Oh, yes, exhaustion!  Especially when I receive the royalty statement from my publisher! I do all the work and get cents on the dollar for each book.  I was first traditional published before turning self and make more on my own books than my publishers. So why should I undercut myself? :)

 

Although exhaustion is countered by exhilaration at seeing kids smile when I sign a book for them, or light up seeing my daughter in costume.  Still, I need more of those times to equal the out-put to get noticed.

Thank you, Shawn, for joining in the discussion and reinforcing my own instincts. I said (or wrote) to someone recently that I straddle that fence between exhilaration and exhaustion in the interest of gaining exposure. The exhilaration comes from both discovering and being discovered by other wonderful writers in the same boat. The exhaustion? I'm sure you experience it as well.

I agree and also feel strongly about the topic and argue the point many times.  Selling books for 99 c or giving them for free on Smashwords or any other site, conditions readers to expect it all the time.  It also cheapens authors' work across the board. The mentality of having to give away books to build a platform and hold up Hocking & Locke as the reason is plain wrong! They are the exception and not the rule.

 

Running a short promotional special as part of a marketing campaign is one thing, by not all the time. Yes, indie authors need to compete - I'm actually both traditional first then indie - but we shouldn't compromise ourselves rather be as professional as the traditionalist to bolster the image.

There's a thread of a conversation in itself . . . And it may have something to do with the 'commerce of the creative spirit.' As Lewis Hyde puts it in his brilliant book, The Gift, "if the fruits of a gift are gifts themselves, how is the artist to nourish himself, spiritually as well as materially, in an age whose values are market values and whose commerce consists almost exclusively in the purchase and sale of commodities?"

Why do writers so often give their work away for little or nothing? Does the plumber fix your sink for nothing?

Do painters paint your house for nothing? Does a lawyer give you FREE advice??? This is one of those topics

that really gets me going. I work so hard at being a good writer. I've done lots of other things for $$$ and I know what I do as a writer is really hard to do uniquely and well. Writers should get paid as much as these peeps out here in Silicon Valley

that push paper around, bring investors to companies whose products we don't even need. Like I said, I feel very

strongly about what a writer's worth and it's a LOT more than we get paid...

Hi Deborah!  first of all, you're a dog-lover so you've already stolen my heart!  Here's an idea.  You purchase my books and I'll purchase yours!  If I may suggest, I would buy both of mine as HOUSE OF SKIN won't be on sale long,  and they really are a set.  Stories set across the Pacific. CANNIBAL NIGHTS is brand new,  but HOUSE OF SKIN (up 6 months) has 18 5-star reviews.

 I'm excited about SHOES HAIR NAILS becuase I don't know many writers who are offering story collections as ebooks.  Its a whole new frontier.  Are you also on Kindle?  If not I hope Smashwords will download onto my Kindle for Mac app.  I'll also check out your Facebook and blog.  Mine are:   ( Website: www.kianadavenport.com)   and

 (Blog:  kianadavenportdialogues.blogspot.com.)    Lets keep in touch!  

Deborah,  good luck with your books and keep writing! alohas for now,  Kiana

I so share your thoughts re: your mixed feelings about the pricing conundrum and I couldn't say it better myself: (1) A book is a product . . . .(2) A book is your life. . . 

So now, here's the conundrum for me: do I buy HOUSE OF SKIN as a way of introducing myself to your fiction, or do I simply take the plunge and buy both volumes, curious as I am about the varied settings in CANNIBAL NIGHTS?  Yes, I admit, there's something perversely satisfying about getting two new books in a matter of seconds. Done!

Re: my short story collection, SHOES HAIR NAILS, here's a link to my Facebook page, with a few snippets of reviews:  http://www.facebook.com/deborah.batterman

And here's a link to my website/blog: http://deborahbatterman.com/  The SHOES HAIR NAILS page has more links, including one that takes you right to smashwords, the online distributor, which is running a sale through the end of July. 

Last, but not least, I've just sent a friend request.

 

 

Dear Deborah...interesting topic!  I think books should be priced according to what you think you're worth,  yet still be accessible to readers,  as opposed to  over-priced hard and paper backs.    There is great controversy just now over .99 self-pubbed ebooks.  Some readers think it shows you devalue your talent.  Others think it creates a laser leap in sales.  It is a very personal call!

 

 I'm still published in print, but  have two self-pubbed ebook story collections up on Amazon just now.  HOUSE OF SKIN PRIZE-WINNING STORIES was reduced to .99 as a promotion to announce publication of the second collection just out,  CANNIBAL NIGHTS, PACIFIC STORIES Volume II,  for $2.99.  Both collections amazingly reasonable compared to print  paperbacks.   

 

But I'm not  very comfortable with the .99 sales price.  I worked too hard to practically give the book away.  And will probably raise the price again once the new book starts selling.  So,  there are two schools of thought:  1)A book is a product, it should be priced,  and reduced in price,  just like a shelf-item after six months.  2)A  book is  your life,  representing months and years of endeavor,   you should value it and price it accordingly.

 

As for John Locke,  he admits in his book HOW I SOLD A MILLION EBOOKS IN 5 MONTHS that it was all strictly a marketing ploy,  which he is a master at.  He's not after great reviews and admits he's not even  a great writer.   (He was already a  marketing-millionaire before he started writing,  so this was more an experiment in marketing for him.  It worked.)

 

For me,  sales ranks go up and down,  5-star ratings change,  even the value of a dollar rises and falls.The only thing that lasts is ...EXCELLENT WRITING...that should be a writer's main concern.  If the writing is mediocre and not well edited,  you will lose your readers,  even if your books are priced at .99.  Readers are intelligent,  don't insult them.   Please see my blogs on writing.   (kianadavenportdialogues.blogspot.com)

Thanks and alohas to all She Writes sisters.  Kiana Davenport