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From: brust@hyper.UUCP (Steven Brust)
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: Re: semi-hot flash
Message-ID: <258@hyper.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 30-Sep-85 14:24:22 EDT
Article-I.D.: hyper.258
Posted: Mon Sep 30 14:24:22 1985
Date-Received: Thu, 3-Oct-85 03:53:22 EDT
References: <3764@topaz.RUTGERS.EDU>
Organization: Network Systems Corp., Mpls., Mn.
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> From: Douglas M. Olson <dolson@USC-ECLB.ARPA>
> 
> 
> Silly thing cost 4.95.  Thanks, Ace.  But how could I pass it up!
> 
> Doug     (dolson @ eclb.arpa)
> -------

I haven't yet said anything about the recent comments
on paperback prices, but as this one refers to ACE, and
I do have information on this.

It is known (at least by Susan Allison, who is in charge
of the Science Fiction for Berkley and Ace) that there is
a relationship between cost of a book and number of sales.
As I have said before, Science Fiction fandom means
approximately nothing in terms of sales of SF books.  Ace
wants to make as much money as possible.  They are aware
that there is a point where raising the price (and thus
diminishing sales) is a big loose, but don't know where
this point comes.

There is policy is, approximatly, to charge as little as
possible to insure that they make money.  If the book makes
money, the author becomes popular among the sales people
and they print more of his next book, etc.

It seems I have made this more confusing and less informative
than I intended to.  Sorry.  Perhaps I shouldn't go into
how it can be to an author's advantage to have a small print
run.  Okay, never mind.

What I do want to say is that Ace likes to keep the price
low for their own advantage.  There are four exceptions.  That
is, there are exactly four authors whose books can be priced
at just about anything within reason without having a
noticeable effect on sales.  Is there anyone who can
name all four?  I got three, but not the fourth.

			-- SKZB


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