“EBooks are killing publishing!”
No, they’re not.
Settle down.
That’s what I keep telling everyone who’s in a tizzy about eBooks.
For some reason, lots of authors have it in their heads that eBooks are killing traditional publishing (or their chances of getting a traditional publisher).
Although I understand some of the reasons they
might think that, it doesn’t really matter.
Because it isn’t true.
Let’s look at two parallel universes and draw
some comparisons, starting with…
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EBooks – Comparison #1 – The Music Industry
Radio didn’t kill music concerts. Instead, promoters quickly discovered that radio actually increased concert sales (and merchandise sales).
Cassette tapes didn’t kill radio, either. Neither did CDs or streaming MP3s. Radio is evolving, and it’s actually doing quite well. Try to find a spot on your radio spectrum without some type of chatter.
Then there’s satellite radio.
Etcetera.
Now it’s true that CDs did kill cassette tapes. But who cares? The music artist is still thriving. It’s not the medium that matters, simply the fact that the masses are still able to buy the message (in this case, the music).
MP3s are killing CDs (ditto on what I just said about the music artist still thriving).
Now, I will say that free streaming music providers online like the old Napster were killing the music artist (yes, that was a bad thing), but a bunch of smart lawyers at the big record labels figured that out in a nanosecond and quashed it.
Did you really expect anything different?
Now let’s move on to…
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EBooks – Comparison #2 – The Movie Industry
If you go waaaaaaay back in time, there wasn’t any such thing as a “moving picture.” In fact, no one even got paid to tell stories. They told them for free, around a campfire.
Imagine that…
Later, as civilizations “evolved,” kings and queens found it entertaining and enlightening to enlist the services of storytellers in their courts. Some storytellers got paid, others got favors, and still others were simply happy that they were able to keep their head. The ultimate cure for writers’ block (and bad writing), don’t you think?
Fast forward to the invention of the motion picture in the late 1800’s. As you know, the first motion pictures were produced in black and white… without sound. And (although I didn’t research this), I don’t believe that actors and actresses of the time took a financial hit when color and sound were added (probably the opposite).
I seriously doubt that there were serious negative financial implications when surround sound and 3-D technology were introduced, either. Then came TV, cable TV, movie theaters, VCRs, DVDs, TiVo, Netflix, and Pay-Per-View.
Did any of those things destroy the movie industry?
I don’t think so.
In fact, I can make a pretty good case that they helped it.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are always going to collect a healthy paycheck
(regardless of how you feel about it).
Photo Credit: Georges Biard
So, here are the facts…
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EBooks – The Facts
- Technology isn’t the most important factor responsible for the financial well-being of creative artists. It’s copyright law, and the American copyright system works. It was designed to foster creative development and financial growth, not just for the creative artist… but the economy.
- Technology comes and goes, but that won’t determine whether you’re able to make a living as a creative artist. Your financial security has nothing to do with technology, but everything to do with your content. Don’t focus so much on how your content is packaged (or might be packaged). Focus on what your content is. Put your energy into creating something valuable and/or entertaining.
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Welcome, eBooks… I Adore Thee
I’m in love with eBooks and eReaders because I now have the entire digital library of the world at my fingertips on my iPhone (oh, the power)! No matter where I am in the world (as long as there’s 4G), if I can think it, and it’s been digitized, I can read it… instantly.
Reading eBooks is easy, and it’s fun.
As a result, I’m buying more books than ever… which is hard to believe because I bought ridiculous amount of books before. But it’s true. And I can’t imagine that I’m the only one. That means ebooks are actually good for authors, readers, and the economy.
Oh, if you’re wondering about the commission that an author gets for the sale of an ebook versus a print book, it’s more (yes, authors make more money on eBooks because… even though the price might be lower, the royalty rate is significantly higher).
So, don’t feel sorry for yourself.
Writers aren’t being hurt by eBooks.
Publishers aren’t being hurt, either. They’re having to adjust, promote their ebook editions more and their print editions less. But they’re figuring it out.
