I don’t have anything DIY to tell y’all cause I’m out stalking all the book stores in town to see my name on the shelf!
Okay, wait, I will do a quick lesson in frugality versus community support. Guess what? Picture Books don’t actually cost the bookstore $17. More like 10 or 11. So when you go to Amazon and see that my book is already discounted…it’s not on clearance. They can just afford to sell the books for much closer to cost and squeeze out the mom and pop stores. So, then I’m conflicted. Do I buy books at Davis-Kidd and support my fave bookstore (and spend five bucks more) or do I hop on Amazon and get it cheaper, but someday find that there are no more bookstores to wander in town?
Deanna/Ivory
PS Vote…since we all know I’m Deanna and that my parents didn’t NAME me Ivory, what do you want me to call myself?
{ 38 comments… read them below or add one }
Congratulations!
Congratulations! What a wonderful success! Where to buy the book is a tough one when you put it in those terms. And for what it’s worth I’ll probably keep thinking of you as ‘Ivory’.
I say stick with Ivory. Keep it simple.
Congratulations!! I will definately get it at the local bookstore. It will be a Christmas gift for my 5-year-old daughter. Hip Hip Hurray for you!
And I agree – you are Ivory to me.
n.
Congratulations on your book!
And I agree, you’ll always be Ivory Soap to me. I’m considering naming my baby-to-be after you because I’ve become so fond of the name…
And no offense to Tomato Lady, but I can’t bring myself to put that name in the running…
Amazon versus bookstore? Well, I’m am Amazon person myself (we’re on one income here), but I can say that SOME books are NOT cheaper at Amazon. For instance, when I was purchasing some “That’s Not My ________” Books for my kids… at both the walk-in store and Amazon, they were both selling for list. Hmmmm. In that case, I actually did get them at the store… because why wait?
We have almost 5000 people in our town and NO bookstore. You can only buy certain magazines at the grocery but those are often out of date (by a week or so) and the few books are all in the Harlequin romance genre. It is a travesty. I have often wondered if my wife and I could survive running an indy bookstore/newsstand. I say, go with the local store. The $5 extra bucks can be seen as an investment into the local economy and an exercise in good stewardship and giving. Not to mention the shipping for Amazon. That always gets me and jacks the price back up and causes me to have to wait (albeit 2-3 days only) which is not my favorite thing to do.
And for the name? Ivory. Simple. Innocent. Lovely.
Congratulations…
Oh, and when I saw the picture of your book in your first announcement, I thought to myself “I thought SHE write a book… who is Deanna?”
So I guess you’ll stay Ivory in my mind.
I’d keep Ivory. I’d also buy from where it’s cheaper if it were me (excluding Walmart.) I actually prefer to buy my books on resale in the first place so this isn’t a problem for me much.
That is so exciting!! Congratulations!! Maybe the local bookstore will give you a discount?! If you buy in BULK!!?
I wrestle with that dilemma all the time too…although not actually with my own book.
What a total thrill it must be to stalk bookstores for your own name!
I like to go to the nearest Powell’s (fantastic, but an hour away from our small town) and look for books with the kids. I seem to spend $40 every time I go there (about 4 times a year) on books I know I cannot get at the library or Amazon. These books are usually older and special.
I then go home and check my seventeen branch library online system, for all the other books I wrote down titles for, while at Powell’s. If I can get them at the library, great! If not, and I really want them, I order at Amazon.
This system lets me feel like I’m supporting a local book store, saving money (by using the library) and then really enjoying the books I do purchase – knowing I’ve done all I can to find them locally and cheaply for our budget.
Congrats!
And you are definitely Ivory to me.
Congrats on the book. I think you should stay ‘Ivory’
Keep Ivory (unless you don’t want to).
The Amazon thing is a problem, because publishers also pay authors lower royalties on books bought from any of the big discounters (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, etc). The deal is that the author gets royalties on the amount the bookstore pays the publisher, and Amazon selling a book for 60% off cover? Did not pay the same price that Joe’s Bookstore paid, they paid a third to a half of the price Joe’s Bookstore paid. Since a book’s royalty is normally 10-12% of what the publisher gets paid for the book, and the publisher gets paid 30-60% of the cover price, that works out to the author of a book which sells for $17.95 getting 60 cents to about $1.29 per copy sold.
Not. Much. Especially when most books sell fewer than 10,000 copies and the sales are spread out over a period of two to five years, with the payment spread out likewise. :-p
(My husband is a writer; these figures are from life. It’s not a highly paid profession unless you produce a blockbuster.)
I only buy from Amazon when the book is out of print or very hard to find. Keep the name Ivory – it adds to the fun of your blog!
My vote is for the local bookstore. I will always pay a few $$ more to support a local mom & pop vs. Big Business.
Is the option of you selling a few to us with your signature for a few more $$ available? I am sure many of us regular readers would prefer to get our books that way.
Congratulations, Miss Ivory!
I support my local book store, and also don’t pay more for my books. The lady who owns it buys used books at estate auctions, remainder sales, and from her customers, then charges half cover price. She also sells new books at lower than usual book store prices. If she can make her business work like this (she’s owned the store for at least ten years), others can too.
definitely stick with Ivory…that is who you are in the blogging world…as for the book…support your bookstore…I only ever go to amazon as a last resort…willl the book be in the uk???
