Writers in the Storm

Ella Joy Olsen

(The Psychology Behind Books Sold Cheap)

I started thinking about the pricing of books about four months before my debut novel was due to be published. It started with a conversation at a party when my friend’s father cornered me, so he could speak without others overhearing.

Him (in a conspiratorial whisper): So…you know…I pre-ordered your book.

Me (enthusiastically nodding): Great!

Him: Today I got an email telling me the price has been reduced so they returned the difference.

Me: That’s lucky!

Him (with a sympathetic hand on my shoulder): So I guess it’s not selling well?

Me (stuttering): I don’t know. It’s not even published yet. I think it’s just this game publishers play. I don’t think it means anything.

Him (disbelieving eyebrows and apologetic shrugged shoulders): Well, don’t worry. I’m still excited.

Me (wilting smile): So am I.

That same day at my computer, my Facebook feed was spinning like a slot machine. No less than three of my writer friends had posted a cute meme advertising that their book was on sale for $1.99 and they hoped for shares or likes so the world would know.

I shared the posts, honestly praising the ones I’d read and loved and letting my acquaintances know an awesome book sold at this price was a great opportunity. I’ll also admit that I bought a few more to add to my ever-expanding virtual stack. But the whole time, I was torn. I subscribe to BookBub and Riffle, and I’ve fallen prey to many a good deal (too many a good deal). I’ve purchased well beyond my ability to read. My Kindle is bloated with cheap books, most of them fantastic, many of which I’ll never begin.

It got me thinking about the psychology of sales pricing. I’m an admitted sales rack shopper. The picked-over sales rack at the back of my favorite store is the best place to find an awesome deal, and I always beeline it for that corner. But what if everything in the store is on sale, even before it becomes shelf-worn? Or what happens when I know full-priced items will go on sale almost immediately after being placed on the rack? Of course, I would never buy an item at full price. Think about Old Navy. I don’t buy anything full tag in that store, because I know that, in two short days, my desired item will be 40% off. By continually lowering their prices, Old Navy has diminished the value of everything they sell.

Is that what’s being done to our books?

Since there’s no scarcity of sale-priced books, especially with the ever expanding array of self-published titles dumped into the marketplace, there’s flagging demand for anything not on sale. To counteract the trend, publishing houses play with the pricing, bouncing it up and down. But will you ever pay full price for an e-book? Not if you’re a savvy reader.

I have to wonder, is there a point at which the price becomes so low, or the item goes on sale so quickly, that it sends poor signals to the customer? That this book is barely worth paying for? I’m going to say yes. Here’s an example from recent personal experience. There was this book, which shall remain nameless, because we’ve all seen it on Book Movement, in pop-culture magazines, everywhere. Let’s just say it was one of those books the publishers thought would fly. I took the bait. I wanted to read it. I put it on my Want to Read shelf so I wouldn’t forget it, but I also knew I wouldn’t buy it until I was ready to read. Then, not even a month after publication, I received a notice from Goodreads (aka Amazon) that the electronic copy was on a one-day sale. My eagerly anticipated read was only $4.99. My first thought was not, “Yahoo!” with my finger already pressing the Buy button. No, my immediate reaction was, “This is on sale already? Maybe it’s not as good as they’ve made it out to be.”

Here’s the real question: Did I buy it? No. Not even for $4.99. Because a book isn’t like a new shirt. There’s a time commitment involved when you buy a book. This price drop said to me, too cheap, too soon. Something is wrong. Even at $4.99 I wasn’t going to invest nine hours of my time.

In my post today I hope to spark a conversation. So please comment! I’m not telling you I know the right or the wrong, but I’m hoping the topic will make you think. I have my opinion and I’ve polled some of the savviest writers I know to get their take on this subject.

The question I want you all to ponder is this: In an effort to get our books into the hands of readers, are we diminishing our worth in their eyes?

I’m not even going to mention the mere pocketful of nickels earned by any author whose book is sold for $1.99, though it should not be forgotten. If the publisher lowers the price, the net royalty is much lower, which reduces the author’s ability to earn out their advance; or it further reduces their paycheck. But that’s a topic for another day.

