I'm kind of cheating here because I posted this on my blog last Monday. Even so, I feel it's an important issue to share and get feedback on. Since we have a few ebook authors in our chapter, and a few MMP authors (and soon-to-be MMP authors *grin*
Today I thought I'd address ebooks. I'm not talking about ebook publishers, like the small press that published my suspense novel and novella. I'm talking about ebook technology.
Ebook reading devices are becoming more popular despite their inflated price tag. Now that Kindle is on the scene, ebooks have become the talk of pub town. Paper will never go away, but ebooks are here to stay. I don't have an ereader like a Kindle or Soni, and I'm embarrassed to admit I've never read an ebook for that very reason. But with the promise of ebook readers becoming an affordable gizmo for the book-reading technorati, it's obvious all published books will soon be available both digitally and on paper. It's inevitable publishing evolution.
This is an exciting time for publishing. Fewer books will be printed on paper, which is better for the environment and for a publisher's bank account. The big New York publishers may finally become profitable again, which is good news for authors. Or is it? Some authors are afraid this will mean lower advances against royalties. This logic doesn't make sense to me because publishers buy content, and the content for paper books and ebooks are the same. So why would advance amounts change?
I think I know why authors fear advances will go away. Small ebook publishers, like my own publisher The Wild Rose Press, don't give advances. Instead they offer higher royalty percentages (on the net price of the book) that are paid after sales and on a quarterly basis. So there's no financial risk. Many authors think that if publishers change to the ebook model, advances will go the way of the dinosaur and be handled the same way small ebook publishers pay their authors today. But I seriously doubt it.
I believe that the cutback on printing costs will allow higher advances for authors. Small presses don't have the capital, but the big publishers do. Small presses don't have the sales, but the big publishers do. The quality of product offered by both will stay the same. Nothing much changes but the channels of distribution for NY publishers and the decreased manufacturing costs for their products. Expenses go down, profits go up. It's a win-win for everyone.
So what do you think? Have you ever read an ebook? Would you read one if you had a Kindle or the equivalent? And if you did have a Kindle, would you still buy paper books, too? And what's your opinion about how this technology will change the payment process currently used by New York publishers?
11 comments:
Have you ever read an ebook? yes on my computer, I don't own an e-book device
Would you read one if you had a Kindle or the equivalent? Maybe, not sure
And if you did have a Kindle, would you still buy paper books, too? yes, I like having keeper books on my shelf and I like the feel of a book in my hand.
And what's your opinion about how this technology will change the payment process currently used by New York publishers? I'm not sure what it will do. But like you, I see it as a win/win situation.
As you know, I have no head for this kind of thing. My current release is $4.99 at Amazon in print form plus shipping and handling. The kindle edition is $3.60.
I see what you're saying about reduced publisher costs, but the one thing that alarms me even more than the possibility of reduced advances is the building a career angle. With little or no financial risk behind signing up an author, what is to make the publisher fully back the author as they add readers over time? I hope you are right, I hope it's a win/win, I can see how it will be for publishers but for writers who make a serious living -- I'd have to see the numbers. I would have to try to figure out my last royalty statement (and trust me, I don't have time to do that right now), but I have heard talk on one professional loop that the royalties on ebook sales are not great. Again, not sure.
As for your questions, No, I've never bought an ebook. If a kindle were cheaper -- as they will be if your predictions are right -- I would consider one despite my misgivings from the authorial POV. I'd do the research and form an opinion on the data based in fact and not gut feelings. The thought of not having to drive to a book store or wait for the mail to come to read a favorite author is pretty tempting. I suppose it would depend on the quality of the screen. I will always buy print books -- I read a lot of backlist as well as new books, and paperbacks are still my favorite.
Interesting post. Since I'm just beginning to learn the ropes of the publishing industry, I'll defer to others' opinions of where things are headed and speak only as a reader.
I have a Kindle. I'd looked at the Sony and I used to use my old PDA to read various things (not published books), but nothing grabbed me until the Kindle. And a lot of that had to do with the ease of wirelessly downloading material at no additional fee. I got the Kindle specifically for traveling, but I've used it quite a bit at home. I have to admit that most of the books I've purchased for it have been a mix of new-to-me kindle versions of print books and kindle versions of old favorites that I already own in print. I haven't really ventured into buying books only published in ebook form--yet. I love the ease of use, the crisp look of the text on the screen and the form factor, but then I'm a tech geek and an engineer at heart, so I kind of discount that part of my opinion.
Still, as much as I love it, I wouldn't sound the death knell for books in print just yet. While I enjoy the convenience of the Kindle, overall I much prefer the physical object of a "real" book when I read. The weight of it in my hands, the smell of the paper (and sometimes the ink!)--there's something almost mystical about it. Something hard to find in an electronic gadget. I think most readers who have tried the Kindle and other ebook readers would say something similar. They have their place, but don't take away my books!