Bookstore owners will survive as well, if they persist. Although brick-and-mortar bookstores might shrink (or disappear completely), online bookstores will continue to flourish and differentiate themselves. Bookstores will be around forever, in one form or another, as long as writers keep writing.
Even used bookstores can be successful through all this, at least for the next decade or so (if they’re smart). Prices for used books are probably going to go up (significantly), because a lot of print editions are quickly becoming “rare editions.”
Five years ago, I used to go online once in a while to Amazon and eBay… looking for rare used poetry books by a favorite author of mine (you can’t get them new). Now the used editions have all been bought up. And they’re not available as eBooks.
Do you see a business opportunity there?
I certainly do.
The value of some print editions of books is actually skyrocketing. The next time I see one of those poetry books that I was just talking about, it’s probably going to be $100 (instead of $10).
But you don’t have to worry about any of that. You’re not a bookstore owner, you’re an author (and a reader). All is well.
Write something special, and (in one form or another) it will sell,
Mark Malatesta
Your “Undercover” Agent
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MARK MALATESTA is a former literary agent turned author coach. Mark now helps authors of all genres (fiction, nonfiction, and children's books) get top literary agents, publishers, and book deals through his company 
MARK MALATESTA is a former literary agent turned author coach. Mark now helps authors of all genres (fiction, nonfiction, and children's books) get top literary agents, publishers, and book deals through his company 
I should be writing and not reading everything you write but this was good! I’m not afraid of no stinking ebooks!
Hi Tammy, you do realize that’s the best compliment I could ever receive… don’t you? So thank you for that. And have a great rest of your week. See you again soon. Mark
Thanks for your insightful article about e-books. You have given me more confidence and reason to write, knowing that there is market for my work which ever type of publishing i choose.
I look forward to working with you soon.
Hi Andas, thank you for posting. I’m looking forward to learning more about you and your work. Mark
Great article Mark! I love the idea of using ebooks to trickle the small message while building a platform at the same time. I think of it as a venue to whet the interest and create a yearning for more information. It’s like paving the way for the big message–the book…
Hi Lisa, your comment (and several others) have made me realize I’m not as clear a communicator as I’d like to think. By eBook in this article I didn’t mean self-published book… but the electronic version of your book put out by a publisher. But self-publishing other, smaller eBooks isn’t a bad idea either. 😉 Have a great day and see you again soon. Mark
Good article – but the trouble with eBooks is the content itself. I write speculative fiction. I put online some 20 thousand odd words of a novel I’m working on. It doesn’t sell. The nature of my work is such that somewhere down the line I will need a traditional book deal – people don’t buy it online.
Hi Faruk, I’m sorry to hear that you haven’t had better luck or fortune online so far. But I’m thrilled to know that you understand the value of getting a traditional book deal. One way or another you will sell your work and build an audience if you simply keep at it. I see it every day. So I wish you the best and hope you take advantage of all the resources here on my site. I’d love to be part of your success story. Have a great weekend and I hope to see you again soon. Mark
Excellent article – thanks for posting. Ebook is the way of the future and the future is now. I’m hoping to sell some of my dead-tree library to fund the marketing of my ebooks! I don’t think I’ll be able to part with some however! Thanks again
William
http://williamcookwriter.com
Hi William, good to see you and thanks for leaving a comment. We cleaned out much of our dead-tree library a couple years ago. Of course we held on to the many books we had that weren’t available electronically. And those that had a lot of personal meaning. Oh, meant to tell you that your website link works but one second after your site appears, something else shows up. Are you aware of that? I can’t figure it out. Mark
Hi Mark
That’s weird! I tried the link myself with no problem – do you have software running that might redirect/inhibit?
