New and Exciting Market for eBooks
By Jerry D. Simmons | March 19th, 2010 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
The demographics for eBooks clearly illustrate there is much to learn about who buys and reads them but we do know that the average age is above 40. We also know that the market has barely scratched the surface and as eReaders become widely available and hit the shelves of mass merchants, the market will likely explode. Where was music before the MP3 and iPhone? It seems that eBooks are heading in the same direction.
Success as an author in the digital marketplace still boils down to finding an audience and marketing your writing. Niche musical groups have managed to find ways to promote their music and themselves via social networks and the Internet so it seems logical that writers will do the same. I don’t believe that publishing mirrors music but I do think that writers have some advantages over musicians and that has to do with the plethora of writing groups and forums.
Although it is frowned upon to join a group or forum and promote you’re writing there are free formats for promotion such as NothingBinding.com.
There are lessons to be learned and information to share but in the meantime, you have to be in the game to play and if you’ve ever considered an eBook, now is the time to move forward and explore your options.
The Economics of Print versus Digital Publishing
By Jerry D. Simmons | March 18th, 2010 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
Over the course of the past fifty years, the major book publishers of this country have created a system where they have systematically eliminated competition for retail book sales. They have managed to monopolize booksellers by offering an assortment of incentives, fees and discounts that capitalize on their deep pockets and prevent small and niche publishers from finding shelf space for their own titles.
Quality independently published books are having a difficult time finding adequate distribution for the print edition simply because the major houses continue to pour money into the retail sector. They will pay for anything from newsletter placement to author book tours and signings to advertising allowances for anything and everything. This has created a distribution system for print books that grossly limits quality small press titles from competing.
Retailers take a straight 50 percent off the top of every book they sell. Consider a $15.00 trade paperback, the bookstore will take $7.50, distributor will take another 30 percent or $4.50 leaving the independent author with 20 percent of $3.00. If you cannot print enough books to cover the cost of the $3.00 per copy printing then you will lose money on each copy sold. My best guess is that you would need to print roughly 3,000 copies to meet that threshold. The problem is that the quality independently published book rarely achieves a 3,000 copy advanced order.
Now consider the eBook market which is still so new that the major publishers haven’t figured out how to flex their muscles. The distributors for eBooks are not in bed with print publishers, they are digital companies who are willing to give quality small companies a fair chance to sell product. This favors the independent author over print in a number of ways. Plus, retailers for digital content have not set discounts that run standard like the print market because they are all still trying to find a competitive advantage. Another plus that favors the independent author and their eBooks.
Marketing and selling digital content is still faced with the massive problem of how to reach an audience and unfortunately there are no special formulas or secrets that will solve that issue. However, it appears that consumers or digital content are more likely to read about content via social networks, blogs and eBook reviews that are just starting to emerge. My prediction is that marketing for eBooks will start to shift from the traditional methods to more advanced ways of finding an audience through the Internet.
The cost of converting a word document original manuscript to an eBook that is compatible with all formats of eReading devices is a fraction of the cost to produce a quality print book. The eBook market is one where all sales are final which means no returns and no printing costs or warehousing, shipping and handling. Convert a manuscript to an eBook and concentrate on marketing, rather than reprinting and all that goes with that process.
As long as the major book publishers continue to focus on hardcover and trade paper print while delaying release of their eBooks the independent author has a clear advantage. By launching in eBook followed by print, after achieving a significant audience is the perfect strategy for the independent author. The low cost for entry into the marketplace allows more resources to be devoted to marketing which makes digital content the preferred choice over print editions for the independent author.
If you have a print edition and have been discouraged by the process and success, eBooks are not necessarily the answer. You should step back and look closely at your entire publishing program before deciding to move forward with an eBook edition. The emergence of eBooks and the growing market does not mean your content will suddenly find an audience it merely provides another opportunity for sales. In my thirty plus years of publishing experience, the emergence of the digital market is clearly one of the most exciting. If I can help answer your questions about eBooks, please send me an email jerry@writersreaders.com.
The New Hybrid Publishing Model
By Jerry D. Simmons | March 15th, 2010 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
As the major publishing companies evaluate their current situation, one thing becomes clear, what they are doing is not working. You cannot stem the tide of falling unit sales when your strategy is to produce more of the same. Propping up a broken system that makes it difficult for new talent to break in and reprinting less-than-stellar writing from old tried-and-true authors is the best way to drive your customers away, and that strategy seems to be working!
