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The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World…Word by Word

The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Home » Book Business » Page 7

Book Business

The Secondary Market for Books: Friend or Foe?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon September 15, 2021
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Understandably, most artists want to earn the highest royalties for their hard work. Remember how Garth Brooks wanted a secondary royalty on his music, thereby kicking off a feud with secondary-market retailers? (See the article linked here.) 

So, as an author, do you feel that the secondary market is a friend or foe?

I think this market is our friend. Here are a few reasons why:

  1. Discoverability: Readers may find an author’s book in a thrift store before seeing it in a retail store that may have limited shelf space. For instance, the “Religious Fiction” (not my favorite label) section in my local used bookstore seems to be about six or eight shelves high and goes on for at least forty feet. In comparison, the last time I visited a local brick-and-mortar retail store, Christian fiction titles occupied about eight shelves of two bookcases.
  2. Space: My store stacks books on their sides and behind each other. The customer must dig to find them all. A retail store displays books with a marketing eye. That means each title must readily be visible. The display is prettier; but, again, it limits how the retailer can use space.
  3. Price: Recently, I found a copy of Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers at my used bookstore for 25 cents. A reader new to an author’s work may risk 25 cents to read a book, then purchase more books by the same author. They may go back to the used bookstore or buy more books from retailers if they like the author enough.
  4. Serendipity: Though they are selective, used bookstores rely on haphazard incoming inventory. For instance, when I settled my parents’ estates, I sold biographies, car books, mystery novels, and dog books. I tend to buy and sell religious books, current bestsellers, biographies, history, and fashion books. Almost every book I purchase on the secondary market is a fun find. Readers can randomly discover your book this way too.
  5. Impatience: I make a list of books I want to buy secondhand before I venture to the store. Because the inventory is unpredictable, I seldom find the exact book I seek. Because I’m impatient, I’ll give up and order the book from a retailer. 

Regardless of how readers find your book, they’re reading it. And that’s a good thing!

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Category: Book BusinessTag: Used Books

Supply Chain Blues

By Steve Laubeon September 13, 2021
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Two weeks ago I wrote of the Slushpile Blues. Today is another scintillating topic. Supply chain blues. By “supply chain” I mean the various steps along the way for a vendor to have a final product to sell to a consumer. For electronics, like your phone, it means collecting various pieces before assembly: the battery, the camera lens, the transistors, the memory chip, the glass, and more. If any …

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Category: Book Business

What Goes on the Copyright Page?

By Steve Laubeon August 9, 2021
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I have an odd habit born of being in this industry for four decades. Whenever I pick up a physical book, I look at the front cover, back cover, and then the copyright page. I know, it’s a rather nerdy thing to do; but you would be surprised what information can be found there and what it means. The copyright page is placed after the title page and should always be on the left-hand side …

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Category: Book Business, Common Questoins, Copyright Issues, Indie, Publishing A-Z

The Pressure Is Off

By Dan Balowon August 5, 2021
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Last week, I wrote about the pressure on writers to write well and compelling enough to gain and keep readers. Today, I promise to take some pressure off. For Christian writers only, if you feel the pressure to affect a reader’s life rests entirely on your own ability to write well, here are some red-letter words direct from the Creator God. From the Old Testament book of Job, chapter 38, verses …

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Category: Book Business, Inspiration, The Writing Life, Theology

The Pressure Is On

By Dan Balowon July 28, 2021
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For anyone creating material in any media, pressure is high, not only to gain users but to keep users. Just because someone subscribes or buys what you create doesn’t mean they are using it. I’ve seen several studies indicating for an average book only 60% that are purchased are ever opened. Let that statistic sink in. And since dedicated e-book devices and smartphones are two-way communicators, …

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Category: Book Business, Technology, The Publishing Life, The Writing Life

Coping With Publishing Conflict

By Dan Balowon July 7, 2021
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Here’s a big secret about book publishers: Human beings work there. Even literary agencies have humans working for them. The myth circulating that asserts agents are ET beings using AI processes is greatly exaggerated. So, for the time being, since humans are still involved in the publishing process, the best way to cope with conflict (author vs. editor, author vs. publisher, author vs. author, …

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Category: Book Business, The Writing Life

Antitrust Issues and Big Tech in Publishing

By Steve Laubeon June 21, 2021
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On June 11, after a 16-month investigation into antitrust issues in the digital marketplace, the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary introduced five bipartisan bills to the House seeking to curtail some of the business practices used by Big Tech companies. The companies in question are primarily Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google. Each bill has both a Republican and Democrat …

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Category: Book Business, Publishing News, The Publishing Life

Made for Such a Time

By Dan Balowon April 1, 2021
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Today is a difficult day for Christians as we remember the final full day of Christ’s life before his crucifixion. Deep down, I wish Jesus didn’t have to go through all he did. Reading through the Gospels, it is clear the events of this week were part of a plan and purpose for Jesus living a human existence. He had a unique and stated purpose, even coming right out and saying it numerous times …

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Category: Book Business, Inspiration, Theology

HarperCollins Buying Competitor?

By Steve Laubeon March 29, 2021
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Over the weekend a rumored purchase (now confirmed, see below) has surfaced in The Wall Street Journal (link). The word is that News Corp (owner of HarperCollins and The Wall Street Journal) will be buying the consumer division (HMH Books & Media) of educational publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. If this goes through, it means classic books by C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien and George Orwell …

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Category: Book Business, News You Can Use

The Wonder of Amazon Logistics

By Steve Laubeon February 1, 2021
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About thirty years ago I visited two large book-distributor warehouses (Spring Arbor and Riverside Book & Bible) and saw firsthand the inner workings of a pick-and-pack operation. I observed what seemed like miles of shelves and a lot of people scurrying from one place to the next. That is why the video below about the complexity of Amazon’s shipping operation was eye-opening. The use of …

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Category: Book Business, The Publishing Life
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