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The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Home » publishing » Page 3

publishing

Did You Feel the Tremor in the Industry Last Week?

By Steve Laubeon March 3, 2014
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by Steve Laube

800px-Good_Friday_Earthquake_at_Turnagain_Arm

I know what it is like to feel the earth move under my feet having experienced the ’64 Alaska earthquake firsthand. (The above picture is from the neighborhood where we lived called Turnagain Arm.) Therefore I know the difference between a 9.2 Richter scale quake and a tremor that registers near 2.0 on the scale.

Last Thursday Amazon announced they were reducing the royalty payments for authors and vendors who use their ACX service to sell self-published audio books. The amount will change on March 12th for new contracts to a flat rate of 40% instead of the 50%-90% rate they currently pay.

No big deal, right? Sort of like a 2.0 tremor. If you blinked you missed it. And since many don’t have an ACX account to sell audio books they are unaffected. However this should be a reminder to all authors and publishers who use KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) that Amazon can change their royalty terms at any time.

This is the danger of putting all the proverbial eggs in one basket. If any author chooses to only utilize the economic system of Amazon for their sales they can be vulnerable to any changes. I once met a man who sold the foil that was used to make the dairy creamer packets for McDonalds. He had one client. His job was to search the world for the best price on foil. And he lived in terror of losing his client.

Be very clear, I am not suggesting that this is going to happen. Amazon’s 70% royalty rate on kindle ebooks has not changed. All I am suggesting is that it could.

Imagine the outrage if Amazon decided to change the royalty structure for ebooks. In another part of their company they have already started floating the idea of changing the price structure for the Prime Membership, either by raising the price or creating a multi-tier payment for services. The change would affect 10 million or more customers who will scream, complain, and then comply. Could the multi-million dollar ebook KDP division be up next for review?

Rather than speculate on specifics just imagine ANY change Amazon would make to the royalty structure for ebooks. Authors would scream, complain, and then comply.

The incredible opportunity for an author to get their work into the marketplace has been made accessible by Amazon. It is a wonderful thing and has changed the industry. My caution is that the authors who feel so incredibly empowered right now do not see the shackle around their ankle. They have been captivated by one “ecosystem” and are vulnerable to the corporate decisions that can be made at any time.

Much of the Indie versus Traditional publishing debate revolves around the generous rates provided by Amazon for ebooks. I am not suggesting that one is better than the other. What I am saying here is that those who are vociferous in their defense of going Indie should also start exploring diversification in their sales channels. The Indie author needs to emulate the traditional publisher that has been diversified for a long time.

Unfortunately the options are limited with ebooks. Smashwords will get your work on the majority of non-Kindle platforms like Kobo, Nook, and Apple. And Smashwords receives a percentage of those sales, as they should in exchange for the service. The Sony Reader is gone, the Nook is losing steam, and Amazon’s market dominance grows. And with such growth the incentive to offer generous rates can diminish.

Your Turn

What options have you explored for your Indie projects?

Is a print edition of your work available? POD or print run?

Is this post just fear mongering or should we be concerned?

Leave a Comment
Category: Book Business, E-Books, Get Published, Steve, The Publishing LifeTag: Book Business, E-Books, publishing

Basketball and Writing

By Dan Balowon February 25, 2014
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Next week is March and that means basketball “March Madness” around the country.  From high school to college, teams will compete in tournaments where excitement is at its peak.  

One of my hobbies is to work as the official scorer for the Wheaton College (Illinois) men’s and women’s home basketball games.  I started doing this back in the late 70’s, took some time away from it when our kids …

Read moreBasketball and Writing
Category: Book Business, Career, Creativity, Dan, The Publishing Life, Writing CraftTag: Basketball, publishing, Writing Craft

Wanted: More Choir Members

By Dan Balowon February 11, 2014
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Dan Balow

At some point in their writing career, many Christian authors express a desire to write a book that would reach the un-churched. That desire is a completely honorable and wonderful goal, just as any believer should desire to represent Christ in their lives in such a way that unbelievers would ask them questions about the hope that is in them. 

