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On The Waterstones 3 for 2 Thing and Being In The “Lucky Third”

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Earlier today I tweeted a link to a BBC news item about Waterstones ending their 3 for 2 book promotions scheme.  This has been widely reported and the Guardian report can be found here.  @simonlucas replied to my tweet with a question as to whether this is good or bad.  I've been thinking about this and thought I would put my views down for what it's worth.
 
To be honest I think it largely depends on whether you are a customer or not, as to me this seems to be good for the customer, and maybe as a mainstream author, but if you are a lesser known author and perhaps emerging talent then the news is not quite so good for you.  Now I know nothing about how the pricing of books work, and how the retail price affects the wider industry and ultimately the authors revenues, so I am sure that this is probably far more complicated than my simple mind can cope with, but anyway here goes.
 
I've often found it hard to truly benefit from 3 for 2 in Waterstones.  I can find one or two books but often not a third, so might end up with something that I didn't really want in the first place, and I have a few books on my shelves that fall into this category and in some cases have yet to be read.  To be honest I've had more success in supermarkets, because I can find one or two books at a reduced price, and they are really books that I want.  This only works for very popular authors however as the lesser known ones are unlikely to find their books on the supermarket shelves, and with 3 for 2 I have often picked up a lesser known author as my "lucky third", read it, enjoyed it and gone back to read their backlist.  So for me to have the choice of books at £3, £5 or £7 is more appealing than a 3 for 2, but if you're one of those "lucky third" authors then it is now likely that I am not going to be taking a chance on your book. 
 
Given that if I ever get published myself I am more likely to be in the "lucky third" category than the mainstream (at least to start with!), then the demise of 3 for 2 is not going to be a good thing.  If my book is not "free" then how many less people are likely to "buy" it and discover me and then make me mainstream?
 
Now this year in particular my book buying and reading has changed considerably.  I have read far more books this year than I can recall ever doing, many have been e-books (on kindle) and many have been as a result of picking book choices up through twitter, Good Reads and other places, and less through browsing the shelves of Waterstones.  The majority have been written by authors who's books I have never read before and most you wouldn't find on the shelves of Waterstones or similar let alone as a "lucky third".
 
Times are a changing however and I have written about the impact of e-books and online sales on bookshops before, and my concerns about the potential loss completely of the high street bookshops, so I won't repeat those again.  This year has seen Borders close it's doors, and I have read many articles about small independent shops closing too, so life is tough out there for high street bookstores, there is considerable competition from e-books, the online retailers and the likes of supermarkets.  To me there is something special about a bookshop though, it is an experience that I wouldn't want to see lost from the high street, one that generations to come should be able to continue to enjoy. 
 
I do feel though that the beginning of the end as far as bookstores are concerned has been reached and I think it is going to be increasingly likely that more bookstores will close over time, particularly more smaller shops in smaller towns but also I suspect we may well still see the end of some of the bigger chains too.  Waterstones might be safe, they are after all the only big chain in the UK now, outside of WHSmith, and overall I think the demise of the 3 for 2 is probably a good move for them and their customers but perhaps not so for lesser known authors. 
 
So I think if you (hopefully like me one day) will be in the "lucky third" then it might be time to turn more to self-publication, certainly self-promotion, and rely more on online sales.

Book Review: The Lizards Bite by David Hewson

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The Lizard's Bite (Nic Costa Mysteries 4)The Lizard’s Bite by David Hewson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Falconi, Peroni, Costa, Lupo & the former FBI agent Emily Deacon return. 

A fire in a glass foundry leaves two dead, but is it an accident, a murder/suicide, or double murder?  Falconi and his team having been banished from their Roman home to the city of Venice slowly uncover a tale of deceit and murder in the ancient city.   With Massiter the intriguing Englishman all is not as it seems, and as further murders follow, Falconi’s men must uncover the truth.

This is the fourth “Nic Costa” book, and the series goes from strength to strength, from the horrific opening scenes to the satisfying final chapters, this entry in the Costa series is by far the best of the first four, in my opinion.  As I have read the series out of order I know that it goes from strength to strength from here on, but I am trying to start and read/reread the series from the beginning.

For me, whilst these are very much of the crime crime/mystery genre, they are also about art, culture, architecture, travel, good food and good wine.  One of my favourite weekend pastimes now is to sit with a Nic Costa tale, and a glass of Italian white that I have read about in a previous outing.

