Greetings All:<\/p>\n
TANSTAAFL. How many of you know the word? Robert Heinlein popularized it in his finest novel (Our opinion, but we’re right) entitled THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS. Tanstaafl stands for “There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.” We really wish there was a way to reintroduce Heinlein’s novels to young people these days. Along with endorsing the notion of hard work, they resonated with optimism; but most importantly, Heinlein enticed the reader to dream and aspire to the creation of a better future. <\/p>\n
What goaded us to bring up Tanstaafl? Amazon, of all places. Authors–including yours truly–put heart and soul into their work. When a novel we are particularly proud of hits the shelves, and readers open the covers, we spend a lot of time hoping they like it. Do they get it? Do they think the story is as important as we do?<\/p>\n
Just after COMING OF THE STORM was released we checked Amazon to find “one star” reviews from people like Debra F. Gilbert, D. Konkle, and A. Queen “allionlife.” Not because we did a crummy job of writing, researching, or plotting. They’re ratings had nothing to do with the book. They hadn’t even read it. They didn’t like the Kindle price. <\/p>\n
Here’s the background: Amazon is in a knock-down, drag-out battle with the Sony Reader, B&N’s Nook, and a plethora of other e-book readers. As part of their strategy, they offered highly discounted<\/em> ebooks in an effort to gain market share. Assuming Amazon’s Kindle could dominate the market, they could later raise the prices and recover their initial losses. The tactic is as old as business. We all understand the concept of a “loss leader” and accept it. Who doesn’t like a bargain? We also realize that when we go into Don’s IGA in Thermopolis because Greg and Ilya are offering $1.00 paper towels, that they expect to make it back on other items we pick up while we’re there. And yes, next week paper towels will be back up to six bucks.<\/p>\n What saddens us–and brings us back to Tanstaafl–is the reaction of Gilbert, Konkle, Queen, and their ilk to the release of COMING OF THE STORM. The “loss leader” had run its course. Time to go back to market value. The aforementioned folks loudly claim they really want to buy the book–just not at Amazon’s price. So, dear Gilbert, Konkle, and Queen, be as miffed as you’d like at Amazon. They are doing what smart businesses do. You stated, however, that you would really like to read COMING OF THE STORM. Assuming you actually mean that, we suggest that you trot down to your favorite local bookstore. We hope it’s an independent, or perhaps a Books-A-Million, Barnes & Noble, Borders, Hastings, or even a Kroger’s grocery book rack. Many of these booksellers are discounting the hardback, so you can still feel like you’re getting a break on the price. You can make your point, support the industry, author, and local economy, and still enjoy the read.<\/p>\n If you do that, we’re with you, and offer our deep appreciation for your purchase. We hope that Black Shell, Pearl Hand, and the dogs make their ways into your hearts with as much warmth as they did ours. <\/p>\n But let’s hypothetically<\/em> say that you don’t. That you refuse to purchase the novel in any form, from any vendor, because you’d have to pay market value. In other words, what you’re saying to us as authors is that our research, dedication, hard work, and talent aren’t worth the going rate. We’re curious, guys; in this hypothetical <\/em>situation, just how much is our skill and ability as storytellers actually worth to you? Drop us a comment here on the blog. We’ll be happy to share it with our other readers.<\/p>\n Tanstaafl. There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch. Someone pays for everything. Online these days, aspiring authors are offering downloads of their books for free–desperate for someone, anyone, to read them. The hope is that by building a readership eventually they will be able to sell to a real publisher and make a living. Those authors are running their own “loss leaders” just like Amazon. The same with music, videos, you name it. We don’t know where the digital revolution is taking the book industry, but it’s to a different world. The laws of economics remain eternal. Wherever we end up, we’ll have to pay fair market value for quality storytelling. <\/p>\n Obviously we can’t write novels that scratch every reader’s itch. We’ve had “one star” reviews from people who really didn’t like what we wrote, or how we wrote it. Because we’re proud of our craft and abilities, we’re always slightly stung, but those folks were being honest. Michael doesn’t like toffee and Kathleen won’t touch sweet drinks. But that’s just us. Gilbert, Konkle, and Queen can send their own message by picking up a copy of COMING OF THE STORM from their local bookseller. Will they? We hope so. And we hope that in the future they will use the review space on Amazon to actually review books. That’s what it’s there for.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Greetings All: TANSTAAFL. How many of you know the word? Robert Heinlein popularized it in his finest novel (Our opinion, but we’re right) entitled THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS. 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