Monday, March 11, 2013

Free Book Myth

This last week I received an e-mail from a woman requesting a print copy of one of my books...since she was such a loyal fan of my work. I will say right now--I don't send out print or e-copies of my books. In rare instances, I offer a print copy as a prize for a contest. In even rarer circumstances, I give free print copies to family and close friends.

There seems to be a false idea about the publishing industry. Some folks believe authors receive a lot of free copies of their books from the publisher. That's just not so. When a new book is released in print, the author may receive a few copies...maybe five. And that's it.

All additional copies are purchased by the author. A very limited number of publishers allow the author to purchase them at a discount. Most publishers offer no discount to the author so they pay FULL PRICE.

So when a reader receives a print book from an author, that author has PAID for that book. There are no free books. Most of my print books cost fifteen dollars per book. If I then pay to mail it to a contest winner, my total investment in that reader is around twenty dollars.

There are no free books. If you receive a print book as a prize, treasure it. The author has invested real money to provide that book. And if you enjoyed the story, make sure you tell all your friends about it!

anny

6 comments:

  1. So true. There's so many myth's about authors. :)

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  2. "There's so many myth's about authors."

    Mostly created by authors...but, free books? Fine, give me something of yours you worked on for hours and endured endless edits/criticism over and then you may have a free books when you have paid in kind. Hard lined? Just reality baby. No author is doing it for free.

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    1. Do you know? I've never understood that "trading books" with another author? The one exception I make is when I autograph a book for a person I've mentioned in the dedication...Otherwise, what is the point?

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  3. I recently read about a well-known romance author who, thanks to her publisher, was able to offer 200 free books to readers who would be willing to post a review. First off, I disagree with the overt quid-pro-quo here. Second how many of us have a publisher who's willing to give us 200 free copies to give away? Duh. We wish! Almost every book I give away for free I've paid for - at full price.

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  4. I read about that, Julia. And I too have problems with the trade-off for reviews. Strange old world we work in.

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