Finally, a conference with an upbeat tone about the future of publishing! After years of hearing gloom and doom predictions, I had, quite possibly, the most positive experience ever at a writers convention during this year’s Romance Writers of America conference in Orlando, Florida. Okay, so it was at Walt Disney World, “the happiest place on Earth,” but that wasn’t what made me so jubilant. What brought a smile to my face was hearing so many industry professionals confirm my belief that the future is indeed bright for novelists. The reason? Ebooks!
Many industry pros predict ebooks will have a positive effect on author incomes, they’ll give new life to out of print titles, and they’ll allow novels with a smaller audience — that would be rejected by print publishers — to find their niche market. All of this means more variety for authors and readers.
The Buzz about Ebooks
Ten years ago, the word “ebook” was an annoying buzz most print-published authors tried to tune out. Now — everyone seems to be tuning in. With this conference, the buzz started with the opening, two hour PAN (Published Author Network) session with Lou Aronica, a former publisher with both Avon and Berkley who recently launched a new publishing house, The Story Plant, with agent Peter Miller.
Lou quoted some amazing statistics about the boom in sales for e-reading devices. The price war between Kindle and Nook last May, which dropped the price of both devices to below $200, generated a big boost in sales. Then, last week, Amazon announced a new, smaller Kindle priced even lower, at just $139, which will no doubt cause another rush in sales. After speaking to the B&N sales staff, who were selling the Nook right there at the conference, I predict ereaders will the “it” gift for Christmas this year.
What does that mean for authors? Expect a big spike in demand for ebooks right after Christmas! The more people who own e-readers, the greater the market for ebooks. Basically, folks, we aren’t just approaching the “tipping point” of ebooks being a major player: We’re past it!
The Challenges Ahead
So what’s the downside? Oh, trust me, plenty of the challenges were discussed as well. It’s not all “Zippidy doo da…my, oh my, what a wonderful day.” Basically, you have authors on one end and readers on the other and a big chasm in between. Both sides desperately want to hook up with the other, but so far, we don’t have a way to do that efficiently.
Bridging the chasm between authors and readers will be the focus of future blogs as I and other authors brainstorm the issue. So be sure you subscribe to the RSS Feed, or sign up for my quarterly newsletter.
First though, let’s start with a quick poll:
How many of you have an ereader? If no, are you seriously thinking about getting one? Since you can’t wander the aisle at a brick and mortar store looking for your next good read, how do you learn about which books to buy?
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In reply to your poll: No, I do not own an ereader, and no, I don’t plan on purchasing one. Although I see why others like them, I find them cold and unappealing. I do browse brick and mortar bookstores, it’s the best way to find a book. No one else can tell me what I like. I do my own footwork.
Thanks for replying, Lindsey. As a fellow book lover, I never thought I’d embrace the idea of reading on a device. I love everything about books. The look of them, the feel of them, seeing the colorful spines lining the shelves in my office. But, as more of my friends buy e-readers, I’ve witnessed an interesting phenomenon. That emotional connection they feel for books now exists for the device as well. They’ve realized it’s the stories that generated that warm fuzzy feeling, not how the story was delivered. They all still buy print books as well as ebooks, but the emotional attachment is the same to both now.
I think that’s another thing to remember. Some readers feel an instant, negative reaction to the whole idea of ebooks, as if they’re being told they have to choose between one or the other. They respond by mentally clutching their print books to their chest and shouting, “I’ll never give up my books. Never, I say!” (I was one of those. LOL) Then I realized no one is asking me to choose. I can have both. Stories exist in many forms, whether it’s drawings on a cave wall, oral stories told around a fire, words printed with ink on papayas, sheepskin, or paper, or a hand held device that looks like ink on paper. It’s the stories that matter and evoke such emotion. I haven’t settled on which device I’m going to buy, but I’m excited to have one more way to access those stories.
I’ve been reading ebooks on my PDA for several years now, and just ordered one of the new Kindles. I like ebooks – especially for romance novels that I burn through fast…saves me from having to shelve and then pass them on to a used bookstore or something.
I still buy print books too – either books my husband and I share (thrillers/adventure novels), or signed copies from the author. Sometimes I get one of each – a signed copy for my shelf, and an ebook to read. Someday I bet many will be packaged together, as I’ll be doing with my self-pub titles.
I think there’s plenty of room for ebooks and print to coexist…but I am really excited about the future of ebooks.
I never answered your question – I’m in constant contact with literally over a thousand other authors at any given time on blogs and social networking sites…and that’s how I find most of the books I buy – either I know the author and want to support him/her, or someone has recommended the book to me. I find it online, read an excerpt, and decide based on that.
Wow, that’s interesting — and encouraging! — that you sometimes buy both the print book and the ebook. Having something to autograph has also been a question authors are asking. How can we still participate in booksignings if our book is only available as an ebook? Maybe make canvas ereader covers and sign that?
So, um, Jamie, how do I get you to talk up my ebook? *smiling sweetly* What blogs and sites do you enjoy and recommend?
I bought a Nook this summer, but I’ve been reading on my iPhone for a year now. I love being able to make the font bigger, and I love the instant gratification of having the book as soon as I buy it, all without leaving the house! the backlight on the iPhone was hurting my eyes, though, after spending the day on the computer, and the Nook solved that problem. Also, I can check out ebooks from the library on it!