Ivory, you are!
And, I thought the same as Owl Momma – who is this Deanna person?
Big Fat Congrats on that, btw!
As for the local v. megastore – I think I go with whoever is cheapest.
Lately, I’ve learned that the library system can get books from anywhere! SO, that’s the route I’ve been going lately!
Local bookstore, Ivory, and CONGRATS (again)!
Congrats! The day finally came! Yay!
I use Amazon way more than I should, and my local bookstore way less than I should. But I use neither as much as my local library.
I’d stick with Ivory too!
Well,,,, you pay $5.oo more and don’t have to wait days for shipping. You buy online and in addition to the cost of the book you pay for shipping. I don’t think you need to feel emotionally conflicted to squeezing out book stores. Not everyone likes to pay for shipping when they can run down the street and walk away instantly with the item of their desires.
Hey Ivory…congrats on the book. Unless you feel as though you have multiple personality disorder…keep Ivory, it is a great moniker. Because of you and TL, I finally like Ivory soap (the product) again
As for the bookstore, I tend to buy where ever things are cheaper….unless I can get a signed copy then I’m happy to pay shipping to Canada
withajoyfulheart
Support the local. And tell they you’re the author while you’re at it. Those local bookstores are great for recognizing local authors. Congrats!!!
I have yet to buy anything at Amazon, I tend to buy books locally (but not at the oldest only new books, book store in town because they treated me as a shoplifter when I was in high school) or at Powells.com, which sells new and used books and has a huge brick and mortar store in my state. They are actually in danger of closing even though they sell books online. I think real stores need support or we will lose them.
ooopps! Congratulations!
And Ivory it is
I think I will continue to think of you as Ivory!
1. Congrats! You should be patting yourself on the back!
2. I will not do business with Amazon for many reasons, but if you want a good reason, as a writer, not to support them, check out http://www.writersweekly.com for some “interesting” news about Amazon and small publishers/independent authors.
Cheers!
Fantastic! So happy to see your dream come true!
As for the Amazon thing well… kinda torn. Money is tight (so tight it squeaks around here – can’t afford to change my mind OR pay attention!) but it is a good thing to support your local businesses. I live in (well outside really!) a small farming community (we just got our 4th stoplight a few years ago!) and we also are fortunate to have a top rated (albeit small) university. It is nice to be able to have a grocery store in town (many towns around us do not) and a local hardware store where they know your name. I would hate to have to run to the nearest Wally World (20 miles) when I just need some pipe tape and a bolt or need some more sugar to finish a recipe!
Sooo… that goes under “how not to answer a question” or maybe better “how to answer a question like a politician!”
And you will always be Ivory Soap to me! I mean… would the Tomato Lady even wanna hang out with Deanna?
Congratulations! That’s very exciting about your new book. Also, I vote for Ivory too!
Super Uber Congo-Rats on the Book getting published !! Fantastic ! I will have to get a copy at my local mom-n-pop brick store. I like to buy there because I prefer to support Home-Town Shoppes whenever I can do so. I even go to a mom-n-pop gas station even though I pay a penny or two more than at the local chain store’s gas pumps ( that second one is at Wal-Mart). Why? Because they know my name in the mom and pop station !! That’s part of the reason I left Houston and moved back to a small town three years ago this very week. I was tired of being just another unknown person in the throngs of people.
I do like the idea of ordering a Signed Copy from the Author. When are ya gonna do that, Ms. Ivory?? SOON !! <> The ONLY time I order books from Amazon is when I am ordering text books and they seem to be the only place that I can get the books through. I just got two text books last week from that mongrel store….gggggrrrr… I PAID extra for two-day delivery. But how long did it take?? Oh just two WEEKS!! Ggggrrr. So I got behind in the reading for one of my two online courses already. Atleast my professor was kind and understanding and let me take the missed quiz tonight. There are still some nice folks in the world !!
Again, Congrats !! I can’t wait to get a copy and read it, and show it to my teenaged daughter who used to dream of writing and illustrating a book.
Congratulations! You should be very proud.
I’m currently housebound with a broken leg so I can’t check in person but I checked Powell’s Book’s website and here you are!
http://powells.com/s?header=Search+Form&kw=caswell%2C+deanna
I have loved Powell’s for many years but considering their current size and the rumors I’ve heard regarding their labor practices, I’m not sure where the difference lies between them and big-box stores. (I’m happy to be wrong here.)
I do support local businesses whenever I can and don’t mind paying a little more. All I can think of is the movie You’ve Got Mail. It breaks my heart to think of all stores everywhere looking so cookie cutter.
Congratulations, that’s so exciting!
How exciting it must be to have your OWN book and see your name in stores on the shelves next to other great authors!
Deanna is a very lovely name, however, I am partial to Ivory. I have always loved Ivory soap and now thanks to you–shampoo with it.
Congratulations!
Hi – I think the name Deanna is so pretty. I would want to go by my given name. I never was much for nicknames either. Congratulation on the book.
I am an aspiring writer – I love your site even more now
!!!!!