The reading public is screaming for a new approach. This is my conclusion after seeing a decade long slide in single copy sales. How can an industry constantly fly in the face of the basic law of supply and demand? When demand goes down in publishing, the big companies increase supply by shipping more books and raise cover prices at the same time. This does not make sense.
The time is right for an entirely new approach, and it’s called the hybrid publishing model—combining the experience and vast knowledge of former New York publishing executives with top quality production to assist writers in publishing their own manuscript. In the end, the finished product is made available to booksellers via direct sales to book buyers at top retailers. The advantages are considerable.
Remember, publishing is about perception—publish with the wrong company and the quality of your writing will forever be judged before your title has a chance at success.
Facts not Promises
By Jerry D. Simmons | March 11th, 2010 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
I’m often asked a variety of questions regarding publishing, marketing, and book sales. The common theme among all the writers and authors who contact me is the same, when it comes to questions about publishing, products, services and marketing “who can you believe?” That is a difficult question to answer since I have my own perspective (25 years in New York publishing) and opinions (based on 7 years in the independent publishing market).
It has been my experience that writers and authors tend to believe:
(1) friends, other authors, and colleagues within their own writing group or circle of friends,
(2) the best sales pitch with the least cost and biggest promises of success, and
(3) those offering facts and not promises which is the way I describe myself and other members of the INDI Publishing Group.
There is nothing wrong with believing whom you want to believe, however, if experience makes the difference, then you should be listening to those with the most experience with a solid background in New York publishing. I am not biased towards any form of publishing. For me and my clients, it depends on their personal goals, wants, hopes, and dreams. I pride myself on telling the truth and being honest to a fault. Sometimes writers don’t want to accept the facts.
My professional services and those of my group are not the least expensive and you shouldn’t expect that. Our combined experience is unparalleled in publishing. I don’t make wild promises or offer guarantees, I refuse to paint a rosy picture of the bookselling marketplace, and I absolutely will not associate myself or do business with anyone that is not above reproach. These are the rules I go by and if that fits your criteria then send me an email. I will do everything I can to offer you my expertise and guidance with the goal of making you a successful author.
eBook Pricing sets the Stage
By Jerry D. Simmons | March 10th, 2010 | 1 Comment » (Click to add yours!)
Regardless of where the major publishers decide to price their eBooks there will be plenty of room for independent authors to compete by pricing more aggressively. Whether $9.99 or $14.99 the big publishers have fixed costs that smaller companies and independent authors do not. There is no doubt the big publishing houses want their eBook prices to remain relatively close to the hardcover edition of each title however the closer to the $20 mark, the weaker their position.
Suggested retail pricing in publishing, especially the eBook is key to success. Unfortunately the print side of the business has such a rigid discount structure that under pricing the competition while covering the cost of printing low quantities of books makes profitability difficult, not so with eBooks. If a ground floor opportunity ever existed in publishing, this is it! Explore the possibilities; consider launching your publishing career in eBook format and wait for print. The cost of entry to the market is much lower and the possibilities are greater than print editions.
Author Royalties for eBooks
By Jerry D. Simmons | March 9th, 2010 | 1 Comment » (Click to add yours!)
Royalties for authors under contract with traditional publishers for their printed edition average between 5 and 7 percent, for independent authors that range is around 20 percent or less of net sales. Traditional publishers are offering their authors royalty rates for digital content in the neighborhood of 20 percent or less while on the independent side that number is anywhere from 20-30 percent of net sales depending on the retailer and terms.
If you own the digital, electronic or audio rights to your print book you can create all sorts of products and set retail prices accordingly. The eBook market is small but growing and the marketing opportunities are endless compared to print.
There is more excitement among New York publishers about eBooks since Apple announced the iPad and I expect to see some innovative and impressive products coming from them in the very near future. Having the ability to slice a typical 50 or 60,000 word manuscript into several smaller eBooks is a marketers dream. This will change publishing as we know it. Print will not die, but the ability to download digital content onto an eReading device is nothing more than the goose that laid the golden egg for independent authors.
eBook the Next Frontier
By Jerry D. Simmons | March 8th, 2010 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
Imagine for a moment as an author, selling copies of your books and never having to print replacement copies. Consider the elimination of shipping, handling and warehousing costs for printed books. Imagine never having to deal with book returns ever again. A market exists where all sales are final, welcome to the new frontier of bookselling with digital downloads and eBooks.
