Readers will doubtless recall that question from youngsters on long car journeys. They had no idea of time, no patience, and an endless supply of “I want it my way! Now!”
That attitude seems to be afflicting SJW author Jason Sanford, who can’t wait to debunk the boycott of Tor Books that I and others called for following the unconscionable remarks made by one of that company’s editors (the latest in a long line of them, made by more than one individual and using company time, computers and networks to do so). A couple of weeks ago he was already claiming that the boycott had failed. Today he doubles down on his obsession.
After examining two additional weeks of sales data it appears my initial analysis was correct. This new data shows that for the five weeks prior to the boycott starting on June 19, the weekly sales average for these Tor titles was 1652 books sold per week. For those same Tor titles, their weekly average sales for the last four weeks of the boycott has been 1679 books sold per week.
So on average, Tor’s sales for these titles are up slightly since the boycott started.
There’s more at the link, if you want to waste your time on it.
I repeat what I’ve said before: the Tor boycott is a long-term effort. I know for certain, based on solid feedback from literally hundreds of individuals, that it’s already biting. It was an eye-opener at LibertyCon last month to have so many people come up to me, thank me for taking a stand, and confirm that they were part of the boycott. I’m certain that in 2015 alone, the boycott will have a six-figure effect on Tor’s turnover – not much for a multi-million-dollar-turnover publisher, but that’s just the start. As those involved in the boycott continue it and spread the word, the impact will grow. I fully expect it to reach a cumulative total of seven figures over time. Again, that may not seem like a lot to scoffers and naysayers; but I think in today’s publishing market, where margins are already razor-thin, such a loss of turnover may have an impact out of all proportion to its dollar value. Vox Day, who’s also called for a boycott of Tor, has more ‘inside information’ than I do, and he’s also confident that the campaign is having an impact.
Thank you to all of you who’ve taken a stand on principle and stood up for what is morally and ethically right. That has a value all its own, in a world that doesn’t attach much value to either morals or ethics. Stay the course. This will go on for years, and I think it will bear both short- and long-term fruit. (As I pointed out a couple of weeks ago, there’s already convincing evidence of that.)
As for Mr. Sanford . . . he’s welcome to continue to focus on statistical minutiae from a source that’s not exactly renowned for its accuracy. We shall see what we shall see.
“Little things amuse little minds, little pants fit little behinds. Let that be today’s beautiful thought.”
– Lieutenant-Commander Robert Bollinger Badger, RN
Peter
Remember the golden rule of these scumbags: SJWs always lie.
I'm not boycotting Tor because I expect them to change their ways. I'm boycotting Tor because their public values, as demonstrated by their employees, are offensive to me, and I choose not to support those values.
From that point of view, whether or not it hurts Tor today, tomorrow, or two years from now is irrelevant.
I concur with both of the above. Well said.
Oh, but I can top that one: a gay-pride in Glasglow has announced that they're banning drag queens (men who dress as women) because it might offend transgender (men who dress as women)! But, then the trabsgender drag queens (!) got upset …
http://lastresistance.com/12836/gay-pride-event-bans-cross-dressing-because-it-might-offend-transgender-people/
And it's not like Tor has had any MAJOR releases since the boycott began. If things haven't changed by the time Wolfe, Sanderson, Wright, or Card have a new book released, they'll see a real drop. Yes, they have some other very good authors, but those are the ones that have a much larger conservative fanbase.
Number of books sold is one thing – revenue is another; with the discounting that goes on from major publishers through major sellers, lower demand could mean the same number of sales but at a lower price each. This would actually hurt them more than fewer sales since they would expend more resources (shipping, printing, etc) for less return.
Actually, looking over recent purchases (i.e., the last few years. . .), I find I've only bought TWO Tor books, and they were both John C. Wright.
Kind of hard to boycott when you're not exactly buying in the first place. . . .
In my case, I actually have a number of Tor books – though a smaller percentage than I would have guessed, and even adding the Ace-imprint authors that followed Tom Doherty doesn't help much.
But it's still a lot of books.
The only immediate impact is that I won't be finishing out the existing Sanderson Mistborn books, nor Wright's "Count" series.
THAT said, I won't be getting the third Way of kings / Stormlight book, nor the next Weber "Safehold" book. And I've removed several items from my "wish" list at Audible
#OpTorDrop
I have bought Sanderson, Wright, and Card before (as well as misc authors).
Not anymore.
People who call me a Nazi get NONE of my money.
It's a pity, because I generally get just about anything Weber writes (except that hideous "Honor Harrington" crap), but I guess I'll have to forego the pleasure from now on. Some things are more important than personal pleasure. We all have to take a stand somewhere, and I believe my wallet can use some relief anyway.