I picked up several copies of the new book, Ginty’s Ghost, from the post office the other day.

$21.95 plus 5% gst = 23.04.

I just mailed a bunch of books and found that the original $6.00 I quoted is too low for postage.  It costs $8.00 for one book and $15.00 for two books.  Those who have already sent cheques please don’t worry about it.

I am adding this comment on 23rd October.  I was at the P O again mailing more books and new computers are installed.  The price of most books mailed in Canada are anywhere between $10 and $13 dollars.  This is quite ridiculous but that is what it is costing me to send books to you.  More than one books seems to be very little more.  I will quite understand if you do not want me to mail you any at that price!

Ginty’s Ghost  is a departure from my other 9 books.   Instead of being about Nuk Tessli, the remote, fly-in mountain eco-resort I built and owned for 23 years, it is about my new home at a property I call Ginty Creek.  Only two people lived here before me, Ginty Paul and her father.  Ginty was a renowned eccentric.  The book is partly about my efforts to establish myself on her (long abandoned) property, and partly about Ginty herself, the last told in letters she wrote and by stories from people who knew her.

I will be doing a month-long slide show tour to promote this book.  I shall be starting in Prince George and Vanderhoof, and travelling south through the Okanagan to the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island.  Note that I now have a new page for my slide shows.  The complete itinerary to promote Ginty’s Ghost is posted there. My nine other books are listed on the book page:

Any good bookstore will be able to acquire this book for you.  In about 6 months, libraries will have it, too.  But here is a word or two about buying books.

It used to be that the author got more or less 10 % of the shelf price.  In other words, a $20 dollar book would bring me $2.00 in royalties – anything up to 15 months after they were sold.

Then electronic ways of buying books erupted.  Now my usual contract is 17% – of what the publisher gets.  This looks like a big figure until you break down the facts.

The publisher knocks 40% off to the book store.  He gets, therefore, 60% to pay the printer, the distributor, his staff and overheads, plus make a modest profit.  60% of a $20 book is $12.  I get 17% of that $12.  If the book is sold through Amazon, they take 60 %.  the publisher gets 40% ie $8.00 – I receive 17% of $8.00 – up to 15 months after the sale.

I use Amazon.  It is convenient as I live so far from a book store, and often cheap – especially when second hand books are concerned.  But you are doing both the publisher and especially the author disservice if you buy new books through Amazon.

Still, it is better than not buying the book at all!

I will be selling all my books on the slide show tour.   I buy the books at book-store price, in other words, I get the 40% discount from 3 of the publishers, although Harbour gives me a 50% discount.  I also receive the royalties from the remaining percent – up to 15 months after I purchase them – but I obviously earn a great deal more if I can sell the books myself.

I do mail order as well – but will charge an extra $8.00 for mailing ($15 for 2 books.).  However, you will receive a personally signed copy. Please see the blue paragraph at the head of this post added on October 23rd.  Mailing has suddenly jumped up from between $10 and $13 dollars for a single book n Canada!!

Even if you do not purchase a book at all, request it into your library.  Authors get a kind of royalty from that as well.  And please don’t feel bad about buying books from Amazon – it certainly saves money and I know all about that!  But if you are able to attend a slide show and can possibly wait until you meet me, I would much appreciate it.