As you’re hopefully aware, I published a book last year detailing the lives, then and now, of Christian alternative rock’s pioneers. (No, it didn’t start with Switchfoot.)

It helps when writing such a book to have some knowledge of the business side of things, specifically how the music industry works.

I do have said knowledge.

From this comes the following information.

When an artist goes on tour, and as part of their on-site merchandise for sale includes CDs and/or DVDs, and the artist is on a record label not directly owned and/or controlled by them, the artist buys the CDs and/or DVDs from their record company at wholesale or variation thereof. Ofttimes, if not all the time, the artist agrees to forgo any royalties normally owed to them by the record company for each copy it sells, thus bringing the price down even further. The artist then sells the CDs and/or DVDs at their concerts, keeping all or a good portion of the money. Some venues and/or promoters take a cut of merchandise sales, hence the note about good portion.

Let’s go through that again. In brief, the artist doesn’t get product for free to sell. They buy it and then resell it.

Now, sometimes artists buy their product from the record label to use as a promotional tool. They might give it away in some type of fan contest, send copies to other people in the business — radio stations, music journalists — or do whatever with it. Again, the artist doesn’t get the physical product for free. They buy it and then distribute it as they see fit.

In both of these scenarios, every single copy of the CD and/or DVD is not counted as a unit sold through regular retail channels. They are not eligible for counting when it comes time to calculate best seller lists and the like. Only copies sold through regular retail channels are counted.

No exceptions.

Ever.

Period.

Now, some more information.

When it comes to copies of a book sold directly by the author or used by the author for promotional purposes, the book industry works the same way.

Indulge me as I repeat this so no one misses it.

The book industry works the same way.

So…

Why, oh why, oh why are people getting riled up over Sarah Palin using money from her PAC to buy copies of Going Rogue to use for promotional purposes, such as sending a signed copy to people who donated a certain amount of money to her PAC?

Why?

Why?

Do you think she bought the copies at full retail so she’d get royalties for them? No. She bought them at the author’s price, whatever that is for HarperCollins.

Do you think she bought the copies at full retail to pad the number of books reported as sold? No. The copies are not eligible for such.

The books were a promotional item.

Promotional.

She doesn’t get royalties for them.

They’re not counted for the best sellers lists.

They were used as a promotion by the PAC for the purpose of encouraging people to donate to her PAC.

It’s not illegal.

It’s not unethical.

It’s not immoral.

It’s standard promotional procedure.

But, since it involves Sarah Palin, naturally people want to make it An Issue.

It’s not.

It never was.

It never will be.

Period.

End of story.

Thank you and enjoy the rest of the day/afternoon/evening/night.