E-Publishing
As an indie publisher, I try to keep an eye on industry trends. It seems that e-books have been gaining momentum lately and I’m quite interested in getting more involved in the trend. I’ve read numerous articles that sway both ways….from, it’s killing the industry to it’s the future of the industry. The way I see it, it’s a much-need addition. In no way do I see e-books edging print out of the game. It’s like roller derby – there’s banked track and flat track, two different nuances of the same sport…both awesome in their own way.
A lot of people I meet don’t like to read or would rather just watch the movie (yes, I am sometimes guilty of this myself). Some people just don’t like to read, some people are intimidated by a thick book and some people just don’t have time. There are tons of reasons that people don’t read. I’ve even heard that books seem antiquated in our technologically advanced society…enter the e-reader. It’s a new gadget and according to what I’ve read, Amazon’s Kindle flies off the shelf….not to mention that oh-so-popular iPad. I think that the push to e-publishing might put books in a few more hands than the traditional paperback or hardcover. Of course, e-books are not out-selling their printed counterparts….on the contrary, some reports say that e-books are only responsible for a small fraction of book sales (though, the same reports do admit that the gap is closing – albeit, at a snail’s pace).
If the e-books are just a small fraction, why is Barnes & Noble going Tango Uniform? I think there are many nuances to this, but I would venture to say that the economy plays a hand in it – they are not the only retailer to suffer recession woes to the point of extinction. From what I’ve read, it seems that Amazon is the one who handed their ass to them. Personally, I’ve never bought anything from the website and I rarely go into the store because I can never find anything and the staff is not always helpful. I actually prefer to go across town to Bookwoman or Book People. It’s not because I’m anti-big box….I’m just really big on customer service and convenience – isn’t it awesome when someone can answer your question without having to ask three other people and/or call a supervisor? I think so.
Whatever the reason for the spike in e-book sales, I’m a big fan of the e-book trend. Bottom line, it’s cheaper for an indie publisher like me – with Kindle, there is no overhead. It’s also about distribution, that’s a whole other animal all in itself. As a publisher, I am in love with the business side of things, but I liken dealing with distribution to cleaning the toilets…I hate it that much. But, because e-publishing is so quick and easy, I can go ahead and put out the other four books that I’ve been sitting on because print is so expensive. The plan is to get them out by the end of the year so that I can put all of my focus on the science fiction series that I’ve been working on…it’s got zombies and my personal favorite, the DRAGO (dual-ration accelerated growth organisms). It’s a three-book series and I’m quite excited about it.
Another advantage? It’s better for the environment, which is another reason I’m such a big fan. I write green, why shouldn’t I publish that way? Years ago, I had to hand write all of my manuscripts, convinced that it was the truly artistic way to do it…now, I save the paper and work on my MacBook – it’s still art and I don’t let anyone tell me otherwise (plus, I can hardly read some of my writing when I go on a three day writing binge w/o sleep). Going green is catching on in so many other industries, but it’s difficult in publishing because you have to PRINT those physical copies. Look, I live in a green friendly city, but even the yippies in Austin still like a book with real pages. I’ll admit, so do I. My happy medium is to publish them as an e-book and follow them up with the print, which I plan to do on recycled paper. That is, if it’s economical – because Kermit’s right, it ain’t easy being green.
**Tango Uniform is my dad’s polite way of saying “Tits Up”**
