[Writing Post] Amazon Vs. Hachette and SoonerCon Programming
It’s Wednesday, blog day. And after a cranky day yesterday, today is much better. So I’ll weigh in on one hot topic, then proceed to the Happier Stuff – my SOONERCON SCHEDULE! The more or less set in stone one… I’ll put it up again the week of the show.
The hot topic issue – Amazon vs. Hachette. If you’ve been following the news/social media in the last week, you see there’s a brouhaha between these two companies. It’s not a good thing for anyone. What seems to be the underlying issue is ebook pricing and discounting – but no one really knows for SURE. Amazon decided to pull all preorder buttons and a lot of buy buttons (even to the point of SUGGESTING OTHER BOOKS “similar” to the one you want) from Hachette (and Orbit and all the imprints).
I have very PRO Traditional Publishing people on my feeds. I have very PRO Amazon people on my feeds. I’m in the middle. I do think Traditional Publishing needs to retool and rethink some of their business practices. I definitely think Amazon has business practices that need to be shut down. The problem in this pissing contest isn’t that “Great Change” will come about (it won’t), but how many authors (and readers) are going to be hurt by this. Your favorite author has to impress their publisher in the first push of a release that the book will sell well. By delaying delivery and removing buttons and pre-orders? That mid-list author who might be in the middle of the series? Yeah, they might not get to finish it. Or sell another book. Chuck Wendig has a NSFW but brilliant piece on it here.
Yes, Amazon gives readers, writers, and publishers avenues they might not have before… I’m not against that. I’m against them being “Giant Stompy Corporations” intent on destruction, because I’m the small village in the path. And there’s nothing that says when/if they get control of publishing that they won’t turn on the consumer and author – they’re already going after the publisher. Yes, ebook cuts are technically better (but I wouldn’t count on that for long), but if you’re with a small press – like I am – who pays royalties based on profit earned – and a company like Amazon requires a 40% cut of retail…that leaves 60% of the cover price… 50% is cost of the printed book. That leaves 10% of the cover price for “profit” to split between publisher and author. This is why we ALWAYS say, “Buy from the publisher if at all possible”. And don’t think that when companies like Amazon have squeezed all the profit they can from publishers that they won’t turn around and start taking it from indie authors. You’ve been warned.
SOONERCON!!!!! July 27-29, 2014
FRIDAY
They have me down as an “evening arrival” but I’ll be around most of the evening.
SATURDAY
11a – Humorous Horror
Why is there always someone laughing at a horror film while the rest of us cover our eyes? Panelists discuss what’s so funny about the macabre and how humor can make a better horror story.
1:30p – Reading
Self-explanatory…
3p – Is Sorcery a Hand Wave?
How can a creator ensure that magic won’t just make things too easy and a believable conflict impossible? How do you believably create limitations if you have a land of infinite magical possibilities? Authors discuss balancing fantasy and realism to create readable stories.
4p – Yard Dog Roadshow
Crazy fun times.
5p – AG (Downstairs)
I think this means Autographing
SUNDAY
10a – Koffee Klatch
Meet guests of the convention and enjoy coffee and casual conversation. (Coffee and sweet rolls provided).
11a – Networking for Creatives
Authors, Artists and other creative professionals talk about the importance of expanding your network and helpful hints for doing so.
1p – What Star Trek Means To Me
A panel for all fans, this panel reviews the impact of Star Trek on popular culture and fandom, with personal stories of inspiration and first-time Trek experiences that changed lives forever.
3p – Why So Grimm
A gruesome look at the original Grimm’s fairy tales. The dark ’n’ gritty older versions of the folktales that Disney sanitized. Were kids really lulled to sleep hearing about how Cinderella’s stepsisters hacked off their toes to fit the Prince’s slipper?