tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7041804343600978883.post6604560027098980172..comments2024-03-28T05:34:42.670-05:00Comments on MAKE MINE MYSTERY: The 80-20 RuleMorgan Mandelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10118929301591850918noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7041804343600978883.post-78204088415557485182010-08-06T22:58:54.292-05:002010-08-06T22:58:54.292-05:00One of the things that all those industry stats ov...One of the things that all those industry stats overlook, though, is the size of the used book market. Most high-volume readers buy a lot of used books - partly because of price, and partly because what they're looking for goes out of print and doesn't get distributed well.<br /><br />And the people jumping to buy Kindles tend to be high-volume readers. We don't have a statistic on just what proportions there are, but we can safely say that the industry figures ignore the used book-buyers in the bunch.<br /><br />That's a really large unmeasured area. And some say it's a larger group than the market for new.<br /><br />I do know that an awful lot of Kindle users are price sensitive, and at least some have taken to reading indie books, which tend to be priced lower. And the authors, because they are earning a 70 percent royalty, are doing better on their "20 percent" than authors who get about 8 percent royalty on their "80 percent."<br /><br />That 20 percent of the authors published by the big publishers are not fighting for 80 percent - they're fighting for a whole lot less. (And 80 percent of what they are fighting for is going to twenty percent of the twenty.)<br /><br />Not that I think traditional publishing is doomed or that authors should flee like rats from a sinking ship. Traditional publishing will change, but it's still a viable industry.<br /><br />I'm just saying that the Pareto Principle is extremely vulnerable to manipulation - via what you do and don't include - and so while it is good for developing strategies in your niche, it's lousy for proving a point. You can almost always prove the opposite point by shifting the parameters around.The Daring Novelisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01676188266569869059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7041804343600978883.post-53790451645748160852010-08-06T12:55:28.095-05:002010-08-06T12:55:28.095-05:00Great post, Mark. I agree that the big publishing...Great post, Mark. I agree that the big publishing companies are focusing on a limited groups and genre. Right now, vampires and chic lit are in right, but that will change as the buyers' interest fades. All we can do is create our best work each and every time.Mark W. Danielsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05127689413680147200noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7041804343600978883.post-13083542525721701082010-08-05T09:18:03.511-05:002010-08-05T09:18:03.511-05:00I agree with that, Morgan.I agree with that, Morgan.Mark Troyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10746027017657987261noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7041804343600978883.post-28578741700024519472010-08-05T06:10:29.829-05:002010-08-05T06:10:29.829-05:00Cover all the bases, that's my motto. They'...Cover all the bases, that's my motto. They're all good ways to go these days.<br /><br />Morgan Mandel<br />http://morganmandel.blogspot.com<br />http://facebook.com/morgan.mandelMorgan Mandelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10118929301591850918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7041804343600978883.post-39128645276595529802010-08-04T12:54:37.631-05:002010-08-04T12:54:37.631-05:00Yes, I think that's something that's been ...Yes, I think that's something that's been going on for a few years, now. They're giving up titles in favor of more market share.Mark Troyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10746027017657987261noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7041804343600978883.post-21237646148456148882010-08-04T12:33:41.608-05:002010-08-04T12:33:41.608-05:00Another thing this model also shows, I believe, is...Another thing this model also shows, I believe, is that the big publishers are not taking as many risks with new writers. The ones agents and big houses do take on (like you), they believe they can sell and make a profit on. Perhaps with just about all books being readily available to the public, big houses are narrowing their books down to a niche - those books they feel will be big sellers.<br /><br /><a href="http://straightfromhel.blogspot.com" rel="nofollow">Straight From Hel</a>Helen Gingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09794759602654727110noreply@blogger.com