Price gouging...

So, I have been taking back the rights to all my books and stories from the mainstream publishers. Why? Because I have learnt enough in the six years I have been doing this writing thing to know that I don’t agree with what they do. So, for me, it’s a case of put up or shut up. So many writers whine about publishers but the vast majority do stuff all about the situation they’re in because they’re scared to move away from the mother ships. Whatever. I’m an Aussie. We’re a little bit different. Our crap factor has a low threshold and we believe we can do anything we choose to do.

Anyway, I got the rights back to Fear of Being as of August 1^st and I was looking at it on the publisher’s page and I was astounded by the price they had on it. No, I’m not a writer who spends time starry-eyed looking at their literary reflections on the publisher’s page and squeeing so I hadn’t really paid any attention to the website. But this is a 40,000 and a bit word story and they were selling it at $5.99. That’s ridiculous. Who in this particular economic climate is going to shell money out for an ebook that essentially all the publisher has to do is bang it out in 6 – 8 formats and then set it up to be downloaded hundreds of times. It’s a rip off.  I absolutely believe 99% of publishers are screwing the book reading public over. While I get that they’re out to make money, seriously charging through the nose for an ebook is ridiculous.  

What will I charge for Fear of Being? I’m going to charge 0.99 cents for the first month and then I reckon $1.49 after that. Is this profitable? Yeah, I’ve seen that through the other stories I have taken back.   

Reading should be an affordable pastime for everyone – not just the rich.