So I'm reading about the indie eBook publishing revolution till my brain is numb. But that's part of being a good author--being a solid business person. You have to know your business as well as your craft. After all, if I can't afford to stay in business, I won't produce much writing!
My advice to fellow authors is to do your research and think very carefully about which direction you should to go to be published: indie ePublishing, such as Amazon, or traditional, such as one of the Big 6 NY houses (which aren’t really six, but that's another conversation).
Did you know:
10-20% of Barnes & Noble's Top 100 come from PubIt?
Amazon owns around 80% of ebook marketand about 20% of print in the UK ?
Did you know:
10-20% of Barnes & Noble's Top 100 come from PubIt?
Amazon owns around 80% of ebook marketand about 20% of print in the UK ?
WADE THROUGH THE INFO
Now there's a lot of information to wade through about ePublishing vs. traditional publishing, so I've got a few links to get you started.
1. First off, read the sales stats for eBooks. This is an industry that's doubling sales every few months. My two favorites are:
B) http://idpf.org/about-us/industry-statistics (these are last year’s stats, but shows the pattern)
2. Second, know how readers find eBooks so you understand where your audience could be:
3. Next, read how some compare the traditional model with the independent model. Warning: despite the rants, there's a lot of logic to their cases. Mostly, writers have been getting the worst of the profit margins for a long time and the new model offers them a way to greater financial success and personal control.
A) Kris Rusch: http://kriswrites.com/2011/09/21/the-business-rusch-professional-writers/ (wade through the 1st half to get to the meat of the article)
B) And her husband, Dean Wesley Smith, on thinking like a publisher: http://www.deanwesleysmith.com/?page_id=3736
DECIDE IF YOU’RE READY
4. Now you need to understand whether YOU should indie publish or not. Whether you have a backlist (many books already written and published and the rights have reverted back to you) or you are new and therefore a frontlist author. Bob Mayer gives one of the most frank observations of this topic at http://writeitforward.wordpress.com/2011/06/20/if-i-were-an-unpublished-author-would-i-self-publish/
5. And if you need examples of some agents eliminating the traditional NY publisher middleman from the model... http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/trident-media-group-launches-trident-e-book-operations_b38794
THINK FOR YOURSELF
These articles should be enough to get you started understanding the basis for this revolution and why you need to think for yourself so you don't fall into the same old pitfalls authors have been experiencing for years.
Frankly, I'd like to believe my readers and my students have the strength of self-esteem to NEVER work for free as an author (don't make me have to hunt you down and smack you upside the head!)
STAY OPEN TO ALL POSSIBILITIES
But I think the real lesson here is that it's important to stay open to change. And not to be afraid to take your career into your own hands. We're the only ones who are responsible for our success and failures.
Personally, I have submissions with several agents as we speak. And I have a couple publishing houses in mind that I'd like to target. (Berkeley, are you out there?) But I can't afford to be a fool either. Even if I get offers, I have to weigh the financial benefits and risks to my career. That and I have to answer to my partner and most patient husband.
So I'm keeping that indie eBook door open for now... And that's the best way to manifest the future: to believe that I'm going to publish means I WILL be published. Either way, traditional or indie, it's true.
In the meantime, our job remains the same: write amazing stories that capture your readers. And love every moment of being an author, both the craft and the business.
Cheers to all our successes! And please share this to your fellow authors and tell me your favorite sites/articles for info on these subjects...
Your Editor Devil
I'll recommend my site because I've been posting my self-publishing sales numbers and money every month, as well as other things that work. I know I'm doing exceptionally well as a self-published author--over 23,000 sales of two books in 5 months, and not everyone has my level of success. Still, self-publishing is a wonderful new world! http://drdebraholland.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteLots of good advice for all of us who write!
ReplyDeleteSelf-publishing is not for me but the e-book revolution has opened a whole new world for writers.
Best,
Jacqueline Seewald
THE TRUTH SLEUTH--check it out at your local library
STACY'S SONG--print and e-book
I saw your blog. Normally I don't respond, but I thought I could give you some insight on this one. As for traditional publishing, you are at the mercy of the publisher. If you are a big name that sells books, the author is using the publisher for the print only, as they sell only those rights and hold all the rest, because they keep all the money. As for new authors, publishers are being very, very picky because they can't afford to be wrong anymore with books. Money is very limited to them, as they don't spend any marketing money any more, so they can't just take a chance on an author. That leaves the author with a book that is finished, but no publisher or agent. So now they figure, since they have to do all the marketing on their own, why not publish and EBook and hit the circuit talking about the book. The EBook craze has hurt traditional publishers, because they have lost control that they use to have over authors. It is personal preference in picking which way to go, but authors are no longer waiting five years to get an agent, instead they are publishing straight to EBook. In interviewing bestselling authors and debut authors, their stories have changed over the past years in how publishing works.
ReplyDeleteI hope this sheds a little light on your question. Since we've been doing the magazine for over 3 years, we have seen a lot of change, and that happens everyday!
John Raab
CEO / Publisher
Suspense Magazine
I've reissued about 15 of my previously published books, including Regencies and mysteries. It's fun finding new readers, offering them bargains as low as 99 cents. I've also self-published a short nonfiction book, How to Write a Novel In One (Not-so-easy) lesson. Although this is rewarding, I'm glad I started in a different era when there were more publishers and, yes, fewer options.
ReplyDeleteI respect Mark Coker and that he took the time to do that survey, but I'm not buying into the numbers. Readers buy a book/author they know and want first. Then, browsing on line they check genres and bestseller lists along with "if you like this, you'll like that". So placement in the ebookstore, just like the physical bookstore is key. I sell over 2,000 eBooks a day and have seen the ups and down in sales on Kindle and Nook and can relate them directly to placement.
ReplyDeleteI've tried replying to all your posts a few times and keep getting error messages, so this is my last try....
ReplyDeleteDebra, thanks for mentioning your great blog, which I’ve read and followed. You are generously open with your #s and we can all learn from your experience because of that. Thanks!
JacquelineS, there are different paths for all of us. Good luck on yours :)
JohnR, thanks again for your views, which I know to be true from multiple colleagues experiencing just what you described. Good luck with the magazine!
JacquelineD, sounds like you’re putting your backlist to good use. Best of luck to you!
Bob, your sales and experience trump us all! (You’ll notice that I linked to your great blog.) I think it’s important to see that Coker’s survey is only 206 people he pinged. In the world of stats, that’s nothing definitive. But in a world starving for eReader stats, any crumb will do... So, the real question is, when are you going to do a survey of your own that gives us a better picture :)
Awesome post! I can't wait to share this with my crit partners. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThanks for combining all this information in one place. I have been published by small (tiny) print publishers and online. Now I'm experimenting with self-publishing. I suspect a lot of writers will want to have a variety of publication sources in the future.
ReplyDeleteChristine, Thanks for the great blog.
ReplyDeleteI really want to point out another option which seems to be getting lost in the self-publishing craze. That option is small epresses. I work full-time and just do not have the time to do all the tasks required of self-publishing. I'd rather get 45% royalties and have someone else do all the work, including cover art, editing, uploading to all the sites, etc. I also think that "rookie" authors should go with a good epress in most cases rather than self-publish, so they get some decent guidance and become savvy to the publishing world and how it works. Just my two cents!!!
You're welcome, Warren. Hope it helps!
ReplyDeleteJami, you couldn't be more right. Book options are good alts for those who don't want to do it all themselves. Sometimes it's good to let the pros handle the details!