This Post Should Be Meaner: Authors BookShop
One time I asked this musician named Joe Nolan — who is cool, who is awesome, who knows what he’s doing, here’s a song — how come he didn’t hook up with some indie label, and he said an indie label was just a kid with a book of stamps.
You can self-publish your fuckin’ CD, but not your stupid book.
To see what the people who self-publish their books are doing, check out the Authors BookShop.
Especially check out the list of publishers — how many do you recognize? For me, not a lot (though there a good few, for sure). I did a few clicks and it seems like many of these are them least-fancy self-publishing services. Oh man, they’re lousy.
But the Authors BookShop is okay. ABS is providing a necessary service at a far better deal than Amazon. It has a bad name and most of the publishers who use the service are, to put it nicely, different than what most HTML Giant readers care about — but Brad Grochowski (President, Founder and author of The Secret Weakness of Dragons) is doing something that should be done, can be done, and — he’s opened it up to everyone.
Here’s why Grochowski started the thing:
I had written and published my first book, The Secret Weakness of Dragons and really wanted to get it online. I got it on one of the Giant Online Booksellers, which was great. But they were taking almost 60% of the cover price of my book! Around the same time, I had been talking to friends who had also self-published, and we were wondering why there was no one who could offer a better deal than that. And on top of that, the giant online bookseller got to set all the terms for every part of the process – and believe me, they do not seem to have the little guys in mind.
So – I set up a merchant account, and built the website. Not only have I built a place to sell my own book online, but I am inviting all authors and small presses to join me. I want AuthorsBookshop.com to be a place where you are proud to be independent. We do everything with the independent author in mind, and we listen to our booksellers and bookbuyers with the goal of making AuthorsBookshop.com the best place to buy and sell books online.
Here’s what their deal is:
* You pay $20 per listed title, then $4 for every sale.
Here’s what Amazon’s deal is:
* You pay $30/year and 55% of every book sale. And also you pay with a little bit of your soul and your passion.
Is the Authors BookShop something we can get behind? I’m talking to all my favorite micro presses here: can we get behind Authors Bookshop? Can we flip it? Let’s.
Maggie Gyllenhaal’s dad’s book is here.
Tags: Amazon sucks, Authors Bookshop is okay
good post adam. what’s your cut for the ad space?
good post adam. what’s your cut for the ad space?
As if.
Welcome to the Internet Barry.
As if.
Welcome to the Internet Barry.
haha. thanks for welcoming me on my first day, you will now forever be part of my personal history.
haha. thanks for welcoming me on my first day, you will now forever be part of my personal history.
It seems like there are lots of tech-savvy people involved with this giant thing. Why not construct a similar model that looks a little less garish?
It’s always a good idea to get books directly into the hands of the people who want them–to cut out the middle man.
This could wind up being like the Swedish black metal scene of the mid-nineties. Clandestine cassette tape trading circles. Corpse paint. It’ll be metal.
It seems like there are lots of tech-savvy people involved with this giant thing. Why not construct a similar model that looks a little less garish?
It’s always a good idea to get books directly into the hands of the people who want them–to cut out the middle man.
This could wind up being like the Swedish black metal scene of the mid-nineties. Clandestine cassette tape trading circles. Corpse paint. It’ll be metal.
I agree about no middle man. I like buying and selling through Paypal best of all. But there is no way I’d want to do all the work of fulfillment, etc, that ABS must have to deal with. If someone set up a service to sell titles for only the twenty best micro-presses, it would be a fulltime job for one person at least, but there wouldn’t be enough margin to make it worthwhile. That’s the way it seems to me anyway.
Garish is right.
I like your idea of making it metal better.
I agree about no middle man. I like buying and selling through Paypal best of all. But there is no way I’d want to do all the work of fulfillment, etc, that ABS must have to deal with. If someone set up a service to sell titles for only the twenty best micro-presses, it would be a fulltime job for one person at least, but there wouldn’t be enough margin to make it worthwhile. That’s the way it seems to me anyway.
Garish is right.
I like your idea of making it metal better.
What if the service just sent an email to whatever press you ordered from and it would be their responsibility to ship the order? The service then would hardly need to charge publishers anything, having virtually not overhead.
I think that if someone were to build a site that acted as a hub for a number of small presses in which each press acted as an independent contractor and shipped the books themselves, that might be cool.
The real problem with ABS is that Amazon is a default and very convenient place to buy books because it is so navigable and has so much stock. When looking to get a specific book you already know about, it’s easier to go to a publisher directly and when just browsing, it’s easier to go to Amazon. To go browse ABS just doesn’t seem to make more sense than to go see what’s new at publishers I like. I also like supporting the publishers directly.
Something like the model I proposed above could be interesting because it would support publishers directly, keep costs down, and still provide a hub for purchasing/browsing.
