Andrea/Cara here, just back from RWA and four days filled with workshops on the craft of writing and the business aspects of marketing the books that result from our labors of love. (Though the best part of the conference is just hanging out with other writers—not only were Mary Jo, Joanna and I presenting a workshop together, but we also got the chance to just kick back and spend hours together yakking about everything under the sun. That was incredibly special.)
Creativity crackled in the air throughout the whole conference—the excitement of imagining new stories, the stresses of putting them into words, the uncertainties of the publishing business...
Which made me really stop and think about an irate letter I received from a reader on the day I returned home. In it, she expressed how upset she was that my latest book, Murder on Black Swan Lane, costs $11.99 in e-book, which she thought was was FAR too much, and that I should tell my “greedy publisher” that she would never, ever buy it.
On one level I sympathize. Most of us don’t have money to burn, and if you’re like me, you love to buy books, so the cost can add up. But I also began to think a little more deeply about how to respond to her.
How do we put a price on Creativity?
To begin with, I pointed out that there are a lot of costs involved behind that electronic file—all of which make it a better book for readers than I can produce on my own. Professional editors, copy editors, proofreaders, art department, sales departments, printing and typesetting to make sure libraries and readers who prefer paper can also enjoy the story . . . and the list goes on and on. It takes a lot of incredibly hard work to produce a book that measures up to a certain level of polish. And that dedication has a cost
Self-publishing has certainly rejiggered reader expectations of price. There’s a sea of e-books available for $.99 and for free. Are they uniformly of the same quality as traditionally published book? I find that many aren’t, but of course that is up to an individual reader to decide. However, it seems to me that no matter what you are buying—food, clothing, etc.—quality does cost more.
Another thought that immediately came to mind was the fact that these days a movie ticket costs more that $11.99, and yet most of us don’t bat an eye at forking over the money for the pleasure of enjoying perhaps 2 hours of entertainment. We go away happy. Now, the average book provides even more “escape.” Say the reading of it takes 4 hours—that’s roughly $3. per hour you’re paying for entertainment. Seems a bargain to me. Pushing it a step further, I started to think what, in general, $10. or $12. buys these days. Ummm, it’s kind of frightening how little!
These days, a fancy cup of latte can cost close to $5. and people gladly hand over the price to enjoy the fleeting pleasure of its taste. A very modest bottle of wine goes for around $10. And yet there’s something about artistic creativity that seems to flip a switch in many people, who seem to think that stories and music and visual creativity aren’t real “work”, and therefore don’t merit real pay. I’m puzzled by the attitude. I’ve had lots of people say to me, “Oh, you have a book out! Cool! Can you give me a copy?” I doubt they say to a friend who is a lawyer. “Oh, you write wills! Cool. Will you do mine for free?”
The fact that there are so many piracy sites for books and music seems to reinforce the idea that “creativity” is somehow just fun stuff that flows from some ethereal Muse, and that those of us who channel that imaginative process should simply share it.
Aside from the handful of megastars in any creative industry—authors, actors, musicians, etc—most practitioners work very hard at scraping out a living through their art, and often have a second job in order to keep at their passion. Yet most people imagine a far different scenario.
It may also be that creativity just isn’t seen as a respectable, useful skill. I recently had my plumber come out to replace a broken water heater. He’s a lovely guy, and did a great job, especially as the new model needed the pipes to be reconfigured. (Of course, the old fittings didn’t align with the new fittings!) The work didn’t come cheap, but I had no complaint about paying it. He’s very good at what he does . . . not to speak of the fact that my downstairs was going to flood if the old one wasn’t quickly replaced.
Okay, what we authors do is far more intangible. No houses are going to fill with water if we don’t write our chapters. But I certainly like to think we provide something of elemental value. Celebrating the power of Hope and Love and Imagination seem just as important as copper tubes and valves . . .
So, these are some of my initial—and rather rambling—thoughts in response to the letter. I’d really like to hear yours. Are you loath to pay $11.99 for an e-book from a traditional publisher? Do you think books in general are overpriced relative to other things? And on a more philosophical level, what are your feelings about how creativity is valued in today's society? Please share!