Okay, what does this mean to us as writers.

[mainer]

13. Why is it self-published authors can set their prices and publishers can't?

Last edited Sat Sep 22, 2012, 03:09 PM - Edit history (1)

This is the issue that strikes me as unfair to traditionally published authors. That Amazon allows SOME sellers (self-pubbed authors) to set their prices, but then steps in and demands that a certain group of sellers (publishers) set their prices at whatever Amazon decides it should be.

If I self-published with Amazon, I can set my book at fifty bucks. And Amazon will let me.

If I sell my hand-made ceramic kitties, I can set whatever price I want. And Amazon will let me.

What makes published authors somehow different? If in fact my traditionally published books are unreasonably high-priced, then the market will determine it's too high, and consumers won't buy the books. So why won't Amazon let that remain a decision between seller and buyer? Why does Amazon get to set the price?

If you're a self-published author, then you should welcome the fact that publishers charge a lot more for their products. It makes your books more competitive, doesn't it?