I don't (yet) own an e-book device, and I haven't (yet) read an e-book, not even the CDs I received free at EPICon '08. Nevertheless I have kept an eye on their development and think I am a potential customer in the $100 range. I can see a few great uses for e-books: keeping the weight and space down when travelling, issuing them to students at school and downloading new texts into them for each course, and using them to save trees and warehouse space. One drawback is that I don't see a market for re-selling e-books; I have resold hundreds of books over my lifetime of reading. I'd probably need fewer bookshelves if I had a Kindle or Sony, and I wouldn't have piles of books around that don't fit into my bookshelves. I, too, would appreciate not having to go shopping for a book or waiting a couple of weeks for delivery after ordering it. If schools start using e-book readers (and they should), the next generation of readers will take to it naturally and will wonder how we ever put up with paper books. That is already true of calculators and computers. So I think the e-book is the future, though there will always be collectors of paper books. I'm hoping for the best as far as advances, royalties, marketing and career development. We'll just have to see how it all shakes out.
Paty, I'm with you regarding reading an ebook on my computer. I've read sample chapters and skimmed a novella once, but there's no way I could read a whole book that way.
The good ereading devices will come down in price based on demand. Like the VCR. Remember? The first VCR was about $1000, and most people rented one from the video store along with their movies because nobody could afford to buy one. It was quite the novelty back then. Now you can get a combination VCR and DVD player for about $150 or less. A VCR/DVD player is just about in every home. That's what drove down the price. It will be the same for the ereader, I'm sure. Like the Walkman.
Alice, I think the average royalty for ebooks is 40% through the small ebook publishers. But if you only sell a dozen or so, there's not much money to be made. It's all relative. The royalties sound great but 40% of nothing is still nothing, you know? 8^)
Ooh, Deborah has a shiny Kindle! I've been SOOO tempted to buy one, but I don't feel like I read enough to justify the expense. If it were $100, yeah. I almost bought an eBookwise reader because they're just $99, then the Kindle came out and... I'll stick with paper for a while.
Barb, I agree with you that paper books will stick around a while longer. Fifty years from now they'll probably be like the manual typewriter. Or nylon stockings. Both usable, but obsolete. Then it will be trendy to have books as part of your home decor. Collectors items. Yeah.
I've read a few ebooks on my computer--strictly friends from RWA though, no spontaneous purchases. And I have to admit, it felt like homework. Not like pleasure reading. I just don't like the format. I'm a purist--I like turning pages, I like the scent of paper, I like the heft of a good book, the glossiness of a new cover, the bent edges of a well-loved friend. Even if you handed me a device with my entire keeper shelf loaded on it, I'd still keep them in paper form.
I'm not a ludite--I love my digital pictures and don't really need my huge photo albumns now that I have flickr. I love my laptop and my food processor . . .
But I just can't love ebooks. I can't take them to bed with me. I've seen others' reading devices, and they're not cuddly and they need the right kind of light to avoid eye strain.
I think the best promotion an e-book company/author can do is to give away Kindles. I think you need to get the technology in more hands for it to become more popular.
As far as how the technology will change the industry, can I be honest and say that I'm not sure it will be for the best?
Neat post Karen!
Barb--I think your point about schools and students is a good one. The University of Illinois Chicago-Kent Law School gives out kindle-like devices in lieu of textbooks now.
My DH would like to see all of Tavy's school books be digital. I can see her loving her Little House books on a pink kindle and laughing at my old school hard copies.
I still remember the enormous backpack my daughter used to carry to high school every day. It had to have weighed at least 50 pounds with all those damn textbooks. It was hard on her back. And she had to walk quite a ways to the bus stop. That's a definite benefit the ebook readers and etextbooks will have for school kids.
Okay, this is just Twilight Zone weird. I was reading everyone's comments, then opened my email and saw a note from a friend who I'd sent one of my cover flats. No, the weird part wasn't her saying how much she loved it, but the fact I JUST finished reading Wavy and Debbie say how much they like the weight and feel of a book in their hands, the smell of paper, etc. And then I read this:
(secret) I LOVE BOOKS!! i love the feel of them, the smell, the looks and, of course, the contents!!!!
I really could have been a librarian!!! but then, i probably would have been fired for reading on the job!!! :)
This from a non-writer. And not even on the topic of ebook/kindles.
I think it will be hard for die hard book lovers (like my friend) to make the transition to ereaders. It'll be hard for me too. I have a palm pilot, which I can download books on and read, but I don't. Heck, half the time I don't even like turning the thing on (unless it's to play solitaire because I don't have solitaire on my phone). I have purchased two ebooks, and I was disappointed in them - one by content, and two because (like Wavy said) it felt like work. I didn't have the desire to keep reading. And I paged through instead of reading.
I see the plus in ereaders - save space, save paper, save travel weight (esp. now with bag restrictions), but there's just something about having that book in your hand. I've never held one of my own books, but the thrill of just holding my cover flat was so amazing, running my fingers over the embossed title and the shiny surface (and my name!), I can't imagine getting that thrill from an ebook reader. I know most readers don't have this reaction, but I get a mini thrill when I purchase a book from an author I really love, and I do the same thing (on a much-more-mini level).
Alice brought up some very valid points about advances and royalties, and that definitely concerns me. At this point I don't know enough about the debate to talk knowledgeably about it except to say I love paper books and I think I always will.
I should also mention - all my friends who are ebook published - I've waited to buy their books in print form because I prefer holding a real book in my hands.
Wavy and all, TWRP has a contest going where you can win a Sony e-reader and it will have some books already loaded onto it.
Go to the website www.thewildrosepress.com and check it out.
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