What if the service just sent an email to whatever press you ordered from and it would be their responsibility to ship the order? The service then would hardly need to charge publishers anything, having virtually not overhead.
I think that if someone were to build a site that acted as a hub for a number of small presses in which each press acted as an independent contractor and shipped the books themselves, that might be cool.
The real problem with ABS is that Amazon is a default and very convenient place to buy books because it is so navigable and has so much stock. When looking to get a specific book you already know about, it’s easier to go to a publisher directly and when just browsing, it’s easier to go to Amazon. To go browse ABS just doesn’t seem to make more sense than to go see what’s new at publishers I like. I also like supporting the publishers directly.
Something like the model I proposed above could be interesting because it would support publishers directly, keep costs down, and still provide a hub for purchasing/browsing.
i know amazon is evil but i am addicted to one click. did you know they own the rights to it, even though it is a technology thay anyone can develop? that’s psycho. and yet, i love it. I like also buying cds (i know i am the only person who still does that) and books and things like “anal probes” all at the same time. I also like the fake reviews. I wanted to put out a collection of them. There used to be like 100 reviews of milk. Milk poetry! It as hilarious.
I am bad that i support amazon. But i don’t ONLY use them. I use my bookstore round the corner a lot.
I still collect vinyl. I use amazon to get weird records from little stores in cities I don’t live in. You’re not a bad person.
I still collect vinyl. I use amazon to get weird records from little stores in cities I don’t live in. You’re not a bad person.
thanks david.
When I was putting together this book idea called ‘fake ass amazon reviews” i came across some great stuff. Below, is a review of James Earl Jones reading the bible cd or something-
i even contacted one of the more visible fake reviewers to try and do the project with me….
He not only read it, he reads it aloud!, February 17, 2006
The Bible is probably one of the most famous sci-fi novels of all time. It’s probably 150-200 years old and peolple (people) still freak over it like they did when MASH had that last episode. There’s all kinds of fan clubs and everything even though it’s all old. (Talking about the Bible still.)
But I dont’ get it, yo. It’s mostly about some guy who goes nuts and thinks he’s the son of God. And there are no real creatures or monsters. Just like a devil, some gays, and a cyclops.
Now even though it’s not music, James Earl Jone’s reading the Bible…you treat it like it’s a music CD even though it’s not music, just put it in a CD player or something else that plays CDs and press Play, or a button that says something like “Play.” (What sucks though is that in most copies of the Bible I’ve seen there’s some ribbon you use to mark what page you’re on. This CD doesn’t have that, so you have to mark your spot with a piece of paper or, less advisably, a piece of toast or something.)
Anyways, when James Earl Jones (as I like to calll him) reads “I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” I just not sure like hearing Darth Vader say something so woosy. And, later, in this part where he’s sayin’ who’s the son of who and all that, Lord Vader actually sighs and says “yada yada” a few times. That’s kinda cool.
And there’s the part about the main character, Jesus, who turns water into wine. I guess that was cool to Bible fans back in the old days, but anyone can do that now, so it’s sort of like eh…who cares.
But, hey, all and all it’s alright. Its stood the test of time, I mean my grandma’s still a fan of this thing, the pope is apparently like a huge fan… I don’t know..will Lord of the Rings or Fantastic Four and all them stand the test of time? Or won’t they stand the test of time?
What’s measured is managed: http://daytum.com/ken_baumann
I track where I buy my books. I agree with PR; Amazon’s ease makes it so tempting.
What’s measured is managed: http://daytum.com/ken_baumann
I track where I buy my books. I agree with PR; Amazon’s ease makes it so tempting.
[…] your consideration: two pieces on self-publishing, one at HTML Giant and one — focusing mainly on comics — at No Media […]
Adam, et alia –
Thanks so much for posting about AuthorsBookshop! I really appreciate your mention and the conversation that has followed here. You guys all bring up some great points, and any time indie books are being discussed I am happy.
One comment I wanted to address, and I think it’s a great one, is this:
“What if the service just sent an email to whatever press you ordered from and it would be their responsibility to ship the order?”
I think this a a great idea, and I very seriously considered it when I was doing my early research. In the end however, I rejected it, and I think for some very good reasons.
The first is that authors and publishers should spend there time writing and publishing. Take if from me – taking orders, packing and shipping books, dealing with the post office, unhappy customers and credit card companies is a major undertaking. This is all time that could be much better spend getting the next book written, printed and ready for market. If every author or publisher had to deal with the drama, we would have no new books.
Second, I am very firmly committed to quality of service. When you get a book from AuthorsBookshop, it should arrive at your door on time and in perfect condition. Each order should be packed consistently, and should contain a secret toy surprise. If I were counting on the publishers to pack and ship, there is no way I could guarantee timeliness, quality or consistency. Call me old-fashioned, but these things mean a great deal to me. (And trust me, I receive books from publishers all the time – you would be amazed at some of the crazy packing jobs I have seen!)
