Arts & Culture
(2009-11-05)
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LEXINGTON
(WEKU) -
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Authors and their readers gather this weekend in Frankfort for the Kentucky Book Fair. The industry is evolving quickly. E-Books like the Kindle are eliminating the need for paper. Plus, several major booksellers are waging a price war. With a look at the potential impact on Kentucky authors, book sellers and publishers is WEKU's Stu Johnson.
The price war between Walmart, Amazon, and most recently Target is certainly raising eye brows. If nothing else, cut rate prices on top selling books has caught the attention of buyers. Walmart started the online competition by lowering the pre-order price for 10 new books to 10 dollars apiece. Amazon and then Target joined the fight and now the price has fallen to just under nine dollars. The CEO of Lexington-based Clark publishing says this tactic can significantly hurt the finances of some authors.
"You bring that price pressure down. It could have a negative impact and instead of a typical author maybe making a couple of dollars a book they may only make 50 cents a book or 75 cents a book," Clark said.
In the short term, Bobby Clark says such price cuts could change the psyche of book buyers. Clark believes Wal-mart's betting its bargain-hunting customers will also pay full price for other books. Clark says we might see other price wars leading into other holidays, such as Mother's or Father's Day.
The publisher thinks a bigger threat to his industry may be books viewed on a hand-held device called an E-book. Demand for devices like the Kindle is growing. Still the feel of a traditionally-bound book is something Clark believes will attract lasting interest.
"I believe that there are many Americans that still like the tactile feel of a book and curl up next to the buyer or in their den and are gonna' want that experience of just flipping pages," Clark said.
Kentucky author Ed McClanahan wrote his first book in 1983, but he has been writing or teaching writing for some 50 years. With so many books out there, the Lexington author worries about the quality of the finished product. In some cases, McClanahan says, the production values of book publishers has declined.
"So much of this stuff just falls apart for one thing the physical product is no good the books are just indifferently edited and indifferently assembly," McClanahan said.
Too much today, McClanahan says, a publisher's bottom line is more important than the quality, both in the writing and production of the printed page.
"The bottom line is the bottom line and so I think it's a kind of quiet disaster I think."
If manufactured correctly, McClanahan says these books never go away. "If you put it in a book," he says, "it's out there forever."
Another author going to Frankfort for this weekend's Kentucky Book Fair is Don Dampier of Scott County. Dampier, who worked in state government for 40 years, has written two books. He doesn't anticipate he'll ever be a best selling author. Nor is he sure the price war will affect him personally. Dampier says the price war is just a short term sales tactic by large retailers. But, the Scott County author is worried about the message it might send writers and readers.
"My first thought about that was that it devalues the actual value of the art and skill of the writer," Dampier said.
The Morris Book Shop opened late last spring in Lexington. Independent bookseller Wyn Morris says the price war between Walmart, Amazon, and Target won't significantly impact his business. His customers want customized service.
"Anymore than year round, when Amazon has most books at 30% off, you try to provide selection and service and environment and all those things that an independent bookstore can do," Morris said.
Likewise, Morris doesn't anticipate major changes to his marketing strategy. He's seen some success through social networking groups like Facebook and admits word of mouth is still probably the best advertising.
Surprisingly, Morris says, such price wars are sometimes helpful and he'd have a hard time existing without major retailers. He also hunts on-line for bargains, and when book prices are slashed, he buys several and re-sells them.
"I don't have a problem in some cases we're gonna buy books from Amazon it's a heck of a lot better discount than I can get from a wholesaler certainly from the publisher."
That's not how Morris acquires his entire stock of best sellers, but he says it's beneficial to work, say, three such copies into his inventory.
High technology not withstanding, this weekend's Kentucky Book Fair will conduct business in an old fashion way, hand to hand,' dollar to dollar,' and 'face-to-face' with Kentucky's readers doing business directly with Kentucky's authors.
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