Comments on: Ebooks promise great monetization opportunities for authors, right? Maybe not.

By: Edward G. Talbot

Edward G. Talbot — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 16:09:05 +0000

Great post, J.C. Just as podcasting is not a silver bullet the way many onlookers mistakenly thought it would be, ebooks are not either. I think you nailed it with this:

“It is nearly impossible to make a living wage selling content the DIY way. It’s also nearly impossible to make a living wage working with a mainstream publisher.”

The real question is the one you address in your response in the comments – will DIY still be marginalized? I think the answer is yes. . .and no. Yes because the vast majority of the revenue will still go to traditionally published books. Here’s where I think the marginalization will break down – price.

Many, many authors will DIY, most of them just won’t make much money. They’ll be charging $2-$3 a book. I don’t see traditional publishers getting under $7-$8 other than for books that won’t have much demand. And I firmly believe that as ebook readership expands, there will be a huge market for those $2-$3 books. It will be a pie split into so many pieces that the piece for any given author is small, but it will fundamentally change the dynamics in ways we can’t predict easily.

I don’t think this means authors will suddenly be able to make living wages. But I suspect that the basic economic forces working against them will be too much for traditional publishers to survive with something resembling the current model. Where things shake out is anyone’s guess.

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By: Publishing 2010: The Beginning of the End or the End of the Beginning? | Evil Genius Chronicles

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 12:24:34 +0000

[...] and a crisis of faith from one of the pioneering new media creator/ novelist hybrid guys. He also posted about monetary realities of writers pubishing via ebooks. Not that long before this, I had listened to JC’s Hey Everybody interview with Pablo [...]

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By: Liz H. Allen

Liz H. Allen — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 10:00:03 +0000

Wow. A lot of great thoughts on this. Perhaps I’m traditional but I’d rather had an actual copy of a book (any book) than an ebook. I’m probably unlikely to read a book that is only available in ebook form.
.-= Liz H. Allen´s last blog ..Distractions =-.

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By: Angelo Bell

Angelo Bell — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:20:22 +0000

I think choosing one process over the other won’t bode well, particularly for the author. I imagine that, like the music and film industry, authors in it for the long term will adopt hybrid approaches to publishing their work. I can imagine an author simultaneously working with a big publishing company for more mainstream work while will managing an ebook-based direct-to-consumer Internet portal for more personal literary work.
.-= Angelo Bell´s last blog ..What Does The Digital Distribution Landscape Look Like? =-.

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By: Matt Wallace

Matt Wallace — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 23:53:01 +0000

Writing is hard. Let’s be firemen instead.

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By: J.C. Hutchins

J.C. Hutchins — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 23:43:39 +0000

@Kait: Thank you for your comments! I agree that the DIY method (and emerging marketplaces) will become more relevant in the upcoming years. As an author who has effectively used DIY publishing and promotion methods to entertain and build a fan base, I’m a firm believer in rolling up one’s sleeves and becoming deeply involved in the publishing process.

As I mentioned in my post, DIY efforts presently provide incremental revenue opportunities for creators; very few can make a living wage using this method of distribution. Like you, I hope this shifts — but with major publishers (finally) fully embracing digital marketplaces and consumers (finally) shopping in them, I fear DIY authors’ works will remain marginalized in light of the money and influence mainstream publishers will leverage in these up-and-coming markets.

These are days of flux, and I’m thrilled that you’re watching the markets as keenly as I. :)
.-= J.C. Hutchins´s last blog ..An update on the 7th Son sequels, 2010, and my creative plans =-.

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By: Rebecca @ Diary of a Virgin Novelist

Rebecca @ Diary of a Virgin Novelist — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:40:20 +0000

This kind of makes my head swim. I am not the type to bury my head in the sand – and poop out a novel! But I am ready for the dust to settle a bit and for the (first wave of) new rules to be established. This is probably because I am not published yet. I imagine for those of you already in the game, this is a heady time indeed.
.-= Rebecca @ Diary of a Virgin Novelist´s last blog ..Writing Nirvana to Writing Nothing =-.

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By: Kait Nolan

Kait Nolan — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 15:32:02 +0000

I think you make a lot of good points. However, I think the DIY model DOES offer more and greater opportunity for those willing to put in the work and treat self-publishing just like running their own small business. The days when the publisher does all the promotional work are simply over (more’s the pity), and if authors are expected to do most of that themselves, they certainly deserve a bigger percentage of the royalties pie. The key is to have some business sense to go along with it. To learn how to market. If you put out something good, sell it cheaply, the rise in ranks will bring in considerably more purchase traffic. Just look at the ebook experiments that JA Konrath has done. I think either way, the truth of the matter is that publishing is clinging by its fingernails to an antiquated business model and the next decade is going to see huge changes in how things are done. The key is to pay attention and take advantage of new opportunities as they arise.
.-= Kait Nolan´s last blog ..RIP First Blood/Hunted In Shadow =-.

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By: Lydia Sharp

Lydia Sharp — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 13:34:04 +0000

Wow. Good thoughts, JC. :)
.-= Lydia Sharp´s last blog ..How Much Do You Love Your Story? =-.

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