I find books by word-of-mouth on blogs and Twitter and Facebook. Heck, I never had a TBR before the internet!
I love my Nook!!
Lori
I have a Nook, which I LOVE. I chose it over a Kindle because it reads EPUB and PDF, both of which are standards at the library. How much do I love being able to check a book out and just have it expire rather than earning me late fees because I forgot to take it back?
Since I don’t really find books by browsing in bookstores to begin with (except for used bookstores) I find my ebooks the same way I find print books–by reader rec. I pay attention on Twitter and on the blogs that I read. And I spend a lot of time on Goodreads. My friends are all big readers, typically in the same genres that I like. I buy ebooks from Barnes and Noble, Fictionwise (though their selection has decreased to nowhere near as good since the Agency 5 pricing went into effect), Carina Press–pretty well anybody that sells EPUB, which is more of an industry standard than Kindle’s format. Yes, I have to side load them via USB rather than having them just materialize on the device, but who cares? I have to do the same thing to my Zune for music.
I have booth a Nook and a Kindle–the result of not being able to decide which one I wanted and having my husband commandeer the Kindle before I could return it. We held out for a long time, preferring the feel of books in our hands, but after filling every corner of our house with books in the span of two years, my husband informed me I wasn’t allowed to buy books anymore unless I really, REALLY loved them.
Even before I switched to my Nook, I rarely went to the bookstore. Again with the book addict thing. Give me five minutes at Barnes and Noble and I’ll walk out with twenty books I don’t have enough time to read that will wind up in piles on our table because the bookshelves are all full. I’m deep in the industry though, so I keep up on what’s coming out, what’s hot, and what sorts of books match my interests via the people I talk to. I also search the B&N or Amazon websites if I need something.
I’m glad the ereaders are coming down in price. If it helps get stories into the hands of reluctant readers or people with no more shelf space to store books, more power to them!
Hi Julie,
Yes, I have an eReader. I started out with the B&N eReader app on my iPod Touch, added Kindle for iPhones and recently got a Nook as a birthday present.
I love the iPod for reading in bed because the light doesn’t wake my husband. I love the Nook for other times because the page is closer to a traditional book and doesn’t have the backlighting.
What I love most is the ability to read a sample chapter or two (I think Kindle is better for this than Nook because the samples are longer) to help me decide if I want to purchase something. That makes me more willing to try new authors.
Mary
Oh – and I should have added – I was one of those people who couldn’t imagine EVER using an eReader.
As I talk to more people, I’m leaning towards the Nook. This may sound silly, but one of the things I love about books is looking at the cover. With Nook, you get all the covers in full color.
MaryC, I hear this same thing from so many book lovers. They start out almost horrified at the very idea of reading books on a device. But as soon as they have a story in their hands, they love it. I’m so, so ready to have my own ereader. I can’t wait.
Julie, I’ve been reading ebooks for years, first on my Palm, then on an iPod Touch. I love the convenience, and you’re right; it’s the story that provides the experience, not the format.
Because I wanted an e-ink reader for outside reading I bought the new wi-fi nook. I would have returned it if the store had let me. At 12 ounces it feels very heavy and the page turning buttons take a hard push. But the reading experience is good.
I find my books by reading reviews and recommendations and by following favorite authors. I also browse the bookstore shelves. With respect to finding ebooks, there’s a good post on Wired about the new importance of metadata. http://bit.ly/byWArp
My mother (87) has a Sony – she loves it because she can’t read print any more. We get her books all over the internet. She’s got some 40 books on it. I go over to her house once a week and load it up.
They sell Sony at the local walmart now, for less than $200.
I bought a Nook with WiFi – I’ve got a home network with WiFi so 3G wasn’t worth the extra cash out. LOVE IT! They give away a free book every Friday. I can get magazines – not as many as I want, but a few. The subscriptions are CHEAP.
It is SO easy to read on an e-reader with e-ink. I like the way Nook operates, like the touch screen. If you have a senior in the house who can’t read printed books, give them one and see what happens.
Now that the literary classics are showing up on Kindle and more backlist is being loaded up – it makes more sense than ever to buy John Updike and Hunter S. Thompson for $9.99 instead of shelling out for a hardback.
As long as you can read print without problems, keep the paper books. But if you get to the point where you can’t read – look into an e-reader.
Why give up reading?
I am not so much avoiding a choice as not wanting to be connected to another electronical device. I sit at a computer all day writing.
There is also just something about ereaders that has no appeal to me whatsoever. Even if I were forced to let go of my bound books, and was left with a choice of using an ereader or not read at aLL, I think (as much as I LOVE reading) I would stop. I know it sounds extreme, but call me old fashioned, certain things should not be changed. I don’t curse ereaders. I understand why people are drawn to them. They’re just not for me, They are uncomfortable and cold.
I’ve been reading eBooks for years (Project Gutenberg mostly) on my Palm and PC. I got one of the $139 Kindles (didn’t need the 3G connectivity) and love it.
I subscribe to Analog through Fictionwise and have several Kindle books (one click is horrible when you’re an impulse buyer) as well as others I’ve loaded on.
Project Gutenberg now has several formats available for download; txt, html, ePub and KIndle (Mobi) formats. Some of the books even have audio downloads.
I’ve used a free program Calibre to convert books into different formats.