I’m pretty upfront about how terrible I believe Amazon and Kindle Unlimited are for authors and the book industry writ large. It’s not just me–the web is full of stories and facts explaining how Amazon’s policies and pricing structures are lowering the income of most authors, lowering the quality of ebooks, and, as Amazon has done again and again, wreaking havoc on booksellers who are not named Amazon.
I didn’t used to feel this way about Amazon. While I’ve always worried about its impact on my local bookstore, I love ebooks and I’m always going to champion anything that makes reading easier for all, especially for all those who don’t have access to a strong library system. But, over the past ten years, I’ve seen the company hollow out much of the industry–although, yes, local bookstores have rebounded post Covid and that is WONDERFUL. (And, yes, I understand that very inexpensive books are a boon to prolific readers, especially those who love genre fiction.)
I’ve been studying Amazon’s pricing closely for as long as I’ve been a part of AAR and, lately, I’ve noticed a trend I find worrisome.
As many of you have kvetched about here, the price of many new ebooks seems to be higher than it used to be. Most of the recently published books we’ve reviewed are priced at well over ten dollars an ebook and sometimes go as high as twenty. Trade paperbacks and hardbacks of newly published books can hit forty.
What I’m seeing, in addition to that, is that almost every book, within a couple years of being published, is put on sale by Amazon for four dollars or less. Amazon has also been encouraging its readers to make lists of books they’re interested in. It’s become very easy to simply wait for the ebook version of a title to go on sale–especially if you are a KU reader and have scads of other choices–and buy it then.
I’m wondering if I’m imagining things or if this is yet another way that we are slowly paying less for books which ultimately means we are paying less to those who write and sell them.
What do you think? Is this a thing? Or am I just a paranoid weirdo? And if you are an author, I’d love to hear how Amazon’s pricing impacts your ability to be paid for the work you do.
Authors: I’m also watching with dismay as ebook versions of older books vanish from Amazon. I’d like to learn about why that happens and what it takes to get those books republished. If you have a story you can share, please email me at [email protected]. Thanks!