Monday 18 July 2011

A digital dilemma, ebooks ...

... Ebooks, eBooks, e-books, E-Books, e-Books, or E-books … I am having a deep inner conflict, not just about how to spell it.

Gypsies Stop tHere is now a Kindle eBook - at last. Might as well go with the flow, I thought, or what will be regarded by future generations as a technological revolution. Ironic really; it’s only a few months since I was in rebellious mode. Step back for a moment to this piece about breaking all the rules, just last year! http://catherineryanhoward.com/2010/03/05/miriamwakerly/

The world of publishing is evolving apace! With the extraordinary rise of e-books, sales currently outstripping printed books I understand, no wonder many new authors are now taking the independent publishing route. In fact, how many authors with long-established publishers have changed tack? Comments on these questions would be very welcome, - or answers, if you happen to have them.

(I rejected digital print as cost-ineffective. However, it is an option for a writer-publisher who wants a modest print-run. )

So Gypsies Stop tHere, my first novel published in print 2008, is now available for the e-reading world to purchase! US, UK and German Amazon. Wonderful! At a bargain price. No print costs. 70% royalty on Kindle. Naturally, I am thinking about the guy recently in the news as the first independent author to sell 1 million Ebooks. http://mashable.com/2011/06/20/john-locke-1-million-ebooks/

Did you read about a leading public school that has been actively ridding itself of its library, its students now using iPads instead? http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-13426491 With two more books in progress, should I bother with print at all? Clearly e-Books are the future and my choice is not going to make a jot of difference to the overall trend! I am but one stitch in the vast tapestry of publishing.

But, but, but … Should I worry about what will happen to bookshops as this ebook trend is pursued by authors? My helpful and supportive friends in Waterstone’s? And libraries? Books – that I love to have, hold, read, possess and cherish? And publishers? Agents? The printers? The natural conclusion could be their collective demise. I do not want that.

Or, will ebooks and printed books co-exist happily forever? This, by the way, is a hypothetical question, but if anyone wants to give it a go, they are welcome.

Now, I need to make sure people will find my book. More on this in a few weeks time …

PS Here is a link to a Guardian article re the statistics to clarify in what sense ebooks are allegedly outstripping print - note that it compares against hardbacks and this is for the US. http://bit.ly/nmPGAS

2 comments:

  1. Good luck with you Kindle version of Gypsies Stop Here. My latest book is only in Kindle and the biggest hurdle is getting people to know it is there.

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  2. So far, no one seems to have pointed out that e-books are selling like hot cakes because suddenly, everyone's got a new toy and needs some stuff to put on it. When I say "everyone", I mean the early-adopters. The real question is whether electronic publishing will reach the mass market or whether it's just a technology phenomenon.

    If you take a paperback on the beach, it doesn't matter if it gets sand in it, or a bit wet, or even if it's nicked (which it probably won't be). Can't really say the same about a Kindle or an iPad. In their favour, readers are great if you want your literature to be portable and you travel a lot. If I didn't mind not having stuff on my bookshelves and regarded literature as disposable, I'd certainly have one - ie if I read popular fiction on the train and then chucked it away. Or maybe if I was flying all over the world and wanted a choice of reading in my hand luggage. E-books are good for all that. In fact, I might even have hard-copy copies as well as portable ones. I suspect "proper" books are going to be around for quite a long time, but they'll co-exist quite happily with e-books. And, also, just remember that everyone who's got an e-book or a reader to peddle has a vested interest in having you believe they're the thing of the future and you're positively antediluvian if you haven't got one too.

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