Now let’s look at the pros column. There are some compelling reasons, some real benefits, to selling books cheap. I asked some of my fellow authors their take on the benefits of bouncing prices and here are some of their answers:

• Lower prices are a quick way to get onto a bestseller list, which is something you can continue to promote. Bestseller once, bestseller always, which says “This book is worthwhile.”
• Getting the book to as many humans as possible. Maybe not every person who buys your book will read it. Maybe it will be lost forever on their Kindle. But a percentage of them will. Then, if the book is good enough, they’ll recommend it to their book club, who will recommend it to their mom. And so on! Word of mouth is the only way to truly break out. Here’s a quick example – not about a price break, but I think it still applies – The Nightingale. Before publication, the publisher dumped well over 200 books into early readers’ hands (for free). Now if those readers didn’t like it, it would have sunk right there. But they did! They recommended it widely. And The Nightingale is still flying. These days, people are still buying it, despite the full price tag.
• Price drops are a legitimate way to talk about your own book. We authors spend a bunch of time self-promoting, to the point where we get a little sick of ourselves. But a price break (or a giveaway) is a reason to put the megaphone back to your lips and holler again. One more chance to get your cover in front of an audience. I liken this to election-year yard signs. You may know nothing about so-and-so running for School Board, but if his name rings a bell when you’re standing in the polling booth, aren’t you more likely to vote for him?
• If the book is priced so low the reader has nothing to lose and they buy it, and you wouldn’t have had those sales without the price drop, then it’s better than nothing.
• A price reduction for the first book in a series, or a book by an author you like, creates buzz for their newest title. Low pricing on the first book(s) may entice readers to buy the next on release date, for full price.

Pros aside, I still think we have a problem here. Because I like to work my way to the bottom of something that’s bothering me, to find a solution, I asked myself, “What can be done?” My first thought (don’t laugh): Unionize. Change the industry. Demand fair wages for hours worked and quality products delivered. In order to pay those wages, our work must be priced above $1.99. But that, obviously, is not a solution. Publishing is an open marketplace, full of self-pub platforms, and an overabundance of books. Every sales chain is up for grabs. The industry itself is still trying to come to terms with the upheaval. After much brainstorming, I must confess I still don’t know the answer. And most of the time I feel like I’m simply along for the ride.

So will I play the game? When my book goes on sale for $1.99, will I scream it from the mountaintops and hope for sales? Yes, I will. However, despite the darling meme I create and post on social media, I’m not actually psyched my hard work is being tossed about like it’s worth next to nothing – especially if the price break seems premature or not well-timed to promote my next book.

How do you feel? Is there a solution? Do we need a solution? Leave a comment and let me know!

 

About Ella

Ella Joy Olsen was born, raised, and currently resides in Salt Lake City, Utah – a charming town tucked against the massive Rocky Mountains. Most at home in the world of the written word, Ella spent nearly a decade on the Board of Directors for the Salt Lake City Public Library System (and four decades browsing the stacks). She is the mom of three kids ranging from pre-teen to edge-of-the-nest teen, the mama of two dogs, and the wife of one patient husband.

Though she’s crazy about words, Ella is also practical, so she graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in Finance. After years spent typing boring stuff, Ella eagerly gave up her corner cubicle and started writing fiction. She has also lived in Seattle, Washington & Savannah, Georgia.

She is a member of Tall Poppy Writers and Women’s Fiction Writers Association. You can find her at www.ellajoyolsen.com, Twitter @ellajoyolsen, or Facebook at www.facebook.com/ella.joy.olsen.author/

ROOT, PETAL, THORN (September 2016/Kensington) is her debut novel. And coming in September 2017 - WHERE THE SWEET BIRD SINGS.

James Preston

Once upon a time my wife and I were sitting up late at night, reading. She had a romance novel, I probably had something by Heinlein or Asimov or Andre Norton. Suddenly, she yelled, “Arrrrrgh!” Or maybe it was “Gaaaah!” And she threw the paperback across the room, bouncing it off the wall, scaring the cat, scaring me. I said something like, “Uh, honey, sweetie pie, is something wrong?” Meanwhile thinking, she’s between me and the kitchen with all the sharp instruments.

“At the end an atomic bomb went off and they were all killed.” Well, hell, I’d throw a book across the room for that, too. If it was genre fiction and failed to do what I expect it to. It's just wrong.

To prepare for writing this essay I watched two of my favorite movies: Independence Day (1996) and Godzilla (1998). See the sacrifices I make for you, gentle reader? I knew I wanted to write about popular literature and film and its relation to so-called serious lit and film, and how they both relate to what we do, but until I watched those two again, I wasn't sure exactly why I wanted to, and if I had anything to say.

We all have them. Books and movies — stories — we love that are not critically-acclaimed and which more highbrow types look down their patrician noses at.

