Walmart.com’s ploy: Good news for readers is bad news for authors
The good news is that Walmart.com is selling upcoming hot books — including Sarah Palin’s book — for $10.
The better news is that Amazon is either going to match them or go a penny better.
And that includes shipping!
While this is good news for readers, it is bad news for authors. I don’t suspect that anyone will make money at $10 per book.
If Walmart.com is hoping to get spinoff sales on other products from browsers, good luck. That’s the only way they will make money. But if those buyers are looking for deals on books, they will also look for deals on other products Walmart.com carries. Coupon discount sites are only a click away.
This is also bad news for authors. If readers expect books to cost $10, there’s not much upside left for traditional publishers or self-publishers.
