Long, long ago, it was the custom of record companies to pay radio stations to play their records. Disc jockeys, station owners, whoever---they were bribed to increase air time of certain songs, to the benefit of the recording artist.
The practice was declared illegal and prosecutions ensued.
Why isn't the same thing illegal in book vending?
Publishers pay ridiculous amounts of money to Barnes & Noble, in the neighborhood of $30,000 according to Adam Penenberg at fastcompany.com. For a bribe of that size, a publisher can expect to place a key title at the front of the store, to catch a book buyer's eye the minute they enter the big box retailer.
If the marketing gurus deem it worth the money to have a certain book shelved facing out, with the attractive cover up front and personal to the potential buyer, B&N or Borders are happy to oblige for a fee.
According to Mr. Penenberg, every place you find books, you'll find literary payola, and that includes the rack of paperbacks at the local supermarket.
What does it mean for a writer? If your publisher isn't convinced that your particular work of art isn't destined to be a blockbuster, a la Dean Koontz, you won't get the marketing budget and your book won't get the payola treatment. And so, your book is sure to fare poorly because it's not getting the promotion.
Since no one seems to be heading towards the State's Attorney's office, it means an author might have to cough up some big money to counter the publisher's bribe. Up the ante, so to speak, in a bid to claim some prime real estate in the book store or at Amazon's website.
Knowing that the books up front were placed there on purpose, doesn't it make you want to bypass the front tables and confine your browsing to the shelves? Just to stick it to the whole marketing concept that figures you for an instant gratification sheep?
7 comments:
Hello, there! Long time no visit...
I've always made it a habbit to bypass the big displays and go for the shelves where I can make my own choices; good or bad, but my own choices. As a matter of fact, I am making it a point not to read the stuff of the Koontzes et al. Their first or second book, may be. But after that... nope.
Yes, I am crabby and crotchety that way. :)
And speaking of the great unwashed writers, I have decided to self-publish and actually gone ahead and set up the account with Booksurge (who's becoming Createspace; still an Amazon company) and I am having it's undergoing line editing. (By a friend; I'm paying her so it's serious.) Wolves of Pavlava. Keep that title in mind. :) :) BTW, I changed the beginning in response to your comment about the clumsy artifice I used to tell some of the background story. Changed, shortened and cut. So, you get credit also. I'll let you know when it's coming out.
Best of luck with it. I know it's a lot of work to get the publicity flowing.
Koontz is a huge seller so what he's cranking out must have appeal to the masses, but I don't care for it and I'd never write something like it so why bother.
The problem is with the very few distributors of books. They call the shots. They don't care how great a book is. If the book is with a small publishing house it will not get in the system.
I am with you on that. I don't like to read novels about ugly people doing ugly things to people living an ugly life that ends in an ugly death. Yes, it appeals to the masses.
Thank you for the good wishes. At least it makes me feel like I'm doing something. I know you were contemplating it at some point, so let's see how this goes. I'm approaching it as a fun project, not as a career. It's right up there with planting roses and doing needlework. Useless work, but you get to sniff the roses and get to make a pillow out of the needle point.
I've found some great reads at the local library that were put out by small publishers. Literary gems, interesting stories, but you're right. A small house doesn't have the clout to push a book in this era of big boxes.
And still they wonder why people don't read as much as they used to?
Wow, I knew nothing about this. How sad. I must admit I am quite disappointed. But not surprised.
Aeneas, good luck with your publishing!
When I go to my favorite bookshop, I always peruse the table near the clerk's station because the latest fiction is piled there. And not in a manner designed for eye appeal.
I'm tempted to ask if they've been paid a premium to put those books there, or if it's just the shop owner's way of presenting what she thinks her clients might like.
What keeps me from asking is the fact that she's come close to shutting her doors in the past few years due to financial troubles. If she can pick up a little extra and pay her rent, how could I begrudge her the income? Without her place, it's nothing but Barnes & Noble and no one there would say hello to me when I walked in the door.
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