We’ve all been there, right? “When asked, “What are you reading?” You say, “Oh, I’m re-reading a wonderful early Jayne Ann Krentz” and the English professor down the block says, “Frightfully nice, I’m sure. I’m just finishing Crime and Punishment.” 

The odds are if you are reading this essay you read and write genre fiction, stories that, like Rodney Dangerfield, often don’t get respect. (If, on the other hand, you are working on a free-form non-novel about existential suburban ennui I can’t help you. No one can help you.)

For most of us these old friends are books we read growing up, that spoke to us. For me it was Ian Fleming. I said, “I want to do that.”

I think when we revisit those old friends now, we can learn from them, if we watch or read as writers. And I think there are three tips that will help you to articulate what it is about the work that speaks to you. 

First, ask yourself why this work holds so much appeal to you. 

For me, in Godzilla (1998) it's the character of Nick Tatapoulous, the hero. Here’s a guy in the pouring rain outside Chernobyl, (yes, that Chernobyl) shoving metal rods into the mud so he can apply current and shock earthworms to the surface for capture — and he’s singing. He’s having a good time; this is his work and he’s been at it for three years. This is a guy I want to know more about. (For the rest of the movie the people on the team fighting Godzilla call him “the worm guy.”) He’s quirky and driven and interesting. 

Second, put yourself in the place of the author and try to see what elements they cared about. This is sort of the flip side of Tip Number One. Those elements may not be huge parts of the story, but if they mean something to the writer you will be able to spot them.

In Independence Day the father-son story between Randy Quaid and his son is not essential, you could take it out and still have a movie, yet it is the most emotionally-charged part of the film, just as you could take the comments about assisted living out of the Evanovich books and they’d still work as mysteries, but they’d lack some of the punch. That’s where Evanovich’s heart is. You need to remember that when you are writing, holding it as an example to encourage you to leave a part of yourself on the page.

So far we’ve talked about two tasks when you revisit an old friend, book or movie: you ask yourself why you like it, and you ask yourself what meant the most to the creator. There’s one more tip and it’s a little more difficult.

Third, look for evidence that the writer takes the work seriously.

That’s an absolute must for good stories. There’s a 1950’s science fiction movie called (I’m not making this up) The Hideous Sun Demon. It's about a scientist who is exposed to radiation and later finds that when he got out in the sun he turns into a big lizard and kills people. I think it's a documentary. Even adjusting for inflation, the budget for this film was probably less than the catering budget for one day of shooting on NCIS. In the notes that come with the DVD, the creator, who plays the scientist/lizard, talks about the monster costume they made out of a wetsuit and how hot it was during filming, how in some scenes if you look closely you can see sweat running down his, uh, pants. Did he have to go to all that trouble for a movie aimed at an audience of kids at the drive-in who were more interested in drinking beer and getting to know their dates? No, of course not, but he cared and it shows in a small, but well-crafted movie.

That works both ways. The Robert Aldrich 1955 film noir, Kiss Me Deadly is an example of a writer that didn’t take it seriously. He said in an interview, “I wrote it fast because I had contempt for it.” ⁽¹⁾ The film’s place in movie history is secure, but I think it sucks. The dialog is wooden, the characters some of the most unlikeable ever to slink across the screen, and it's untrue to the book. Mine is a minority opinion, but I stick to it. I hauled out the DVD and watched a good chunk of it to see if I still felt that way and I did.

So, why did I want to write about pop lit? Why, because I like it. Every time I see a new serious book and think I should be reading it, a new James Rollins or Caril Hiassen comes out and gets in the way. I write to entertain and I read for the same reason. That’s it. I can’t say I have no higher purpose, for me there is no higher purpose. How any of you remember the amazing, wonderful chapter in Stephen King’s it where the young writer struggling through a creative writing class suddenly blurts out, “Can’t a story just be a story?” Made me want to stand up and cheer.

Look, you may have a hard time explaining this to the woman who is finishing Crime and Punishment. She won’t get it because she reads for different reasons.

But you’ll know.

I’ve talked about a couple of movies and a few books that — thanks to you readers and to Fae who asked for another contribution — are my guilty pleasures. You know what? They’re not so guilty anymore, so thanks.

Now I’d like to hear yours. One of the coolest things about Writers in the Storm is the community, the sharing, so it’s time to fess up. Who knows? We all might find a new, unappreciated gem. What's your guilty reading pleasure?