The Lizard’s Bite also sits alongside David Hewson’s standalone novel, “The Cemetery of Secrets”, although I have yet to read the latter, and either book can be read without the benefit of the other, some characters appear in both books.

Ah, Venice and murder, another outstanding Nic Costa tale from David Hewson, recommended!

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Book Review: Adventures of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles by Edward A Grainger

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Adventures of Cash Laramie and Gideon MilesAdventures of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles by Edward A. Grainger
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was my introduction to the characters of Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles, and I wasn’t disappointed. A selection of short stories, that show the violence of the old west and the principles that the lawmen of that time held dear is well portrayed.

A highly recommended read.

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An Impossible Reading Challenge?

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Each year, over the last few years I have set myself a different reading “challenge”. I’ve had challenges around the number of books I would read in a year, this year I started at 30 books in the year, and have now extended that to 60, having reached and past 30 a while ago.

Previously I have made promises to my bookshelves on the near state of collapse that I would only buy a new book if I had read one first. In that year I read some 38 books (and probably bought 38 too).

And so the challenges go.

Recently I’ve been thinking about some of the classic crime novels there are, and rereading some Arthur Conan Doyle, and more recently my mind has turned to Agatha Christie.

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Now I have read some of her novels in the past, but I thought it would be interesting to try and read them all. Could I do this in a year? All in 2012 perhaps? Then I realised just how many books there are: http://agathachristie.com/attachments/assets/Reading_order_with_dates.pdf

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So maybe not?

I do still intend to read them all, but it might take me a while!

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Book Review: Lake Charles by Ed Lynsky

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Lake Charles: A Mystery NovelLake Charles: A Mystery Novel by Ed Lynskey
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It’s the summer of 1979 and Brendan Fishback, his sister Edna and brother-in-law Cobb Kuzawa are heading to Lake Charles to do some bass fishing and have a good time.

Brendan has the spectre of a murder charge hanging over his head, a crime that he didn’t commit, and this might be the last chance he gets to cut loose before his trial.

Lake Charles isn’t the same place that it was though, once a haven for leisure, it’s now run-down and in a bad way, and it isn’t long before Brendan’s situation goes from bad to worse. His sister disappears and Brendan and Cobb run up against some back-country marijuana growers while trying to find her.

“Lake Charles” is told by Brendan in the first person and also through the clever use of flashbacks in dreams in Brendan’s mind’s eye. In this way Ed Lynskey writes a novel that oozes evil and violence by turn. As the story unfolds you are caught time and again by another punch to the guts in terms of a twist in the plot or a revelation that you didn’t see coming. Page after page, I found myself thinking about things I wanted to include in this review, but without giving too many spoilers that would have made this review too long, and given away too much of the plot.

The story carries an air of realism, and is grounded with the practicalities of the late ‘70s, this gives it an edge in terms of pace and dialogue that wouldn’t have been possible with a more modern setting. The characters feel complete and as a result as the plot turns, you become embedded in what is happening to them and wondering what the next shock will be.

This is the first novel I have read by this author, but I will certainly be looking out for others, and would recommend “Lake Charles” if you like a good crime or mystery.

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Book Review: Back Of Beyond by C. J. Box

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Back of BeyondBack of Beyond by C.J. Box
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Cody Hoyt is a troubled cop, at the edge of control, with the threats of alcohol abuse and violence only ever a step away.

When he receives word that his friend and AA mentor has been burnt alive in a fire Hoyt goes to the scene.  First impressions are of an accident, but Cody Hoyt realises that not everything is how it seems, and sets to work investigating his friends murder.

A recovered computer hard-drive from the scene leads Cody on the trail of the murderer and to a backcountry outfitter and a trip into Yellowstone National Park.  Can Cody stop the killer before he strikes again, and perhaps his next victim is Cody’s son who is on the same backcountry trip with his stepdad.

C. J. Box starts this one out at what seems like a perceptively slow pace, but the initial investigation  rapidly leads to a rattling pace that sees the story expand and lay out a great narrative, in one of the most stunning locations on the planet.  Box doesn’t stint on using the backdrop as a part of the tale, using wolves, bears and hot springs as part of the story.

The tale can be tricky to follow if you’re not paying attention, and if you’re planning to work out the who, what, why before the end you’ll need to be playing close attention.

C. J. Box is probably best known for his Joe Pickett series, but this stand alone (although Hoyt has appeared before), is just as good as any of the Pickett series, and well worth a read this summer.

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