For new authors struggling to create an audience, why would you want to launch in print when the price of entry into the eBook market is so low? A writer can take a manuscript that has been professionally edited and create an eBook for a fraction of the cost of producing a printed book.
When publishing independently and working to stay within a budget for production and marketing, wouldn’t your money be better spent on marketing rather than print and production costs? If you already have a printed edition of your book, and you own the digital and electronic rights, why not add an eBook to your product mix? Times are changing, markets are shifting, the eBook is fast becoming a viable market for selling content.
The method of eBook distribution is patterned after the print distribution business which means you need a publisher or distributor to gain access to the marketplace. Print is not going away but more consumers will be moving to the eBook because of price and wider availability of eReaders. If you have interest in exploring the market for eBooks, please contact me through this web site.
Making the Right Publishing Decisions
By Jerry D. Simmons | March 5th, 2010 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
It’s interesting to note that many of the self-publishing mills (the big POD companies that market aggressively and often distort the facts) are offering writers a menu of options for publishing their manuscript. The question I have is, how can any writer know what is best for their book? Success in publishing is selling books, there is no other gauge. In order to sell copies, you need to know and understand the market for bookselling. In my opinion, you cannot make the right publishing decisions if you order your trim size, cover design, interior layout, price and page count from a menu of options. Your newly published book must fit the genre in which you write, and be positioned within that category to compete with all similar titles. Can you get that information from a menu? I don’t think so, not if you expect success, which translates into selling books.
Writers and Authors in Control
By Jerry D. Simmons | March 4th, 2010 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
Book publishing has always favored the big companies and only a select few of the mega-bestselling authors have real input on how their titles are handled in the marketplace. For everyone else they are merely a name and title on a pub sheet and the difficulty of separating themselves and their book from all other authors under contract is difficult. Adding insult is the fact that authors under contract do not own the rights to their own content.
Along come the print-on-demand companies and the surge in new titles exploded which unfortunately did not give the author any more leverage or control over their writing. The status quo was entrenched and unsuspecting writers who turned manuscripts over to these printers found them with less money in their pocket and no market to sell their book.
Left with few options and no way to sell large quantities of books, independent authors found it difficult to compete with published titles from the big companies.
Entering the market was the new hybrid model for publishing offering independent writers a real opportunity to compete on the same level with all published books. In response and faced with mounting competition from small and niche publishers the big six New York based behemoths decided to up and ante and begin offering booksellers huge incentives, discounts and fees for anything from placement to advertising in newsletters to subsidizing author appearances. The playing field once again was stacked against the small guy and favored the deeper pocket publishers.
Then along came a new reading device called iPad from a company named Apple and the big publishing industry was knocked back on their heels. The iPad will open doors and create opportunities for independent authors never before possible in the print world of book publishing. Technology is a wonderful thing and the time will come when authors will be able to control their own destiny with the emergence of the eBook market.
The eBook is nothing new; they’ve been around for many years. When Amazon introduced the Kindle it opened up the market for eBooks however Amazon remained the 800 pound gorilla in the room that major publishers detested having to work with. Suddenly introduction of the iPad has been a major break in the stalemate over the market for eBooks. The economics have changed and the advantage is finally shifting to the independent author.
For information on how you can take advantage of the emerging eBook market, send me an email Jerry@WritersReaders.com.
Publish the Professional Way
By Jerry D. Simmons | March 3rd, 2010 | No Comments » (Click to add yours!)
There are more opportunities to publish a book than ever, including print and eBook, and the cost is going down. However, I’m not sure this is a good thing.
You may have heard the old saying “there are good lawyers, and there are cheap lawyers, but there are no good cheap lawyers.” This is definitely true for publishing, you can publish professionally or you can publish cheaply, but you cannot expect to have a professionally produced book for a few hundred dollars.
If you invest countless hours writing then the least you can do is have your manuscript professionally edited and produced. Your book is your resume; make it the best it can be. All the marketing in the world will not help you sell a poorly written or produced book.