 James R. Preston is the author of the award-winning Surf City Mysteries. The most recent is Sailor Home From Sea. He is finishing the second of a projected trilogy of novellas set at Cal State Long Beach in the 1960s. The next Surf City Mystery is called Remains To Be Seen and will be available in 2017. His work has been selected for the UC Berkeley Special Collection, California Detective Fiction. And when he needs inspiration for a great opening, he looks at a Jayne Ann Krentz.

(1)       Hiberman, J., The Thriller of Tomorrow, adapted from his book, An Army of Phantoms: American Movies and the Making of the Cold War.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Colleen Story 

Does using social media make us depressed?

Scientists seem to think so, which is a little…well, depressing.

Writers (and other creatives) are encouraged to use social media, after all, for marketing purposes.

Many of us might have even stayed away completely if not for the gentle nudgings of our editors, agents, writer friends, or “rules of Indie publishing” handbooks. (Commandment number three: thou shalt establish a platform on social media.)

So what does it mean for us if our time on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and all the rest is actually bad for our mental health?

Are we doomed to either let our platforms languish or suffer the darkness of depression and anxiety?

I dug a little deeper into the research, and I’ve come up with seven ways you can avoid either of these negative options, and keep social media where it belongs—as a helpful item in your creative toolbox.

Internet Addiction Is Not a Healthy Thing

Research has been connecting social media and depression for several years now. Back in 2010, for instance, they followed about 1,300 participants from the age of 16 to 51, and found that those who used the internet “excessively,” or who were considered “internet addicts,” were more likely to be moderately or severely depressed than those who used the internet less frequently.

Still, most of us wouldn’t consider ourselves addicts, so we didn’t pay much attention. In 2011, when a new study linked “a great deal of time on Facebook” with an increase in depression in teens, we nodded our heads. Of course those youngsters are on their gadgets too much, we agreed, and parents tried new methods to monitor and limit use.

When in 2012 another study connected high internet use with suicide, again, most of us hoped for prevention and outreach programs, and went on our way. But then some newer studies came to light that we couldn’t so quickly ignore.

Facebook Makes it Look Like Everyone Else Has It Better

This time, researchers tested the effects of Facebook on 82 participants five times a day for two weeks. They looked specifically at two things: how people felt moment-to-moment, and how satisfied they felt with their lives.

Results showed that Facebook produced negative shifts in both of these variables over time. The more people used the social media network, the worse they felt. The more they used it over the two week period, the less satisfied they were with their lives.

Why would this be?

The researchers theorized that we tend to compare when we’re online, and may often conclude that our lives are not as rich and full as those of our “friends” on Facebook.

Oddly enough, those who were most social in real life experienced the worst negative effect—the direct opposite of what we may have suspected. Researchers thought this may be because this group of people was more “sensitized” to social interactions.

Another study about the same time came up with similar results. Researchers found that those who used Facebook for longer periods of time believed others were happier than they were, and that their Facebook friends had better lives than they did.

Online: Is It All a Competition?

In 2015, Charlotte Rosalind Blease from the University College Dublin published an article reviewing the research to date, and concluded that Facebook users may regard themselves as competing with their friends, and often end up feeling inadequate as a result.

She determined four factors that increase risk of depression:

• having a lot of Facebook friends,
• spending a lot of time reading updates,
• frequently reading updates (at various times throughout the day), and
• how many of those updates contain content that suggests bragging.

We didn’t used to have to see how so many other people were doing all the time—particularly those who may be more “successful” or attractive than we are, or at least who portray that image.

Yet another study out of the University of Missouri-Columbia reiterated the same idea: if you’re comparing while online, you’re setting yourself up for the blues.

"Facebook can be a fun and healthy activity if users take advantage of the site to stay connected with family and old friends and to share interesting and important aspects of their lives," said study author Margaret Duffy. "However, if Facebook is used to see how well an acquaintance is doing financially or how happy an old friend is in his relationship—things that cause envy among users—use of the site can lead to feelings of depression."

More Social Media = Less Happiness for Writers?

So if it’s all about envy, as long as we keep in mind that people are portraying the most positive sides of their lives, and that everyone struggles, we should be fine, right?

Not so fast. Other studies have shown that it can be more complicated than that. One was published as early as 2010, and this time, the researchers focused on older participants—i.e., out of college. They found that participants who used social media the most reported the least bonding and an increase in loneliness.

Stephanie Mihalas, PhD, a psychologist and a clinical instructor in the department of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, stated that people spending a lot of time on social media can become victim to their own thoughts as they become less attuned to the world around them.

Recently, a larger study from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine got a lot of attention. Researchers studied nearly 1,800 people ages 19 to 32, and again found that the more time the participants spent on social media—this time including multiple platforms like Twitter, Google Plus, and Instagram—the more likely they were to be depressed.

