Bookselling and Price Setting

What will have happened by the time I finish typing this post? Things seem to move so quickly. My update on the Amazon and Macmillan story will be old news by now, but here is my attempt at a follow-up.

Adding further intensity to the Amazon and Macmillan storm, Hachette Book Group sided with Macmillan, as can be seen in this letter from Hachette CEO David Young. He explains the reasoning behind pursuing the “agency model” and corrects (as Macmillan has) the erroneous view that publishers support the agency model because they will make more money from it. “We’re taking the long view on e-book pricing, and this new model helps protect the long-term viability of the book marketplace.”

Hachette’s move is also discussed in this article in the Christian Science Monitor. I would say that there is a lot more to the issue than the perception that Macmillan “doesn’t like” Amazon’s pricing policy and that Amazon “doesn’t want to listen to any more complaints from the suits over at Macmillan.” But I do appreciate the Monitor’s concern for how readers feel about the situation. On that note, if it is true that “It’s not yet clear what Amazon customers believe about the whole kerfuffle,” then that dispels the assumption that Kindle owners would be aghast at the thought of paying more than $9.99 for a book.

In this related article, the Monitor brings to light the concerns of authors. I heartily feel for Ms. Meyers, who fears that Amazon’s boycott of Macmillan will hurt her book sales. I understand her situation, yet I would say that her worries point to a significant part of the problem: Amazon’s clout. Should one bookseller have the power to single-handedly cripple book sales and successes?

As it is, the storm has calmed somewhat. Amazon has relented in its banishment of Macmillan books, as reported in this New York Times article. But there is much more ahead. Another article from the Times, “The Fight Over Who Sets Prices at the Online Mall,” discusses the Leegin Creative Leather Products v. PSKS case and explores how the Supreme Court’s ruling in that case affects relationships between manufacturers and retailers. That Amazon and other retailers are seeking ways to alter aspects of the ruling indicates that much remains to be said and done in this pricing power struggle.

. . .
My appreciation goes to the following for their reporting:
Dennis Johnson of MobyLives
Matthew Shaer and Marjorie Kehe of the Christian Science Monitor
Brad Stone and Motoko Rich of the New York Times

Ooligan Press has a fab website

Check it out: my alma mater has taken its website to a new level! This morning I was delighted to see how the Ooligan Press site has developed. Visit http://ooligan.pdx.edu. One of my favorite aspects of the site is the blog page: it helps me feel connected with the press, publishing, and people. Also, I see that Ooligan’s Write to Publish conference has made its debut.

When the low price is too high a price to pay

You have heard this by now. But it is news worth repeating and following. Why? Because it concerns you, readers. The conflict between bookselling giant Amazon and publishing giant Macmillan is ultimately about readers: how much they will pay for e-books and how much real ownership they will have of their purchases. It is also about authors: how they will be affected by the price and use of e-books. This is a huge conversation.

To summarize, after Macmillan CEO John Sargent met with Amazon to discuss new terms of sale for e-books, Amazon removed from its website the ability to purchase Macmillan books. (Reportedly, the books could still be viewed on Amazon.com but could only be purchased through third parties. Macmillan books were not available on Amazon’s electronic reading device, the Kindle.) Moreover, Kindle owners who had Macmillan books on their wish lists or who had downloaded sample chapters of Macmillan books found all that information gone, with no prior notice nor explanation from Amazon.

I found a good take on the situation at Shelf Awareness. Their article provides a brief explanation of e-book pricing, summarizes Macmillan’s and Amazon’s perspectives, and illustrates why publishers and booksellers are concerned (and, really, why everyone should be concerned). An equally important if more outspoken view from the publishing corner can be found at the blog MobyLives, which has also posted a copy of John Sargent’s letter to the Macmillan community. Amazon’s response to Macmillan can be found on its Kindle forum. Then MobyLives cools down to offer some business insights in the article “What is fair price?” These links are a good start. By all means, investigate this issue on your own.

