Let’s choose one example: Donna Tartt’s The Goldfinch. I’ve had my eye on this book since it was published six years ago in 2013. It dovetailed nicely into my interest in crime stories involving stolen artworks, an interest that led to The Collector (2014) and the “Esther Brookstone Art Detective Series,” Rembrandt’s Angel (2017) and Son of Thunder (coming soon—see below for a description). That interest is in turn motivated by my belief that preventing the general public from viewing masterworks is a criminal act in itself (which is why the Louvre’s decision to make da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa” less accessible did not set well with me), whether done by private collectors (often receiving the stolen artwork from art thieves), or by those who deal in the black market.

But I refused to buy, and still refuse to buy, The Goldfinch. It’s an old book by today’s standards, and yet it’s still $11.99 on Amazon (maybe because it’s now a movie?). If I read it, I’ll borrow it from a public library. Thank goodness books still provide that option. Public libraries are cherished institutions. The general public might never see the Boston Symphony Orchestra play Mahler’s Third Symphony or Les Bohemes at the Met—these tickets are astronomically expensive unless you sit in the nosebleed sections. You can buy a recorded performances of these great works, priced comparably with The Goldfinch, but you can also borrow the CDs from most public libraries.

But let’s stay focused on the book business. As the cost of ownership increases, often more than inflation, libraries will become more important. It’s a vicious circle that will eventually morph the Big Five’s long price-gauging reign into bankruptcy and cause them to lose a lot in the interim. By putting the exorbitant price of $11.99 on The Goldfinch (this is the ebook version—libraries often carry both ebook and print versions), a six-year-old book, Little, Brown, and Company (sorry fellas, I put in the Oxford comma!) are forcing readers to find alternative solutions, and that will hurt their bottom line more and more. Libraries are the obvious (and legal) alternative solution.

Readers who pay $11.99 for The Goldfinch should have their heads examined. Yes, I know, the publisher Little, Brown, and Company has huge costs to cover. And that’s the problems: Big Five publishing companies’ business models suck! Their bloated bureaucracy drives up costs, so they focus on what they consider are the sure bets provided by their agent-gatekeepers and their formulaic stable of old mares and stallions. In general, they’re not willing to gamble with the new, fresh voices found amongst small press and indie authors. Readers turn to the latter (I’m in that group). They can buy three ebooks like my The Last Humans from Black Opal Books  or Rembrandt’s Angel from Penmore Press, for the price of the six-year-old The Goldfinch. Maybe Tartt’s ebook is considerably better, if you believe the Pulitzer truly recognizes great literature—I really can’t say because I haven’t read it!—but is it three times better for the avid reader who has a limited budget? That avid reader will more likely turn to a library to find out. (In fact, s/he just might borrow my books too!)

This is segue to something that has bothered me for a while. The Big Five and its authors in particular, but small press and indie authors too, focus on prices and royalties. Arguably no one would publish books if there were no sales. Publishing is a business. But no one counts the borrowers, those who use online borrowing services as well as public libraries. I’m certain the venerable and dying NY Times in its mysterious, secret formula that determines a bestseller can’t include that count—it doesn’t exist! No one keeps track of it! Ms. Tartt’s book probably has many more readers than sales, for example. I might soon be another because her book caught my eye again…but I’ll probably wait for the price to go down!

For me, that’s what it’s all about—writing a novel that will entertain readers, whether they buy or borrow the book. That should be every author’s goal. Let’s leave it to the publishers to tune their business models as they see fit and concentrate on entertaining readers…and ourselves by writing the books that will entertain.

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Comments are always welcome.

Son of Thunder. #2 in the “Esther Brookstone Art Detective Series,” this sequel to Rembrandt’s Angel has Esther Brookstone, now retired from Scotland Yard, obsessed with finding St. John the Divine’s tomb, using directions left by the Renaissance artist Sandro Botticelli. Esther’s search, the disciple’s missionary travels, and Botticelli’s trip to the Middle East make for three travel stories that all come together in one surprising climax.

Esther’s paramour, Interpol agent Bastiann van Coevorden, has problems with arms dealers, but he multitasks by trying to keep Esther focused and out of danger. The reader can also learn how their romance progresses, as well as travel back in time to discover a bit about Esther’s past with MI6 during the Cold War.

It might seem like The Da Vinci Code, but the historical references here are confirmed as true and a product of my extensive research. History, archaeology, romance, religion, and art make for a tasty stew in this moving, moralistic mystery/thriller novel soon to be published by Penmore Press. While it can be read independently from the first book, you can learn more about Esther and Bastiann in Rembrandt’s Angel, available in print and ebook formats at Amazon and from the publisher, and in ebook format at Smashwords and the latter’s affiliated retailers (iBooks, B&N, Kobo, etc.) and lenders (Overdrive, etc.). Son of Thunder will be available at the same places.

Both are entertaining stories for your fall reading.

Around the world and to the stars! In libris libertas!

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