Ah, that’s much better. Now I see you. Here’s to the macabre, family, well-designed websites, poetry, and scaring the hell out people once in a while. Anything’s better than being boring. At least that’s how I feel about it. 😉 Mark
Amazon just announced a program offering customers a discount if they buy both books — print and eBook — together. This way, a reader can buy a print copy as a gift, loaner, or just for the pleasure of it, while also having an electronic version for travel and long-term archiving. The e-version also is handy for text searching, which you don’t get with a printed copy. Ken Follett’s new 1,000-pager trilogy books are very likely to gain more sales for him because of this.
Hi David, good hearing from you and thank you for sharing this. I wasn’t aware of it and I think it’s brilliant. Now that you mention it, I’m surprised it took them so long to come up with it. How are you doing with your work, by the way? Still busy with the other publishing venture? Or starting to gear up for what we talked about? I know you’ll keep me posted but I’m eager to see you succeed. And, of course, you know I’d be happy to help you if you need/want it. You’re a great writer. Mark
Thanks, Mark. I mentioned Ken Follett’s trilogy, which includes many generations of multiple families in various nations, interacting throughout the 20th Century of warfare. I’m reading the heavy 1000-page print versions, but this is an ideal situation for eBooks, first because of the lighter weight of reading devices, and second for the search feature. I frequently wish I could type a character’s name and instantly locate each mention to remind me who he/she is and what he/she did previously.
All fiction is good on eBook to me. Nonfiction is tough sometimes when I want to flip back and forth, but I know the technology will soon make that easier. Mark
For flipping pages back and forth, I understand some e-reading devices have a bookmark feature for that, and/or a Table of Contents sidebar which — at least — gets you to the right chapter. My own devices so far include Apple’s iPod Touch and the Amazon Kindle app for Mac computers. (Apple’s newest operating system will feature built-in ebook readers for laptops and desktops–finally!). Hence I’m no expert on other devices available now or soon, but It seems important for authors to take note.
Mark, regarding progress on what we talked about, I just wrapped up the other venture a week ago, then decided I needed further revisions to the Escape book before submitting it to anyone. I’ll get that done this weekend and begin the query process, which is the greater challenge for me — and therefore most dependent on your valuable help. I really do appreciate everything you’ve already said and done and look forward to more. Thanks!
Glad to hear it, that you’re making progress and sending things out. I have high expectations for you and expect to hear some good things from you soon. I’m pulling for you so do keep me posted. Mark
Hi Mark! Last weekend I attended the Southern Cal Writers conference and what a great experience! Whether to self publish or go the traditional route was by far the most common topic of discussion.
There was a panel of Literary Agents where we could ask anything we wanted and not one of them said they handled Romance! What a huge demographic of readers to alienate, I thought.
I was shocked they are want your manuscript professionally edited or they won’t even look at it!
Hi Debbie, good hearing from you again and I love that you made it to the conference. Self-pub or traditional is certainly the new number one topic of discussion. Surprising though that there were no agents at the conference wanting romance. But I assure you that’s a fluke. It’s a tremendous genre and there are MANY agents who’d get all hot and bothered to read your work. True though that all agents (and publishers) prefer manuscripts that are already very clean. Mark
That’s such good information Mark. Your view of the future of the ebook market is very encouraging.
I’ve got a vague idea of writing a non-fiction book. I’d be fine with doing it as an EBook – it just doesn’t seem as daunting to write as a printed book does.
Think I’ll flesh it out a bit and see if you think the idea is saleable.
Light & Blessings to you and Ingrid!
Hi Jane, always good hearing from you and I love knowing that you’re entertaining a book idea. Nothing more fun to me than that. And I’m glad to know that thinking eBook is making it easier for you to accept the challenge. Whatever it takes. 😉 Let me know when you’re further along and want some feedback. Until then, enjoy this beautiful weekend’s that just begun. Love to you from both of us. Mark and Ingrid
What an outstanding article–I had no awareness of any of this e-book info before reading what you’ve written. It all makes sense in today’s world. I’m presently heavily into working on 3 different books, plus taking an on-line class. Plans are moving along nicely towards what I hope to accomplish. Info, like this current article read via through your website, is both motivating and priceless. Thank you for wanting to help others through your business endeavors, Mark. Blessings always!
