Register Guidelines E-Books Search Today's Posts Mark Forums Read

Go Back   MobileRead Forums > E-Book General > General Discussions

Notices

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Old 03-05-2012, 09:29 AM   #1
Sil_liS
Wizard
Sil_liS ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sil_liS ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sil_liS ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sil_liS ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sil_liS ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sil_liS ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sil_liS ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sil_liS ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sil_liS ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sil_liS ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sil_liS ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 4,896
Karma: 33602910
Join Date: Oct 2010
Device: PocketBook 903 & 360+
How many authors can the consumers sustain?

Somewhere there is a limit to how many authors can make a living out of their IP alone. An increase in the number of authors means that less of them can afford it, and the same thing happens when there is a hugely popular book.

According to wikipedia there are 1882944 new titles published each year. If on average the book consumption would be 1 book/month/person and the average price would be $10 that means that each new title would get $446110 per year. If only 20% makes it to the author, then the author could make $90k per year if they write a new book each year. This would mean that we can sustain the current authors as long as we don't spend the money on PD books and the revenue is distributed evenly.

However if the numbers are closer to only one in 10 people spending on average $120 per year on books, that means that authors can make on average only $9k per year.

It seems like time an effort is spent to get the current readers to spend more money on books instead of getting more readers. The libraries-publishers situation gives the best example of this. Instead of facilitating access to books to get more people reading the publishers hinder it in hopes of getting people to pay for more books. The option for consumers is to go for cheaper or free books. What is the option for authors?
Sil_liS is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-05-2012, 09:45 AM   #2
howyoudoin
how YOU doin?
howyoudoin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.howyoudoin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.howyoudoin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.howyoudoin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.howyoudoin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.howyoudoin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.howyoudoin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.howyoudoin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.howyoudoin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.howyoudoin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.howyoudoin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
howyoudoin's Avatar
 
Posts: 1,100
Karma: 7371047
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: India
Device: Kindle Keyboard, iPad Pro 10.5”, Kobo Aura H2O, Kobo Libra 2
The options for authors are to:

(1) Create compelling enough works to ensure a level of compensation they desire or require.
(2) And/Or rework or calibrate the mechanisms they derive compensation through (evil publishers, self-publish, alter prices etc etc) to achieve the desired levels.
(3) Consider alternate employment, either as replacement or to supplement their writing.
(4) Twiddle their thumbs doing nothing to alter their situation.

People in most fields of work get laid off for reasons of supply-demand mismatch, redundancy, not being good enough etc. Authors need not be seen as any different. Risk is inherent in most endeavours in most fields of work.
howyoudoin is offline   Reply With Quote
Advert
Old 03-05-2012, 09:47 AM   #3
Redcard
Addict
Redcard ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Redcard ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Redcard ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Redcard ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Redcard ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Redcard ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Redcard ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Redcard ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Redcard ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Redcard ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Redcard ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 235
Karma: 1202269
Join Date: Mar 2008
Device: Kindle
Most authors out there (like myself ) are not supported by the community at all. We just have day jobs.
Redcard is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-05-2012, 10:32 AM   #4
taustin
Wizard
taustin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.taustin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.taustin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.taustin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.taustin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.taustin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.taustin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.taustin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.taustin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.taustin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.taustin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 1,358
Karma: 5766642
Join Date: Aug 2010
Device: Nook
The average American reads two books per year.

Royalty rates are, from what I understand, considerably less than 20%.

Very few professional writers make a living solely from writing.
taustin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-05-2012, 11:04 AM   #5
dadioflex
Dyslexic Count
dadioflex ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.dadioflex ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.dadioflex ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.dadioflex ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.dadioflex ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.dadioflex ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.dadioflex ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.dadioflex ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.dadioflex ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.dadioflex ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.dadioflex ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
dadioflex's Avatar
 
Posts: 526
Karma: 5041991
Join Date: Aug 2008
Device: Palm TX, Advent Vega, iPad, iPod Touch, Kindle
I suspect that the pot of money being spent on writing will decline over the next few decades, with less money going to middle-men and what there is being spread out over a greater number of authors.

