A big fish just got away. A large publishing company wanted to add my book to their book club!
Over several emails traded back and forth, the upshot of all of this was that the editor loves my book Strategic Eating, The Econovore’s Essential Guide, and is willing to sell it in the internationally-known book club, but --
-- only if I lose money on every single book sold. Basically, we little self-published types just can’t compete with the deep discount structure. Waaaah!
It can be tough “breaking in” when you’re self-published, let me tell you. First, there’s the prevailing impression among consumers that your book is going to be some rambling, disjointed Unabomber manifesto. Second, some media distribution outlets have an outstanding policy to not even consider independent books. And then there’s the pricing structure that just tripped me up...
So, it’s a little bit of a punch in the gut when an editor to a major media outlet praises Strategic Eating to the skies ... (!)
... but I still can’t get a foot in the door, darn it.
Am I entitled to better access? Should there be a law somewhere that says all books of a certain quality have to have all the same access to publicity that Random House and Simon & Schuster enjoy? Should this book club be forced to carry my work and accept a lower profit?
Pffft. I hope you know me better than that. This is just the free market at work: A buyer wanted to buy X number of books, at Y price. I am not willing to sell at that level because I cannot make a profit. No one’s rights were violated.
If I want to compete effectively in this market, I’m either going to have to
- Pad my prices to cover the steep discounts,
- Find a way to print my books more cheaply,
- Or reach the customers directly so I’m not forced to pay a go-between.
Failure to adjust means I will go under.
Should someone bail me out? Perish the thought! That would only reward inefficient business practices and discourage innovation. Simpleton, be nimble; Simpleton be quick...
But there is most definitely a place for the Rule of Law in the free market! Consider the story of Robert Kearns.
Kearns invented the intermittent windshield wiper. He showed it to Ford Motor Company, who’d been unsuccessful in making theirs work. They tried to buy his technology, but when Kearns refused to sell, Ford Motor Company and Chrysler Corporation ... stole it outright.
Kearns sued. The high-priced lawyers of the motor companies were able to delay the case for over 12 long years. Kearns spent $10 million dollars to litigate, even though for the most part, he was his own attorney. His wife couldn’t take the strain and divorced him.
Ultimately, the law was on his side, and he won a judgement where the thieves had to admit guilt and pay millions in restitution.
Kearns’ sacrifice to bring about justice was huge. But imagine if the crooks could actually get away with this stuff. How willing would you be to put effort into producing excellence if you had no hope of seeing reward?
Know the difference between fairness and justice. Life is unfair sometimes. By sheer luck, you may be prettier, smarter and more talented than I. That’s just plain unfair. But true fairness can’t be enforced without bringing everything down to the lowest common denominator. That’s the kind of “entitlement” that ruins.
Justice is quite another matter. Justice needs to be rigorously protected or our very civilization will crumble!
Okay, so I can’t compete with the big publishing houses in offering steep discounts to book clubs. It may be unfair, but I’m going to suck it up.
Because no matter how big those companies are, they aren’t allowed to steal my work.
That means that I can find other avenues to offer this product. Already, the success of other self-published books have made a dent in the institutional opposition to them. There are already holes in the wall, and I intend to work hard to widen them. The moral: Effort and creativity are the best antidote to unfairness.
I have every optimism that my efforts can pay off because I own the rights to the book, and no one can take those away without my permission. So the second moral is: The Rule of Law is what drives that effort and creativity in the first place.
Three cheers for justice!
In my last opinion piece, I discussed crime. It’s a hard subject to broach, because if I suggest that my readers prepare to defend themselves from thieves and violence, some people assume I’m some sort of paranoid gun nut.
I assure you, I’m anything but! It’s just a fact that disasters, financial or otherwise, result in increased crime. Simpleton Solutions is offering advice for how best to thrive in this uncertain economy. Failing to warn our readers about the potential risks associated with the economic downturn would just plain be wrong. Feel free to use the warning to make whatever preparations you choose.