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October 10, 02011
At the end of July, Amazon.com had a summer reading sale. I don’t know the exact numbers of hard copy or e-book versions that were sold, but my ranking went from 172,000 to a high of 5,400. Sword Fighting in the Star Wars Universe was the only Star Wars title in the sale which included over 50 books of various genres. The paperback went on sale to $14.99 (from $35); the Kindle edition to $3.99 (from $15). While I only get 10% from the actual purchase price, it was also great publicity for a 4-year-old book and a chance for my friends and fans to purchase the book at a reasonable price.
Amazingly, Sword Fighting continues to sell on Amazon without any publicity, but the summer week-long sale has helped to increase sales of the book and to maintain future purchases. How? Well, when anyone on Amazon searches for a Star Wars book, my book may pop up as a suggestion in the “Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought” section. It is presently linked with 100 books that include mostly Star Wars fiction, but also martial art books, Star Trek, and even a nudist book. I don’t understand the last one, but it does shed a little light on the type of people who purchase my book.
The $35 price is set by my publisher McFarland Publishing. And according to their marketing scheme to libraries, that price is typical. They don’t print editions for brick-and-mortar stores so they don’t have to sell it at the typical $20 for an academic non-fiction of its type. The Kindle edition is $5 above the typical $9.99 Amazon price but that still fits with other books of its type.
Since the summer sale, the price of the paperback went back to its full price of $35, while the Kindle edition went back to its former discounted price of $15. The paperback at its expensive full price is still being purchased, but obviously my publisher sees more money to be made by selling the Kindle edition which, because of its price, outsells the paperback version.
Pricing of e-books has been a controversial issue among publishers and online sellers like Amazon. The inequity still puts the writer at a disadvantage, but the publishing world is still evolving.
Thanks, though, to everyone who purchased by book during the sale. But also a special thanks to those who are purchasing a full price paperback. You guys rock! I just hope you think you got your value’s worth. Thanks for supporting a friend, family, or a total stranger who likes Star Wars as much as you do.
Nick Jamilla
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