I don't think there's a traditional creative endeavour with a lower barrier to entry than writing, while the competition for people's attention grows more intense every year. Social media appears to have displaced video games as the latest distraction. In combination I think this tends to de-value reading as a hobby, and that will be reflected in revenue. I suspect the average price of paid ebooks will rapidly approach 99c across the board.

Just compare the attention you can get putting a video of your cat on Youtube, compared with spending two years writing and editing a novel. Orange and lemons but there's only so much time to go around.
dadioflex is offline   Reply With Quote
Advert
Old 03-05-2012, 11:57 AM   #6
howyoudoin
how YOU doin?
howyoudoin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.howyoudoin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.howyoudoin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.howyoudoin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.howyoudoin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.howyoudoin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.howyoudoin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.howyoudoin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.howyoudoin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.howyoudoin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.howyoudoin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
howyoudoin's Avatar
 
Posts: 1,100
Karma: 7371047
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: India
Device: Kindle Keyboard, iPad Pro 10.5”, Kobo Aura H2O, Kobo Libra 2
Quote:
Originally Posted by dadioflex View Post
Just compare the attention you can get putting a video of your cat on Youtube, compared with spending two years writing and editing a novel. Orange and lemons but there's only so much time to go around.
I don't think it's a valid comparison. I wouldn't spend money to view the cat video, and I definitely wouldn't spend eight hours of my life viewing the video.

Cat videos are lame anyway. I realise this forum is infested with cat owners (the feline critters being the infestation, not the owners, I hasten to clarify), but yeah, cats are lazy, arrogant, disloyal and lame, and shamelessly exploit their supposed cuteness to beguile people unwise enough to actually want to care for the ungrateful ****s. Their appeal probably lies in-part in the fact that they're low-maintenance (read as: Cats spend all day lying around and getting fat, and owners needn't undertake the exercise they'd get if they were properly caring for an awesome pet like a dog, unless of course if the owners were incapacitated in some way, in which case I empathise and understand the need for quiet companionship. Well, I suppose I did manage to insult *some* of the owners this time ).

No, no cat videos. We need something actually funny to make this improper comparison with.

Lets say that there's place in this world for both novels and "man gets hit in groin by football".

Last edited by howyoudoin; 03-05-2012 at 12:01 PM.
howyoudoin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-05-2012, 12:10 PM   #7
DiapDealer
Grand Sorcerer
DiapDealer ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DiapDealer ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DiapDealer ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DiapDealer ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DiapDealer ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DiapDealer ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DiapDealer ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DiapDealer ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DiapDealer ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DiapDealer ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.DiapDealer ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
DiapDealer's Avatar
 
Posts: 27,465
Karma: 192992430
Join Date: Jan 2010
Device: Nexus 7, Kindle Fire HD
Is this like guessing how many jellybeans are in the jar? I'm gonna go with 1,027 authors. Consumers can sustain 1,027 FTEs. Unless they decide to sustain more.
DiapDealer is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 03-05-2012, 12:21 PM   #8
Joykins
Wizard
Joykins ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Joykins ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Joykins ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Joykins ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Joykins ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Joykins ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Joykins ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Joykins ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Joykins ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Joykins ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Joykins ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Joykins's Avatar
 
Posts: 1,601
Karma: 9211856
Join Date: Jan 2010
Device: kindle Oasis 2018, kindle 4 NT, kindle PW2, iPhone, iPad mini
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sil_liS View Post
Somewhere there is a limit to how many authors can make a living out of their IP alone. An increase in the number of authors means that less of them can afford it, and the same thing happens when there is a hugely popular book.
Very few authors make a living out of their IP alone. At best they have a revenue stream of sorts. My guess is that most authors do it as one of a few jobs, even if one of those other jobs is "mother."

The best option for an author is to become blindingly popular and middling-prolific, like Stephen King. Unfortunately, it's not an option available to most of them (in some instances this is regardless of talent/skill).
Joykins is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-05-2012, 12:28 PM   #9
QuantumIguana
Philosopher
QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
QuantumIguana's Avatar
 
Posts: 2,034
Karma: 18736532
Join Date: Jan 2012
Device: Kindle Paperwhite 2 gen, Kindle Fire 1st Gen, Kindle Touch
With cat videos, people watch them for a minute and move on. Most people wouldn't consider home videos on YouTube a substitute for TV.

