An author pens a novel, which takes time, creativity, and in some cases, money out of their pocket to produce and market. For some it is their lively hood, and for others it is just a hobby. Along comes the eBook that is designed to cut cost, in terms of material and other publishing costs, and some may see it as a quick way to make extra income. The focus quickly turned from the book itself to how certain entities can profit from the downloads. Soon after we had software such as the Kindle and the Nook. The central target became selling the devices and whatever happens with the books, so be it.
When I released my first novel, “He Loves Me He Loves Me Not!” I had no real knowledge of ebooks. As I began to see writers selling their work for .99 cents, a $1.99, etc, I thought it was crazy. Why would I take something I poured me heart and soul into producing and then practically give it away? A couple of authors even provided me with free downloads, asking that I read their work and provide them with feedback. I must admit, I couldn’t read the work because I’m old-fashioned and love actual books. Even when Steve Harvey’s “Act Like A Lady Think Like A Man” showed up in my inbox (which is another topic in itself), I couldn’t sit at the computer and read it. And printing these books seemed to defeat the purpose. Then someone reached out to me and suggested offering my title on Kindle. I did some research and decided, why not. Within days I had sold several downloads and over the past year they continue to trickle in one by one.
Now, I rarely promote my Kindle books. I list on my sites, in newsletters, and if I see someone with a device I share literature on my work, letting it be known that my books are available for download. Recently, I received some information on an author who has had great success with her Kindle books. I read the article and was impressed by her numbers. Her debut novel had thousands of ebook downloads, which ultimately increased her physical book sales. This heightened my interest, and I began to search the net for other success stories to see how authors were marketing their ebooks, since the article did not say. What I discovered is that authors, especially little known ones, are selling their work for less than $2.00. However, they are still finding themselves in competition with the big publishing houses who are giving books away for free. I hear Amazon does not allow independent writers to offer free ebooks. Hhmm, maybe I need to have a sale on my ebooks to see how I do, maybe offer them for $1.99 for a limited time.
All of this sounded like a good idea, I guess, when the popularity of these reading devices was low, but now that sells have increased, and physical books are taking a dive, someone has finally realized that maybe free or low-cost isn’t always better. I was on the web today and owners of these devices were voicing concern that publishers are now delaying the release of ebooks until physical books have been on the market for several weeks and reached a threshold, and others were upset to see the electronic book version at a price comparable to the physical copies. It’s kind of reminiscent of when the hardcover book was released and you had to wait for the paperback, which was less expensive. These conversations, however, did not support the notion that a person who buys an ebook may later purchase a physical book. Ebook readers, from what I can tell are happy with their reading devices and even happier with the very low prices of these books, not to mention you can’t beat free.
Reading various blogs and comments reaffirmed my initial concern about ebooks, which is, where do the author fit in. If there was no author, there would be no books to read. So why it is that author’s are not being seriously considered in the debate. No one seems to care if the author is paid for their work, or how much. Is it because there is a misconception that authors are paid a great deal up front for their work, regardless if they sell or not? And what about the independent writer who bares all the expense of getting their work out and into the hands of readers; is this the price they must pay, as one article put it, to gain notoriety and let people know they exist. Or, is there a misunderstanding in terms of royalties paid on ebooks? Some say that the royalty is higher. This may be true but keep in mind; royalties are a percentage of the price of the book, the lower the price the lower the royalty, meaning the author must now pray for larger sells volumes. As this debate continues I would love to see more consideration paid to the author. We know the majority of us will not retire off of book sells alone, but we still want to be a part of the decisions being made, based off the work we produce.
Much Love,
Tracy
Tracy L. Darity is the author of “He Loves Me He Loves Not!" which received the 2009 Best Fiction Author, presented by the Multicultural Literature Advocacy Group; and her new release, "Love…Like Snow In Florida On A Hot Summer Day."
To learn more, visit www.TracyLDarity.com, and www.TracyLDarity.ning.com. You can also follow her on Amazon, Facebook, Goodreads, and Twitter; keyword TracyLDarity.
