[rescue] I'm a published author 8-)

Jody Stephens rescue at sunhelp.org
Thu Aug 30 18:41:18 CDT 2001


On Thu, Aug 30, 2001 at 05:45:23PM -0400, Rebecca Ore wrote:
[snip]
> Buy an account on my text-only, spam-filtered news server when I go
> commercial -- that will be much more useful to me at this point.  But if
> you must buy the books, an independant local store can order them for
> you and that's probably going to give me the highest rate of royalties,
> though I owe a boat load on the advance.
> 
> Borders, Barnes&Noble, etc. probably get a 60% discount from the
> publishers, but I don't know that for a fact.

Probably closer to ~%47 or so (depending on quantity), we get 
%46 flat out on the trades from Harper.  

Although we (American Booksellers Association, I think one of
our GM's is chairman) were just in a big lawsuit (that we 
won... dubious comfort) arguing that the publishers were 
giving the chains better discounts.

Man, the book business is tough however you look at it. I mean
for an independent having a 1-2% margin is considered excellent
B&N does about 4% margin and that is considered *excellent*. 
The number of people and companies between a manuscript and
a customers hand is far to large. 

Anyways, alas the copy of "Outlaw School" we have is across town, 
otherwise I'd be putting my grubby little hands on it.

Speaking of book business, I'm thinking of quiting this damn
computer job and going for the genre fiction/fiction/poetry
buying position here. I'll just be switching lusers for a 
different type of luser, the customer. The scary bit is... 
no drop in pay.
-- 
                Jody Stephens -- (303)322-1965 x2608
                      jodys at tatteredcover.com
                     Tattered Cover Book Store
                          1628 16th Street
                         Denver, Co. 80202
                       (303)322-1965 Offices
(303)436-1070 LoDo Store         (303)629-1704 Office and LoDo Fax
(303)322-7727 Cherry Creek Store (303)399-2279 Cherry Creek Fax



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