.<BR/><BR/>You want to make this system work: buy direct, buy from independents, buy online from those independents who have set up the right systems. Buy even from Chapters & Indigo, though quite obviously this is not as good an option. Amazon.ca and amazon.com come near the bottom in my books.biblioasishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18095243375615643176noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17976187.post-74083546282604373922007-10-20T19:13:00.000-04:002007-10-20T19:13:00.000-04:00Ack. I've had those problems with my last few orde...Ack. I've had those problems with my last few orders from Am. I should change my links, too. I wish MR would put up reviews though. I rather like my BIC review listed at Am. and I can't find it anywhere else online.Brenda Schmidthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03576550905189206215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17976187.post-77568062271750455702007-10-20T19:01:00.000-04:002007-10-20T19:01:00.000-04:00Points well taken, Dan. I've deleted the amazon.ca...Points well taken, Dan. I've deleted the amazon.ca link from my blog and put up a McNally Robinson link instead (I'll do the same with my website anon). Pleased tell me MR's decent to deal with!<BR/><BR/>What about Amazon.com. Same shit, different pile?Zachariah Wellshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02241595894807722933noreply@blogger.com