However, the inference by such …

Read moreWanted: More Choir Members
Category: Book Business, Creativity, Dan, Get Published, The Publishing Life, TrendsTag: Christian, publishing, Writers

Exceptions are Exceptions Because they are Exceptions

By Dan Balowon January 7, 2014
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You can self-publish a book, sell 10,000 copies in the first week, 50,000 in the second week and be a millionaire in three months.

You can write a book and mail it to a publisher, they publish it without meeting you and you become a wealthy household name.

An antiques dealer can knock on your door and offer you $250,000 for your end table that you bought last summer at a garage sale for …

Read moreExceptions are Exceptions Because they are Exceptions
Category: Book Business, Dan, Get Published, The Publishing LifeTag: Book Business, publishing, Success

Steve Laube Buys Marcher Lord Press

By Steve Laubeon January 6, 2014
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Below the following announcement is a question and answer session with Steve Laube.
 (January 1, 2014 - Phoenix, AZ) Steve Laube, president of The Steve Laube Agency, has agreed to purchase Marcher Lord Press, the premier publisher of Science Fiction and Fantasy for the Christian market. The sale was finalized on January 1, 2014.
Laube has long been a champion of the genre, going back to his …

Read moreSteve Laube Buys Marcher Lord Press
Category: Book Business, Get Published, Personal, Steve, The Publishing Life, TrendsTag: Marcher Lord Press, publishing

Thankful for the Pioneers in Our Industry

By Dan Balowon November 26, 2013
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Yesterday, Steve Laube asked you to thank those who have the most direct connection with readers of books...the retail bookseller.  Steve has Christian retailing in his DNA.  He worked for Berean Christian stores, managing their Phoenix, Arizona locations and was named the Christian Booksellers Association Store of the year in 1989.  You win that award because you balance the business and ministry …

Read moreThankful for the Pioneers in Our Industry
Category: Book Business, Dan, Personal, The Publishing LifeTag: publishing

Decoding Publishing Terms

By Dan Balowon November 12, 2013
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I looked back some of my Tuesday blog posts and thought I might be getting too serious, so I wanted to lighten it up a bit with some practical, helpful information that should help you navigate and understand the complicated world of publishing.

Here are words you might hear in relation to publishing or describing a particular book and its real meaning:

“A must-read” – Acquisitions editor …

Read moreDecoding Publishing Terms
Category: Creativity, Dan, Get Published, HumorTag: Humor, publishing

You Are Essential

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon October 17, 2013
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On Sunday our pastor's sermon was on 1 Corinthians 12:12-27. Although in this passage, St. Paul writes about how each person is a special part of the body of Christ, with a comparison to how all the parts of the human body work together, I couldn't help but think of how essential we all are to the publishing process:

Writers: Without authors' creativity and courage, no one would have a book to …

Read moreYou Are Essential
Category: Book Business, Career, Editing, Get Published, Tamela, The Publishing Life, Writing CraftTag: Book Business, publishing

Home from Ghana

By Dan Balowon August 27, 2013
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I returned home two days ago after spending a week with publishers in the city of Accra, Ghana representing Media Associates International (www.littworld.org). The Ghana Publisher’s Forum included about thirty people from both Christian and general trade publishers, gathering for sixteen topical sessions over four days on subjects as wide ranging as Developing a Strong Publishing Program to Human …

Read moreHome from Ghana
Category: Book Business, Dan, Get Published, The Publishing LifeTag: International, publishing

Think Global Writing

By Dan Balowon August 20, 2013
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As you read this, I am in the bustling city of Accra, Ghana in West Africa taking part in four days of training for Ghanaian publishers, August 20-23, conducted by Media Associates International (www.littworld.org).  International publishing guru Ramon Rocha and I are participating in seminars on a wide range of topics.  My little secret is that I learn and am blessed far beyond what I carry from …

Read moreThink Global Writing
Category: Book Business, Dan, Get Published, The Publishing LifeTag: Book Business, Global, publishing
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