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 by Foster Winans
We are increasingly advising our client authors to stay clear of Amazon when planning distribution of their books. Having your book listed on Amazon has long been a sign of "arrival," a symbol of legitimacy as well as a high-profile "hit" when potential readers Google your name or book title. But Amazon reviews don't mean much when anyone has the capacity to stuff the ballot box with five-star votes by getting their friends and employees to post on their behalf. But worse is Amazon's predatory pricing strategy. Amazon routinely sells your books at prices far below retail. So the book you can sell from your web site, or by direct mail or on the lecture circuit for $24.95, Amazon offers at $16.95. This is cannibalism. Now Amazon is tightening its choke hold by limiting access to a large sub-group of authors. See this article in the Wall Street Journal.
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Harper's Magazine essayist Ursula K. LeGuin has written a blistering criticism of the traditional publishing industry: "Books are social vectors, but publishers have been slow to see it. They barely even noticed book clubs until Oprah goosed them. But then the stupidity of the contemporary, corporation-owned publishing company is fathomless: they think they can sell books as commodities. ... For years now, most editors have had to waste most of their time on an unlevel playing field, fighting Sales and Accounting." Read the article here: Staying Awake: Notes on the alleged decline of reading. |
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March 10, 2008: Winans Kuenstler Publishing, an independent publisher specializing in Book-Driven Branding®, has released the first in a new series of marketing how-to books aimed at professionals in the banking industry. “Conversations With Prospects: The first step to sales success,” by banking veterans and consultants Jack Hubbard and Robert St. Meyer (www.stmeyerandhubbard.com ), is both an inspirational and a practical guide to how traditional banks can successfully compete for commercial banking business in an increasingly crowded and commoditized marketplace. |
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Three in Four Adults Read At Least One Book Last Year
September 07, 2007 Book Business Magazine
An Associated Press-Ipsos poll recently revealed that three in four adults (73 percent) read at least one book last year. The study consisted of phone interviews with more than 1,000 adults across the United States over a three-day period in August.
Of those who did engage with the written word in 2006, 41 percent read about one to five books, while 27 percent reported reading 15 or more. Religious texts and popular fiction were the most popular choices among the readers.
Women and people aged 50 and up read more than their male and younger counterparts, while people from the West and Midwest were more likely to have read at least one book than those in other parts of the country. Democrats and liberals read slightly more books than Republicans and conservatives. |
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Self-Published Katrina Book Gets Boost From HP, Helps Local Kids
By Lynn Andriani -- Publishers Weekly, 8/31/2007
As many reports on the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina highlight how little has been done in the way of recovery to the Gulf Coast, one new book is a bright spot. Letters From Katrina: Stories of Hope & Inspiration is not only a self-publishing success story, but also a philanthropic one. Hewlett Packard has underwritten a 30,000-copy first printing of the book, and author Mark Hoog will donate all of the book’s proceeds to the Katrina Endowment to provide scholarships for Mississippi children. |
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