I find this statement from Shelf Awareness interesting:

Publishers and others in the industry have been concerned that the Amazon approach will create in customers an unsustainably low expectation about what constitutes a fair price for e-books and are concerned in general that such pricing taints the prices of all books. Amazon argues that consumers want and deserve lower prices—it’s also a classic way for a leader in a new market to maintain its dominant position, especially as competitors enter the market. (Shelf Awareness, February 1)

“Amazon argues that consumers want and deserve lower prices.” But is Amazon in a position to decide the worth of books, or is it speaking for (or shouting over) the authors, publishers and—especially—readers? Amazon is in a position of control, and this situation has revealed the dangers of that control. Consider the way in which Amazon reacted in these negotiations with Macmillan. Books were withheld from readers. Wish lists and sample chapters were pulled from customers’ Kindles—all that content gone in a flash. Whom does this benefit? I do not have a Kindle, but I must say that I would not buy such brash and invasive behavior at any price.

Thought for Food and Food for Thought

All the time I was reading Sunshine, I thought of baking. The book’s protagonist (Rae Seddon, aka Sunshine) is a baker; she is always mixing, kneading, putting something in or pulling something from the oven. She knows flour, cinnamon, chocolate and is fluent in the sensory language of food.

I began to wish that I were a baker. Editing is so intellectual, you see. It is all up there, in the head. I long for a career that employs more than just the mind. Do not misunderstand me: bakers wield great intelligence and creativity. But they also can lose themselves in the physical work, the hands-on exercise of preparing food. Sunshine certainly does: she makes the act of working dough sound like the best occupation on earth.

Yet, do you suppose that editing and baking share the same qualities? Certainly bakers know and strive for perfection. They understand context and syntax. Their work requires attention to detail and consistency, mixed with the right amount of improvisation. As for editors, well, I do have the feeling of kneading the text: I need to work through it just enough. If I am too light-handed, the writing will not come together properly. If I am too heavy-handed, the writing will be inflexible, tough. But it always needs kneading. Likewise, often I have to set the work aside and let it rise. Then, when the writing and I are ready, I confirm all my changes and suggestions; I suppose this is a kind of baking. Everything is set for the author and printer to review.

Now, authors might point out that they are the bakers. I would say that we both are, in our way. After all, authors and editors complement each other: both roles are unique and necessary. I suppose the conclusion is that all creative processes possess those steps of mixing, kneading, baking, and—let’s not forget—digesting and savoring.

Congratulations to Rebecca Stead

I have a new book to add to my list!

As those of you who cover the Newbery beat will know by now, the 2010 medal winner has been announced. Congratulations to Rebecca Stead, author of When You Reach Me. The American Library Association has posted the winner and honor books here.

I am crazy eager to read When You Reach Me. I found the reviews from Book Shop Girl and IndieBound were just enough to whet my appetite: I do not want to read anything more about the book until I finish the genuine item.

On a side note, Book Shop Girl is a former colleague of mine from the graduate program in Book Publishing. She is well read in young adult literature and writes with candor and enthusiasm.

About the posts

My friends,

For the time being, it is better for me to post Mondays only. So I will not be posting regularly on Thursdays, but I will try to slip in some extra news now and then. I just wanted to let you know.

Best, Karen

Sunshine

Sun-self, tree-self, deer self. Don’t they outweigh the dark self?

I have read another book; it is Sunshine, by Robin McKinley. It is exquisite. The author creates a complex and satisfying story.

Sunshine is another vampire book. I don’t typically read such subject matter; indeed, I’m exhausted with vampires. Ah, but Sunshine is so much more than a vampire book. It is about what we can control and what we cannot control. It is about the nature of goodness. It is about doing good, even when one’s capacity to do good seems utterly spent.

Rae Seddon is a baker, a daughter, a sister, a friend. Her life is in the kitchen; her impulse is to feed people. Then she is kidnapped by vampires. They dress her elegantly and chain her to the wall in a deserted mansion. She is not alone. Chained next to her is a vampire. People don’t escape from vampires. But Rae escapes, and the how and why of her escape place her deep in the heart of a legacy she never wanted. Is she adept at something much wilder and more powerful than baking? Does she want to be?

This book soars to sublime beauty and sinks to grotesque depths. The author can, with remarkable simplicity, create penetrating images of a world where demons, weres, vampires, and magic handlers dwell among common folk—with decidedly mixed results. In particular, I appreciate Robin McKinley’s descriptions of magic use: her magic handlers work with their medium and walk through their world in a clear, convincing, beautiful way. Also, the author captures well that sense of otherness. Her vampires are not the sparkly kind you’ll find in your local small-town high school; they are alien, incomprehensible to any but their own kind.

