High-powered authors are losing their sales steam. Tom Clancy's, Stephen King's, and Michael Crichton's latest books aren't selling as well as their previous books. It could be that these recent books aren't meeting fans' expectations, they're too expensive, or that tastes are changing.
What we may see is the end of the huge book contract. A publishing executive told The Washington Post, "How can you rationalize paying $40 million for books that aren't going to net out?"
Article comments
1 - Eric Olsen
If they weren't so big maybe they wouldn't be so slow.
2 - Steve Rhodes
They are right about the impact of book prices.
I've been out of town, so I'm not sure if someone linked to the Salon piece a couple of weeks ago on this topic.
The other factor is all those returns means more remaindered books. Why pay $20 to $30 when you know you'll probably be able to get a remaindered hardcover in six months to a year for $4 to $8.