[Web4lib] [Publib] Growth of ebooks article

Mon Nov 29 21:44:28 EST 2010

I have been following Konrath's blog for a long time now, and monitoring
the ebook discussion forums in some of the professional writers'
organizations.  Though many of the more established authors are
reluctant to leave the traditional world of publishing when it comes to
their new works, more and more of them are trying to regain control of
their out-of-print titles so they can put them up on Amazon, Smashwords,
etc.  

On the forums I frequent, the established authors who are exploring the
world of ebooks are doing so for these reasons:

1)    The chance to make far more money, especially for midlist writers
(Amazon offers 70% of the cover price).

2)    The chance to get their works to market faster, without having to
wait for publisher cycles.

3)    The chance to bypass traditional publisher editorial regulations
on content (this is especially true for horror and erotica writers).

4)    The chance to keep all their titles "in print" in perpetuity, so
they continue to make money off them even after they would normally go
out of print.

5)    Dissatisfaction with the editorial and advertising support offered
by today's print publishers.

6)    The chance to have 100% control of the art and title that goes on
their books.

Most of those folks seem to be commissioning their own art from artists
they find on DeviantArt and other websites.  Many of them have had a lot
of success with Eastern European artists, who often charge very little
for professional work.  Many of them hire their own editors, as well.  

There are several other benefits to self-published ebooks.  A series
writer, for example, could easily put out a short story or novelette
that covers an idea for a character that would not take a whole book to
express.  If, for example, I was the writer of a fantasy series, I could
put out books, stories, novelettes, role-playing "setting" books,
in-depth character biographies, play transcripts, movie scripts, etc.
that take place in my fictional universe.  That is considerably more
difficult under traditional print publishers, since each of those media
are handled differently.  

The established authors who are more reticent about it mostly state
that:

1)    They prefer the status that being in a bookstore affords them.

2)    They like the up-front money from advances.

3)    They don't know how to go about marketing their book and finding a
cover artist (and don't want to bother learning how).

Note that I am talking about established authors, though.  These are
folks who already have readers that they can (hopefully) encourage to
follow them into the world of ebooks, as well.  It is more difficult for
new writers, of course, but there are a few genres - erotica, horror,
romance, and certain sub-genres of science fiction and fantasy - in
which it is comparatively easy for new authors to gain a foothold.

I do think that Konrath is correct in his assertion that $2.99 is the
"magic price," and $9.99 is the most that the average reader is willing
to pay for a new bestseller in ebook format.  Quantity sold - rather
than price per item - is going to work out better for most authors (and
readers) in the long run.  At $1.99 or $2.99, people are willing to take
a chance.  When the price approaches that of a pocket paperback (or a
book from a used bookstore), readers are less likely to buy the ebook
version.  Readers are very aware that they are losing some things when
they opt to buy an ebook over a print one (resale value, ability to keep
it forever, easy ability to loan it to someone else, etc.), and are
hesitant to pay as much for them.

I don't think that a rise in ebooks and a decrease in the number of
print titles put out by major publishers necessarily mean that there
will be fewer print titles available to libraries, though.  Many of the
ebook hosting companies offer print-on-demand services, which are
already affordable but will get even less expensive as the technology
improves.

There will definitely be a need for greater technological expertise on
the parts of librarians, who will (as you said) need to help patrons
download and troubleshoot the transfer of ebooks to their personal
devices.  That is part of the overall need for librarians to become more
technologically adept, though, which is not a bad thing.  

Jesse Ephraim

Director, Roanoke Public Library

308 S. Walnut

Roanoke, Texas 76262

(817) 491-2691

jephraim at roanoketexas.com

From: publib-bounces at webjunction.org
[mailto:publib-bounces at webjunction.org] On Behalf Of Chris (CE)
Sent: Monday, November 29, 2010 10:35 AM
To: publib at webjunction.org; web4lib at webjunction.org
Subject: [Publib] Growth of ebooks article

Dear Colleagues,

I wrote the following article for our system newsletter.
I am curious about your thoughts.

**** Article *****

The Association of American Publishers published estimated net sales of
print books, audiobooks and ebooks from 2002 to 2009 at
http://tinyurl.com/2fwatcp

The chart at http://www.ckls.org/CE/Ebooks/GrowthofEbooks.xls 
shows the average yearly change net sales from 2002 to 2009 was:

*  Trade hardbacks = +1.3%

*  Trade paperbacks = +2.6%

*  Mass paperbacks = -2.2%

*  Audiobooks = +4.3%

*  Ebooks = +71%

 If this seven year trend continues 4 more years, then ebook net sales
will surpass trade hardbacks in 2014.  Though we shouldn't take the
prediction of this specific year too seriously, it is prudent to
consider the consequences of this trend.

*   Increasing patron demand for ebooks,

*   Increasing patron demand for help in acquiring, downloading and
assessing ebooks on patrons' own devices. Patrons' own devices includes
laptops and smartphones.

*   There may also notice a change in available print titles, especially
a reduction in titles written by new and lesser-known authors who
discover that self-publishing ebooks offers a better deal.

On his blog, "A Newbie's Guide to Publishing," Joe Konrath claims
self-publishing ebooks earns the most money. 

*       His six print books earned a lot of money the first year, but
earn less and less each succeeding year. 

*       Earnings from his seven ebooks increase each year.
http://tinyurl.com/2ejbko3

*       Konrath earns the most money by self-publishing his own ebooks.
He discovered the best price for his ebooks is $2.99. He nets $2.04 (68%
royalty) on each ebook. Ebook publishers sell his ebooks for $5.99.
Though Konrath earns more on each ebook, he earns less money because
many fewer ebooks are sold. His print books earn even less.
http://tinyurl.com/2dgf5pl

*** End of article *****

Thanks,
Chris Rippel
Central Kansas Library System
Great Bend, Kansas 67530