Third, the model you suggest has been tried by others and has failed, mostly for the reasons I state above.
And fourth, with my model, I am a real bookstore with real inventory. This allows me to sell books through more avenues than just online – book festivals, readings, word of mouth, friends and fans, etc. I have sold more than a few books to visitors who have physically browsed the shelves.
Finally , and perhaps the most important to me personally, (other than the secret toy surprise issue mentioned above), I have held each book in my hand… flipped through the pages and read from them. I _know_ the books and can – and often do – recommend and make suggestions. I love these books, and have a relationship with them. There is no way I would have that if they were all shipping from their publisher.
I’m sorry I have gone on too long here… brevity is not my forte. But know that, beyond the terms I offer, or the model I have chosen, or even the name of my business (is it really that bad, Adam?) I really care about indie publishing. If I could list and sell these books for absolutely nothing, I would do it in a second. I want to help as many authors sell as many books as possible. That’s my motivation, my objective and my passion. If nothing else, please understand that.
Oh, one question… is Amazon really _that_ much easier? In choosing a slightly easier path, you may be costing the author $2-$6 per book you buy! It may be one or two more steps in a shopping cart, but we are committed to paying authors and publishers more. It would be an awesome thing if you could support that.
Thanks so much for your time, ideas, and care,
Brad
Adam, et alia –
Thanks so much for posting about AuthorsBookshop! I really appreciate your mention and the conversation that has followed here. You guys all bring up some great points, and any time indie books are being discussed I am happy.
One comment I wanted to address, and I think it’s a great one, is this:
“What if the service just sent an email to whatever press you ordered from and it would be their responsibility to ship the order?”
I think this a a great idea, and I very seriously considered it when I was doing my early research. In the end however, I rejected it, and I think for some very good reasons.
The first is that authors and publishers should spend there time writing and publishing. Take if from me – taking orders, packing and shipping books, dealing with the post office, unhappy customers and credit card companies is a major undertaking. This is all time that could be much better spend getting the next book written, printed and ready for market. If every author or publisher had to deal with the drama, we would have no new books.
Second, I am very firmly committed to quality of service. When you get a book from AuthorsBookshop, it should arrive at your door on time and in perfect condition. Each order should be packed consistently, and should contain a secret toy surprise. If I were counting on the publishers to pack and ship, there is no way I could guarantee timeliness, quality or consistency. Call me old-fashioned, but these things mean a great deal to me. (And trust me, I receive books from publishers all the time – you would be amazed at some of the crazy packing jobs I have seen!)
Third, the model you suggest has been tried by others and has failed, mostly for the reasons I state above.
And fourth, with my model, I am a real bookstore with real inventory. This allows me to sell books through more avenues than just online – book festivals, readings, word of mouth, friends and fans, etc. I have sold more than a few books to visitors who have physically browsed the shelves.
Finally , and perhaps the most important to me personally, (other than the secret toy surprise issue mentioned above), I have held each book in my hand… flipped through the pages and read from them. I _know_ the books and can – and often do – recommend and make suggestions. I love these books, and have a relationship with them. There is no way I would have that if they were all shipping from their publisher.
I’m sorry I have gone on too long here… brevity is not my forte. But know that, beyond the terms I offer, or the model I have chosen, or even the name of my business (is it really that bad, Adam?) I really care about indie publishing. If I could list and sell these books for absolutely nothing, I would do it in a second. I want to help as many authors sell as many books as possible. That’s my motivation, my objective and my passion. If nothing else, please understand that.
Oh, one question… is Amazon really _that_ much easier? In choosing a slightly easier path, you may be costing the author $2-$6 per book you buy! It may be one or two more steps in a shopping cart, but we are committed to paying authors and publishers more. It would be an awesome thing if you could support that.
Thanks so much for your time, ideas, and care,
Brad
Hi Brad,
I think what you’re doing is great. It makes a lot of sense. At this point I’m scared of the list of publishers you’ve signed on, but that doesn’t change my opinion that you’ve created something really worthwhile.
On the issue of the name, it’s not THAT bad. Maybe it’s slightly uncomfortable because (to me) it suggests self-publishing. Which is actually something I’m not totally against in principle, so okay.
I assume you’ll be at the City Lit Festival. I hope we can discuss it more there.
Hi Brad,
I think what you’re doing is great. It makes a lot of sense. At this point I’m scared of the list of publishers you’ve signed on, but that doesn’t change my opinion that you’ve created something really worthwhile.
On the issue of the name, it’s not THAT bad. Maybe it’s slightly uncomfortable because (to me) it suggests self-publishing. Which is actually something I’m not totally against in principle, so okay.
I assume you’ll be at the City Lit Festival. I hope we can discuss it more there.
Anyone know when amazon will start selling iphones?
Anyone know when amazon will start selling iphones?