E-books v. Books

After doing some research on the subject of the pros and cons on E-books I decided to publish my first book via lulu. Now I understand the worry of most authors about E-publishing especially on a site like lulu. Your book becomes a pin in a stack of a millions of pins. Whereas in a book store your book if lucky enough to be on the shelf; it would be a book among a few hundred in its given genre at worst. But! We have this thing called social media these days and more powerful now than you grandfather’s internet. From facebook to twitter the author has means of getting themselves out there like never before. Also if you are already a power user you already have the tools and knowledge to gain followers quick on a new account if you wish not to use any current accounts. The big help comes in attracting the following and there are secrets and tips that can go a long way in facilitating this. It won’t be over night but in a few short months you can have a few hundred if not a few thousand followers.

I won’t get into getting followers and such as it is since I am still learning the process as well. I do plan however, to share such knowledge here. If you are like me a hobbyist author who has been threatening the world about someday publishing your work. You probably found yourself asking the very real question paper-or-digital, or both? What type of future does either have? Things in the digital world change so quickly can the format that you publish in today be completely forgotten about tomorrow? I’m not going to try and answer all of these questions but instead put out here what I think needs to happen in the industry.

First thing we have to remember is the customer drives prices. If the customer with a little work can find something for free they will, but at the same time most customers will happily spend the coin to get something without the headache. No e-book is safe from copying. We can lock them down enough to keep them from being manipulated, but we cannot prevent someone paying the money to get your e-book and then posting it on Pirate bay or something. E-readers are overpriced for most people, even the ones that are under a hundred U.S. dollars. More money than it is worth for the average person who can still get that paperback from $7-5 dollars. No batteries, no worries if dropped, and rather rugged. E-readers are hardly any of this, and they have too many features. The ability to go online, watch a movie, or maybe sometime get around to reading one of those 30 books you just down loaded. Chances are in-less you are a very discipline person who is an avid reader you won’t hardly ever touch those e-book files in less god-forbid there’s no Wi-Fi! I have an e-book reader on my net-book but I only use it as a proof reading tool, it helps me find the many mistakes my brain refuses to see when looking over my work in word. Other than that I never read anything on my computer aside from what’s on a given webpage. I wouldn't give my kid a Nook that had internet with the ability to watch movies and all that great stuff. He/she would never read anything longer than a movie title. Tablets and E-readers need to be two very different things and should have very little in common. I’m also certain if a company really wanted to they could build an e-reader that was in the $40-50 range that would have only a few titles saved inside it with no option to add more. You would have to buy another one with the titles you wanted safely locked inside it.

So what conclusions can we draw from the above questions, problems, and issues surrounding them. For authors as well as readers it is personal needs, a Nook or Kindle fire for about $200 can make a cheap in-between instead of a tablet HC that can run few more dollars.  It comes down to price write now; we must look at volume over anything if we choose the e-publish option. Because if I am a Nook customer who is looking for that diamond-in-the-rough e-book on lulu I am not going to pay a penny over $4 even if I can afford more. Only big name authors with long awaited titles can ask for more because if it’s out for say $30 in hard cover, No paperback yet, but I can get it for $9 from an online e-book store than I’m going with the cheaper option. Convenience the reader is our only option if we choose e-publish, price it cheap and constantly and shamelessly promote your work. I strongly suggest fellow first timers as well as pros to look at the e-publish option, but know full well it isn't the price you need to worry about in-less you priced it too high; but it can never be too low.

I have noticed many authors will let it go for free for a few weeks/months to garner interest. What risk is in down loading a free book that can go to your trash can if you hate it? I think pricing is the sword the publishing industry will die upon if they do not realize it has to make more readers and not gouging existing ones. Here is a chance for the overall literary industry to have an electronic renaissance. There is nothing more therapeutic than slowing down life long enough to read a book.  The market is Not finite there is not a set amount of readers out there and therefore profit can be just as great or even greater. With one click of a mouse button your e-book is global whereas you print copy isn't  I’m working out the pricing system as we speak with my own work. I purposely priced it a little higher than I thought it would sale at just to make sure I didn't undercut myself, and I will be slashing the price to get the book selling. I suggest everyone play around with this if they are just starting out, a seasoned author will know via experience. So we must experience this industry for ourselves and listen to their advice.  

There is an overall conclusion in here somewhere but I will leave it to you to draw it. I believe strongly right now since the industry is in such flux we have to figure it out for ourselves what the best move is for us as authors.