Thank you Rhymster, and I just sent your gift card to you by the way… since you were the winner this week. Working on three different books at the same time sounds fun. It’s a great way to stay productive and keep moving without getting stuck. Thank you for being supportive and positive about the content on my blog. We all need to get that feedback from time to time. So thank you for making my day this morning by posting yours! Have a great weekend and see you again soon. Mark
Hi Mark,
Thank you for this article. I am very interested in e-books and e-publishing. What do you know about Mark Coker and Smashwords? I’m seriously considering making my novels available through that site.
Your comments/opinion would be very welcome!
Thanks.
Hi Lynn, thank YOU for reading and posting a comment. 😉 I don’t know a lot about self-publishing eBooks to be honest, since my main expertise is helping authors find literary agents and publishers so they don’t have to do that. But, check out this site before making the leap and let me know what you think: www.BookBaby.com. I’d be curious to see how the two compare to you. Mark
Hi Mark,
I have over 500 ebooks. However, I am still buying hardcopy books. I purchased an ebook, enjoyed it so much, I bought the hardcopy and am now collecting the author’s work in hardcopy. That would not have happend if I hadn’t read the ebook first. Writers will have more options, as will the consumer.
Publishers may need to reconsider their pricing format; but that is not a bad thing. Wonder if they ever heard of three fast nickels to one slow dime.
As Always,
Jan
Hi Jan, that’s a fresh and fantastic perspective. Every new medium for every type of content is exactly what you just described… yet one more way for creative artists to find a new audience that might not have done so otherwise. Have a great weekend and thank you for sharing this. Mark
Hi Mark
Very reassuring knowing if I get published, I’ll still have a bright future as an author. I think many authors and aspiring authors need reassurance sometimes as doubts hit them and maybe anxiety.
Hi Saw Lian, life and literature are filled with reasons to doubt… aren’t they? That’s why we need to keep reminding each other that anything is possible if we stay positive and keep taking action toward our dreams. So keep remembering that yes, you can do this. You’re one of the most detail-oriented people I know, based on the many questions you’ve asked me over the years. I believe in you. Have a great weekend! Mark
Hi Mark,
I am happy to have read many of the comments from your news letter this week. I agree that perhaps to get started as an author…self-publishing and the e-books is the way to go. At least it is a start and I am tiered of the rejections letters from the agents. It has to stop somewhere…perhaps placing the first book on self-publishing might not be as I wanted it, but it might give me hope. One of my biggest problems has been finding a good editor. Can you help with that issue?
Dorlies
Looking forward to blasting my book in every fashion available…. Ebook is the way to go! So friendly and private for the public reader…
Hi Mardell, I’m just glad you caught and eliminated the electronic bugs that were giving you fits last week… making it possible for you to get your book out there. 😉 Keep me posted, looking forward to some good news from you in the next few days/weeks. Mark
Hi Mark,
I totally agree with you. I would also state that I am a self-published author, I own Quill Publishing which was set up specifically for my books (not to be confused with vanity publishing), arranged printing, distribution and marketing. Carried out prom and book signings and became one of the best selling authors for Borders UK. I am now looking to rewrite all my work into eBook format – a small publisher/author moving with the times.
Hi David, congrats on finishing so many books. Let’s start with that. And then having the courage and wherewithal to get them out there. It’s obvious you’re committed and living the dream as they say. Looks like you’re doing great. Perhaps one day you’ll make the leap and partner up with a larger traditional publisher. But if not, it seems like you’re one of the few that might not need to. All my best and thanks for posting. Mark
Mark-
Great post, discussing transitional serendipity, print vs digital.
This year I’ve utilized your site (and Agent Query) to engage the business side of being an author. During the process of sending too many (well-written and focused) queries I also began preparing to e-pub.
Examining the economics, the decision is a no-brainer within the current publishing environment.
