books and different places to get them

I’ve been toying with the idea of this post, and I’m still not really sure about it. I don’t know what you’ll think of it, and I don’t really even know what I think of it. However, perhaps it needs saying.

Yesterday I received an email from an Australian reader who loves my books:

“I read Mary Corbets revue and will order the new book from The Book Depository ! Why can I get a book written by an aussie cheaper from the uk ? Sorry but it is really a lot cheaper ! I do hope that you are getting something from this sale or are they ‘robbing’ you of your money ?”

From time to time I get asked why someone would choose to buy a book from me when they can get it so much cheaper elsewhere. How do I answer this? A consumer is entitled to buy from wherever they want.

Firstly, let me say that I am not having a go at the reader who sent me this question. It is a legitimate question that others have also asked or no doubt thought. Secondly, I am not having a go at Book Depository (or any other large book seller). They have a different business model than I do. They are a *large* business, and my business is very small, consisting of just me!

I charge postage on books ordered from my website. (Just to be clear, the price you see on my website *includes* postage, whereas other websites add it later.) I can’t absorb postage costs. If large booksellers choose to absorb shipping costs, they obviously run their business with a different business model than I do.

For the price of the book (excluding the postage) I charge what I consider to be a reasonable amount in compensation for the quality of my books. I suggest a recommended retail price within Australia, but I actually have no control over what other retailers charge for my books. They may choose to compete solely on price, which means they charge less. I don’t want to do that, because I know the amount of work that goes into my books!

When selling books, an author/publisher makes a choice. They can sell directly to the public, thereby cutting out any middlemen, and giving a higher return. They can sell their books to distributors, who require a large discount in return for buying large quantities of books. Distributors require a large discount, because they then sell to retailers. The retailer usually expects to make a good amount of profit on each item they sell. The distributor also wants to add their cut so that they get a return too. That’s why they require deep discounting – because both they and the retailer want (and deserve) to make some money on the sale.

An author can sell more books by using distributors (who in turn sell to retailers). They sell many more books than I could ever expect to without them. I just don’t have their reach.

Some people choose to buy their books from me, because they know that by doing that, I get a higher percentage of the profit. Others choose to buy their books elsewhere such as from one of the large booksellers or from a local needlework shop. Unless it is a second-hand book, I do receive some return, though it is much lower. Either way, you are supporting my business and helping me to continue to write more books. (Thank you!)

We all make choices about how to spend our money. There are consequences of those choices. Some people like to support small businesses, even if they know it costs them more. Others prefer to spend their hard-earned money as carefully as they can. Each choice is valid.