I agree that it is a revolutionary way of connecting authors and readers, but the traditional supply chain of publisher-wholesaler-retailer will be out of the mix here.

Another wake up call to publishers: your massive print runs are history! There is never any need for any book to go out of print or be unavailable for longer than a couple of weeks.

But the sad fact is that most publishers are still living in the 19th century — yes, not even the 20th: POD (Print On Demand) services have been around since before the turn of the millennium; all that’s changed is they’ve got faster and cheaper.

(Is that enough of a rant for you?? )

For example, do distribution costs not affect this argument. Add postage to the UK to the Amazon US price and what do you get?

And, as mentioned, market size, binding quality, tissue paper, toilet paper, or real paper etc.

Of course, the same arguments would not apply to E-Books, if we ignore editorial costs of translating them into English when they come here.

Come on publishers, agents, authors: WAKE UP! The walls are crumbling!

And sorry, but I don’t think book buyers do understand rights – for the majority what they understand boils down to what they want and the best price they can get for it, heck how can we expect book buyers to understand rights when it’s obvious half the book trade doesn’t understand rights!
Like with Anne asking Amazon to take the book off as they want to do the right thing (for which I do commend them) – but have they asked the same question of Eden & Bookdepository, because they all have it.
So it’s not a simple resolution or answer, the problem is complex and the problem is international, because there used to be a fair whack of US and AUS buyers buying/trying to buy UK editions of titles that had american/aus editions or forthcoming editons when I was doing spckonline and I don’t for a minute think that’s changed regardless of the exchange rate – a book buyer want’s what they want and if that’s the UK or US Edition then that’s what they want.

On the author front though and royalties the truth is that what needs to happen is a fair payment regardless of boundary for authors full stop. But this has become even harder as resources dry up and as less is able to be invested in new authors or in establishing authors etc and this isn’t so much about rights as about the erosion of the value of a book! – and this is only set to get worse, hence why some authors are being left with little seeming choice but to go alternative publication routes.

It is a sad situation for all really – by the way did anyone see that Borders is up for sale again?

But the best deal for authors at the moment is for different contracts in the US and the UK. That just doesn’t always equate to the best deal for customers.

Besides – just as buying from the local Christian bookstore supports their ministry (and is decided as such over other cheapre sources by people), buying the UK edition of a book may be seen as supporting the ministry of the author, even if it is more expensive. The cheaper option gives a short term gain but can reduce the number of British writers able to make a living from writing.

I hear what you say about authors and royalties loud and clear – but try explaining that to the end-customer, the prospective reader. Where prices are set fairly it’s not an issue: most UK customers will be perfectly happy to buy the UK edition.

I guess it really does come down to agents to put up the best possible fight they can for global rights for their authors…