In brief, Sunshine is fantasy at its best. Strong characters inhabit a realistic yet bizarre world. I am convinced that anyone who has read Twilight ought to be sat down and made to read Sunshine. (That said, Sunshine is a book for mature readers. But so is Twilight, in my opinion.) A good dose of Rae Seddon’s baking will set things straight.

Kepler’s First Five

Well, I thank you for your patience. This week possesses an intensity such as I have not experienced in a long time. It feels as though I must do everything at once. But it is all copy editing, so at least I am in my element.

Today I enjoyed this news from the Jet Propulsion Laboratory: the Kepler space telescope has detected its first five exoplanets. What are exoplanets? They are planets outside our Solar System. The Kepler mission is a promising part of the search for habitable exoplanets (that is, exoplanets with the potential to support life). Kepler’s first five discoveries are too large and too hot to be habitable; nonetheless, it is always exciting to discover new planets. It is kind of like making new friends. These friends are mostly bigger than Jupiter, but that just means there is more of them to love.

2010: The Jovian Year

If you have read the book 2010: Odyssey Two or seen the film based thereon, perhaps you have recalled the story as the new year arrives. In his novel, Arthur C. Clarke sets scientists on a race to Jupiter and its moons. Mystery lies there, concealed by Jupiter’s massive silence and Europa’s icy crust.

I cannot speak for the novel, but I saw the film at a young age. It had quite an effect on me—introducing me to ideas about artificial intelligence, long-distance space travel, and the jovian moons. I don’t believe I had ever heard of Europa and Io before, and I became fascinated with them.

So for me 2010 is the jovian year. I would like to share articles I find about Jupiter and two of its moons: icy Europa and fiery Io. These things really are fantastical, dreamlike. Yet they exist, we can see them in the night sky, we have sent technology to them, and I hope we send ourselves to them someday.

Here are some websites to get started. I like NASA’s Solar System Exploration pages: they are clear, and they offer much information. There are sites for Jupiter, Europa, and Io. There is also a good summary of the jovian moons. Embrace and enjoy. And, if you have any favorite websites about Jupiter and its moons, please share them with me.

Image credit: NASA/JPL, http://solarsystem.nasa.gov/multimedia/display.cfm?IM_ID=10004

Best of the Blog, 2009

Caught up in the general retrospection that comes with the end of each calendar year, I began to think about my blog and all that I have posted upon it. It occurred to me that I could do a sort of “best of” or “author’s choice” for 2009. I have mixed feelings about this, for sure, as I’m not one to place special emphasis on my work or parade it around. “Publish it and let it speak for itself: anything else is hubris”—that’s kind of my philosophy. All the same, I am often interested in learning from other artists (editors, authors, painters, musicians, and so on) what they consider their best work or their favorite work. Thus maybe my favorites will be of interest to some reader out there.

So here you go. These are the 2009 posts that I love most and of which I am most proud. My blog hasn’t even existed for a year, but it has passed the six-month mark, which is a small achievement.

My all-time favorite:
Life Lessons from Bella and Meg
I struggled for a long time to get this one right. It was hard to find the right tone, and I almost gave up trying. I’m glad that I persisted, because the lessons are worthwhile.

My favorite in the publishing category:
Life with Ligatures
For weeks if not months, this was my most popular post. Maybe people liked the examples. I certainly do—typography is a beautiful discipline.

My favorite in the science category:
Is this a stimulating conversation or just a clever simulation of one?
This post has a photograph of lunar soil simulant. What more do I need to say?

My favorite in the Newbery category:
The Dark Frigate, 1924
It is no masterpiece, but I enjoyed this one. “Curb your Arrrs and your mateys” was a fun sentence to write.

My favorite in the “about me” category:
Переводчица в России. A Translator in Russia.
This simply brings good memories.

Runners-up:

A Wrinkle in Time, 1963
I love this post mostly for the quotations from the book!

The Colophon
I like colophons. I like the word colophon. Good times.

Price Wars and the War for Independents
I’m not keen on this one because of my writing. It’s more that I feel the subject matter is important.

So in conclusion, I’d say: have you thought over your creative endeavors this year? What works are you most proud of? Consider sharing them with someone.