To be sad when I see novels in Poundland, Home Bargains, The Works, B&M or similar?

[Marmiteandjamislush]

FYI I am PG so may be over empathizing due to hormones

Was out earlier today, to buy work and craft books and school supplies for my boys who are both HE. Anyway, I was trawling through and wandered through the novel sections and I just felt really sad, especially for the lesser know authors. I just thinking, imagine it's been your dream to write a story, sometimes your story, you find an agent and get published and then there you are in the bargain bins. It's funny because I don't feel that when I go into supermarkets, some strange part of me thinks that that must be quite the opposite as SMs normally buy based on demand and imagine being thought of as being as essential as carrots ect. No, it doesn't make sense, I know.

Maybe I feel like that because I always wanted to have a go at writing but was never brave enough.

You can rest assured that a lot of those novels will be utter crap. Most of the rest are already past their peak, even ones that were initially successful.

They sell better known works in there as well though. I often see Dickens, Bronte, Tolstoy and Hardy on the shelves in the discount stores.

I'm just pleased to see books of any quality (and who am I to judge that?) on sale anywhere.

I have bought some in the past. It's fair to say I have wasted many a pound on some utter drivel!

It doesn't always mean that the book is rubbish and was sent straight to the bargain bucket. Sometimes the books has been out for a while, sales have peaked, and the shops are just selling off the remaining few. The author is probably busy finishing another book at this stage, and isn't really bothered.
But I suppose if the book had only recently hit the shelves and next thing it was on a '2 for £5' offer it would be quite demoralising.

Do you know how very, very few copies the average author sells of their books?

They are lucky indeed if their books end up in the bargain bins of shops people actually go into.

They'd sink without trace altogether if that didn't happen.

Rare is the author who makes any money writing.

They're the equivalent of free books on Kindle...which are crap. I think it's sadder that some of them got published in the first place.

Blimey! I'm a fairly well known illustrator and last week myself, mr agent and my publisher were celebrating ASDA taking a book of mine in 250 stores! It's a major part of sales.

And yes, people think your rich if you get a book published. I have nearly 50 books published (some selling very well for a children's book) and am not rich

The only thing I dislike about supermarket books are the lack of shelve space for new authors and different genres.

I used to work at The Works. A lot of the books are remainders - a print run might be x thousand, of which y have been ordered by the big chains and The Works get whatever is left. Some of the books are seconds. We once had an irate woman return a book that she had read, all except the last page - because it was in French!

I remember getting sad at stuff like this when I was preggers. I sobbed unconsolably at Neighbours one day

Thanks Moly x I feel a bit less sad reading some of the posts!

I am surprised to hear that the wages are so low, with that level of success Harry, do you ever get to meet your readers?

OTOH, previous xmas in a Poundland there was a shelf full of Tony Blair's autobiography.

I think it's great you can still buy them. Imagine non - reader somewhere seeing one, giving it a go and loving it. And becoming a reader.
If you are feeling frustration at your own surpressed/forgotten aspirations, start a diary and see how you go. You need to get your writing muscles into shape and can only do that by doing it. Good luck with your plans.

Shout out to The Works, the assistant in there let my DD(6) use the staff loo when she was bursting the other day.

Maybe some people in Poundland etc buy books they wouldn't otherwise read if not for bargain bins.

Don't worry Marmite, I'm in a fairly good wage but definitely not rolling in it! Last year I earned just under 30k. Good money, but the levels people think you're at when you're a published person ;)

Yes, I do get to meet readers which is great, but I try to limit it as it all takes time away from the actual doing it which can be high stress, and long hours. Great job to have though.

*not the levels.

Sorry, trying to type too fast.

Drawing is such a talent, Harry, I love looking at illustrations. Those are good points hadn't thought of Downton and Sparky.

Getting an agent is doable. Getting your book published is cool. But it's getting your book sold that is difficult. Most authors will be happy to be in the 3 for 2 offers, etc. because it increases readership.

Unless you are JK Rowling, Stephenie Meyers, that Fifty Shades of Grey woman and other best-selling authors, you don't get paid much relative to other jobs you may be able to do.

A book often takes years to write (unless you are Stephenie Meyers who wrote the first book in three months or so). Let us say it takes me 3-4 years to write my first book (subsequent ones tend to get finished faster). If they gave me a £100,000 advance - which is a very, very good offer - then that may sound great. However, divide it by 3-4 years, and I'd be getting far less than half my yearly income with my current day job.

Being an author is something you do because you love writing, love your story, etc. You don't do it to make money... it takes a lot of luck to hit the jackpot.

It's very true that authors make sod all money these days, even the good ones.
However (as both an author and a book lover) there's some benefit to authors in their books going to discount shops - sometimes someone buys a book for 99p, thoroughly enjoys it and goes trotting off to Waterstones (or Amazon) to buy the rest of the author's output at a price which means the author gets a few pence out of the sale...

I've discovered some of my favourite authors from publishers clearing house three-for-a-fiver books and gone on to buy most of their back catalogue.

I can see why authors struggle to make money - I rarely buy a book 'new' at full price. Plus,mwith the kindle, I have access to thousands of books at low prices for lesser known authors - I don't think ive paid more than a fiver for a book.

It makes me wonder how wh smiths survives.

Why?

The thing that has amazed me since being published is how much giving away of books goes on - publishers paying hundreds of pounds to Netgalley to let them give away loads of ebooks free to reviewers or Bookbub to advertise free or virtually free deals. As a writer you want lots of reviews to bump you up the listings on Goodreads - and if you want free books just write a successful book blog and the ppublishers might even send you freebies as well as the books.

DD love for books comes from being able to buy cheap books, she will only ever buy new books but very rarely the kind of books she reads shes able to pick up in cheap shops otherwise she would own a lot more books.