James Daunt of Waterstone's - international bestselling author C.J. Beck to add value to book trade.

Sept. 2, 2011 - PRLog -- Will the next step be to push only those authors who hold product value and can maintain margin?

The embattled book trade certainly could do with a way out of slumping sales and profits.  

Barnes & Noble may have benefited from Borders' recent demise but they can expect only a brief respite from the downward trend that is effecting the entire book trade.


With the blast of war in their ears, British bookseller Waterstone's, must be stiffening the sinews and summoning up the blood to drop the three-for-two model.  

James Daunt, 47, the new managing director and former founder of independent bookseller Daunt Books, said the offer will cease from the end of next month, because they did not make commercial sense  

Obviously, It not only diminishes margins, it reduces value perception for both the Waterstone's brand and the author brands the chain sells.  But it's a courageous, gutsy ploy by Daunt - a move redolent of Act III of  Shakespeares's "Henry V".  "Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more."  


Many agents and publishers welcomed Waterstone's initiative.  But perhaps not all consumers despite a frequent in-store buying hurdle - deciding what third book to take.  That's where new boy Daunt's strategy will be put to the test.

Jonny Geller, literary agent at Curtis Brown, said bulk-buying also increases the length of time before shoppers return to a store.

Readers wary of their peers' views are now a few clicks away from the top reviewers reviews of their selections.

Moving with their customary glacial pace to catch up with the "times" it purports to report, that old publishing industry lodestone - Times Literary Supplement - now has an online presence at - http://www.TimesLiterarySupplement.com -  to search for the best in eBooks. They may also go direct to http://www.amazontophundred.com.

Readers can use the archives link or watch the latest film promotions for eBooks and print.  The first promotion is centered around an author renown for adding value.


Digital creative powerhouse Luxavia.com have taken the video promotional slot for eBook film trailers.  The first author they have chosen to promote is international bestselling "high-value" author C.J. Beck.  

Beck is not the top selling thriller writer, but he has the distinction of being one of the most highly "valued" on Amazon.  His eBooks sell for a premium between $9.99 and $19.99.  

Many Amazon Kindle "best-sellers" gain volume by retailing at 99 cents while the price of C.J. Beck's highly popular technothriller masterwork SPIKED sells for $19.99.  This high eBook price and the popularity of Beck's eBooks demonstrates that many book consumers are not price-sensitive when it comes to what they spend their time reading.

The premium C.J. Beck commands places him among the top aechelon of highly "valued" authors such as international bestselling thriller writers Ken Follett, Clive Cussler, John Le Carré, Michael Crichton,Tom Clancy and Wilbur Smith.