On average, the participants used social media for about an hour a day, and checked their accounts about 30 times a week. More than a quarter of them had “high” indicators for depression (two hours a day or more). Other results included:

• Those who reported most frequently checking social media throughout the week had 2.7 times the likelihood of depression.
• Those who spent the most total time on social media throughout the day had 1.7 times the risk of depression.
• Exposure to “highly idealized” representations of peers on social media elicited feelings of envy and the belief that others lived more successful lives.
• Engaging in social media for extended amounts of time backfired—participants felt they had wasted their time, which negatively influenced their mood.

Ironically, time on social media can also lead people to assume they have little social support. We know that face-to-face interaction helps increase our sense that we are supported, and also decreases the risk of depression. One might think social media would extend the same benefits, but apparently not.

The same researchers mentioned above measured feelings of social support in their participants, and found that users reporting two hours a day or more on social media were less likely to feel like they had emotional support.

7 Ways to Keep Social Media from Ruining a Writer’s Mood

So far, scientists can’t prove cause and effect where all this is concerned. Some debate that we don’t know yet if people who are depressed already may be more likely to spend more time on social media, thus skewing the results.

The numbers keep coming in, though, and the evidence is piling up. From what we’re seeing so far, it looks like social media can be beneficial up to a point, but that we need to be careful how much we’re using it.

“Ultimately, it appears that the way social media is used, rather than the amount social media is used, leads to maladaptive outcomes,” says Lindsay Howard of the Virginia Consortium Program in Clinical Psychology in Norfolk.

How do we reduce the risk that our browsing may turn sour? Try these tips:

1. Limit your time on social media: This is the best method we have so far for making sure social media doesn’t bring us down. Limit it to no more than one hour at a time (for all sites), and try to take at least one day off each week.
2. Approach it carefully: If we approach social media as a business, and use it to build a platform and network with other creatives, we’re likely to be better off than if we fall into the temptation to compare lifestyles (and number of five-star reviews). Try to avoid comparisons in general, remembering that we all move at our own pace. If you see a post about someone’s bestselling book, for example, and you feel that twinge of envy, turn it around by using the post for inspiration. Share your “friend’s” success, check out the story yourself, or use the post as motivation to keep going after your own goals. If you feel this way often, consider steps that will limit how many of these types of posts you see.
3. Don’t allow negative stuff: Some research has suggested that emotions can be contagious online. When we see negative posts, we tend to post similarly negative responses, and vice versa. Try to keep your feeds positive by interacting with positive people. If one of your “friends” posts something sad or negative, feel free to offer your support, but realize the post may bring you down. Counteract the feeling with a few videos of puppies and kittens, or do something else to help yourself feel better. We all want to offer online support when we can—just be aware that it can have a contagious impact on your emotions, and you should take care to limit your exposure.
4. Create a schedule: Some research has indicated that the more we use social media, the more we can feel pressured to be on it more often. That can create anxiety and depression. Reduce your risk by setting specific times in the day when you will check social media, and block your access the rest of the time either with willpower or computer apps that refuse to allow you to log on.
5. Be aware of your feelings: Try to tune in to your feelings more often. Notice how you feel before you get on social media, and after. Consider keeping a diary about it for a week or so. If you’re noticing a negative effect, make some changes.
6. Limit your “friends”: In some studies, people with higher numbers of “friends” or connections were more at risk for depression. Most folks seem to be after big numbers of followers these days, but if you’re noticing negative effects, reconsider. Are you really engaging positively with all those people? Use lists and other methods to limit who you’re actually interacting with to those key folks who matter in your network.
7. Focus on your creativity: Sometimes we get too caught up in “consuming” social media, rather than using it to share our creativity. But we’re creatives! Bring your focus back to what you can create and share with your connections. Think about how you can brighten the lives of others, and keep your focus there. It will help you feel empowered and will remind you of your uniqueness—both great shields against depression.

Have you found that social media leaves you depressed sometimes?

Colleen M. Story writes imaginative fiction and is also a freelance writer, instructor, and motivational speaker specializing in creativity, productivity, and personal wellness. Her latest novel, Loreena’s Gift, was released with Dzanc Books April 12 2016. Her fantasy novel, Rise of the Sidenah, is a North American Book Awards winner, and New Apple Book Awards Official Selection (Young Adult). She is the founder of Writing and Wellness, a motivational site for writers and other creatives. Find more at her website, or follow her on Twitter.

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