The key is establishing a solid author website and engaging social media.
I invite you to examine my blog site.
Hi Doug, thank you for the kind words… and the update. I love knowing that you’ve found my site valuable enough to apply it. And I applaud you on launching your blog. Here’s to “finally doing what you want to do.” Have a great weekend and thanks for posting. Mark
Dear Mark,
I have to admit that I live and die by holding an actual book in my hands and seeing them around me. They trigger my, “All is right with the world button!” Not to mention I like how they smell. Okay, so maybe I’m a little weird, but I refuse to apologize. I have very mixed feelings about e-books and to date have not purchased one. So…..not surprising to me, I have not considered publishing my stuff via e-book. Sounds like I have some work to do on my thinking.
Enjoy the rain.
Maril
Hi Marilyn, true… and I miss those days. Sometimes feel like I’m killing the poet in me to make room for the businessman. But I can pick up a paperback or hardcover anytime. We still have plenty in the house. And you don’t have to publish your book as an eBook, by the way. Your publish will do that for you. 😉 Mark
Great Column! While I must be archaic in that I adore the feel, smell, and bulk of a new and hard cover book; and I no longer txt nor enjoy fondling and/or scrolling some tiny technical apparatus, it’s amazing what an e-world we live in! Having grilled black tip shark & Asian yams for dinner today however, via old-fashioned charcoal, and as a devotee of “old world” wine, my preferences may not match the modern day masses. But I thoroughly enjoy & look forward to, your E-LETTERS! That’s for sure!
Hi Leah, you’re not alone. I love the smell of books as well… along with the colors and textures of a well-designed cover. It is taking some getting used to. Just this week Ingrid and I were staying at a hotel to meet this some clients. Our first night there I caught myself fondling some mass market paperbacks in the gift shop, before putting them back and returning to my electronic world. Sigh. But I did have some amazing bison for dinner that night. My consolation prize. 😉 Mark
Yay on the bison!!! Delicious! Cheers to you both and happy weekend!
Thanks Mark for that information. I did correspond with Braden Bell and he charges $1/page. I guess it will be depend on the length of a book as to how expensive that can get. That include editing and critiquing the big picture as we talk about, ie, plot, characters, flow, etc. not line for line editing. He did the first 5 pages of my story just to show me what he does and it’s exactly what I think most authors, especially newer authors would be looking for. So, I look forward to comparing your information and seeing who offers the most beneficial service.
But, for anyone who would like to inquire his services, he can be contacted from his website. www.bradenbell.com. He’s a teacher and an author who majored in theater arts.
An example of what he does is this… just within the first 5 pages he can tell that I’m too wordy 🙂 He made some suggestions to what he was reading and stated “My reconmmendation is to take some more time and really go through it and be brutal! Chop, chop, chop. Whittle it down to the main story. Use short, strong sentences. That would save you a lot of money and give you a better product in the end.”
He combined a couple of sentences for example and showed me how to cut/shorten certain phrases and still say the same thing. Mark, he suggested that I keep my novel at 90,000 or less because that’s more of what agents and publishers are looking for. How true is that? I’m asking because I want my novel to be just right.
Anyway, I’m taking his comments and suggestions to heart and applying them before I actually pay someone to edit. So, if this helps anyone, then GREAT! 🙂 I’ll be glad to share some other things said as well.
Happy Writing! 🙂
Sabrena
Hi Sabrena, thanks for the update. Other authors reading my blog will appreciate the info. I’m going to check him out as well. I love the first five pages offer. Regarding length, too long is better than too short. 90,000 words is a good target. Better to over 90,000 than less. Keep me posted on your progress and thanks again for sharing. Mark
Hi Sabrena, I got an estimate of $500 for every 25,000 words from my editor friend for a critique. I asked her to send me more info about what someone would get for that… and I’ll send you that info also when I have it. I’ll ask some other people as well… this will probably be the basis of an article soon! Thanks for asking. And have a great rest of the week. Mark