I am to Blame for Decreasing Author Incomes: A one-way conversation

By James M. Jackson

Much of the world blames Amazon for the decline in author incomes. Here’s the truth: I am to blame, not Amazon. Well, I’m not all of the problem, of course; but a tiny bit does belong to me. A critical component of economics theory is how supply and demand shape prices. Part of the problem (the demand side) follows good economic logic on my part; the supply side of the problem demonstrates my economic foolishness. Let me explain:

Shall we start with the demand side, where I claim I am driven by economic logic? Thanks for your indulgence, because at least that part doesn’t make me look stupid.

There would be no Amazon if I didn’t buy stuff from them. (I suppose it’s clear that “I” includes a gazillion other people.) I do not buy print books for retail price, which means I rarely venture into a bookstore. Why should I pay full retail when I can buy the same book online and have it delivered to me in two-days’ time? My TBR (To Be Read) pile will hold me at least that long, and I don’t need the immediate gratification. I make an exception to the full price rule when I purchase a book in person from an author I know, but of the 1,000,000 books published in 2018, I don’t know very many of their authors, so that is cold comfort.

I have given up serendipitous “finds” by not wandering through a bookstore. But honestly, ever since I abandoned the self-help section, my choices have been driven by recommendations from people I know, authors I already read, and interviews I hear on NPR.

And if the author is well-known, I’ll get the book from the library. My taxes and donations pay for the library; I don’t feel guilty about this, nor do I object to people borrowing my books from the library. I love libraries. Always have; always will.

I tried Kindle Unlimited for a year. It was a test to see if I saved money. I didn’t—I don’t read enough books, and many of the nonfiction books I read aren’t available on that platform. But if it or any of its kin saved me money, I’d gobble it up like a mallard on white bread. Saving me money means someone—usually the author—is losing money.

So that’s not so bad, really—me being willing to take the deals the publishing business is offering, even though I know they’re not in the long-term best interests of my author community? Right? It makes sense. And it makes sense to millions of other readers. What, you wonder, is this irrational part I alluded to.

Because I am an author, I also affect the supply side of the equation. I add a book a year to the available titles. Economically, it makes no sense for me to do this. If I had spent the same time making burgers at McDonalds or performing any other near minimum-wage job for which I could qualify, I would have made more money than I have from my six published books.

Being an author is pure economic folly. Yet, I have done it for more than a decade and plan to continue. Unlike many of today’s authors, I do make money and pay taxes on it. But it is a pittance, and if I didn’t have outside income, I could never subsist on my profits. I’ve signed publishing contracts with little or no advance, and I’d do it again for the right opportunity. I accept the terms offered by Amazon—even if that means they take 65% of the value of my novella sales.

I continue to write short stories for which I receive token compensation. My little drop in the supply of books ocean is trivial—but combined with hundreds of thousands of others like me, we present a problem for all authors because we add to the supply and are willing to work almost for free.

Which means, I am personally stupid or we’re missing something from this economic equation. I add to my personal economic balance the pleasure I receive creating stories people enjoy reading. I love meeting fans, and other authors. I make no claim that I must write. I choose to write and that makes me part of the problem for those who think they must write.

*****

James M. Jackson authors the Seamus McCree mystery series. Empty Promises, the fifth novel in the series—this one set in the deep woods of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula—is now available. You can sign up for his newsletter and find more information about Jim and his books at https://jamesmjackson.com.