But cats are great. The low maintenance is a virtue. They don't have to be taken outside, and you don't have to reach down and scoop their poop off the ground. They do it conveniently in a box. And if you have a cat, you can go out of town, just leave the cat plenty of food, plenty of water, plenty of litter and a comfortable place to go to sleep. The cat won't like it a lot, but trying to do that wit a dog would be a disaster.

A cat is more like a roommate. A dog is a need machine, that requires you to bend your life around it.
QuantumIguana is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-05-2012, 12:41 PM   #10
howyoudoin
how YOU doin?
howyoudoin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.howyoudoin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.howyoudoin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.howyoudoin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.howyoudoin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.howyoudoin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.howyoudoin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.howyoudoin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.howyoudoin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.howyoudoin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.howyoudoin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
howyoudoin's Avatar
 
Posts: 1,100
Karma: 7371047
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: India
Device: Kindle Keyboard, iPad Pro 10.5”, Kobo Aura H2O, Kobo Libra 2
Quote:
Originally Posted by QuantumIguana View Post

A cat is more like a roommate. A dog is a need machine, that requires you to bend your life around it.
Most dog owners welcome the 'need machine' as a parent welcomes a child as a need machine. The affection you put in is given back in spades.
howyoudoin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-05-2012, 12:47 PM   #11
Sil_liS
Wizard
Sil_liS ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sil_liS ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sil_liS ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sil_liS ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sil_liS ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sil_liS ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sil_liS ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sil_liS ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sil_liS ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sil_liS ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Sil_liS ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Posts: 4,896
Karma: 33602910
Join Date: Oct 2010
Device: PocketBook 903 & 360+
Quote:
Originally Posted by howyoudoin View Post
People in most fields of work get laid off for reasons of supply-demand mismatch, redundancy, not being good enough etc. Authors need not be seen as any different. Risk is inherent in most endeavours in most fields of work.
How do you lay off a self-published writer?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Redcard View Post
Most authors out there (like myself ) are not supported by the community at all. We just have day jobs.
Wouldn't you want to be supported by the community?

Quote:
Originally Posted by taustin View Post
The average American reads two books per year.

Royalty rates are, from what I understand, considerably less than 20%.

Very few professional writers make a living solely from writing.
Statistically, from the point of view of the publishers one in 10 people buying 10 books is the same as each of the 10 buying one book. From the point of view of the author one in 10 people buying 10 books can mean at best one sale per title, while each of the 10 people buying one book can mean at best 10 sales per title.

I considered the royalty rates at 20% because while we have the normal rates lower than that, you have to consider the authors that get 70% from Amazon.

Quote:
Originally Posted by DiapDealer View Post
Is this like guessing how many jellybeans are in the jar? I'm gonna go with 1,027 authors. Consumers can sustain 1,027 FTEs. Unless they decide to sustain more.
FTEs?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Joykins View Post
Very few authors make a living out of their IP alone. At best they have a revenue stream of sorts. My guess is that most authors do it as one of a few jobs, even if one of those other jobs is "mother."

The best option for an author is to become blindingly popular and middling-prolific, like Stephen King. Unfortunately, it's not an option available to most of them (in some instances this is regardless of talent/skill).
It's survival of the fittest.
Sil_liS is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-05-2012, 12:48 PM   #12
QuantumIguana
Philosopher
QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
QuantumIguana's Avatar
 
Posts: 2,034
Karma: 18736532
Join Date: Jan 2012
Device: Kindle Paperwhite 2 gen, Kindle Fire 1st Gen, Kindle Touch
Quote:
Originally Posted by howyoudoin View Post
Most dog owners welcome the 'need machine' as a parent welcomes a child as a need machine. The affection you put in is given back in spades.
Cat owners are confident enough not to need constant validation the dog brings. And after a couple years, a child takes care of its own feces. And cats do return affection. The mouse the cat leaves on your bed is a sign of affection, the cat is giving you what it thinks is a delicious treat. My cat returns affection whenever I am trying to read, by getting in between me and my book.
QuantumIguana is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-05-2012, 12:50 PM   #13
QuantumIguana
Philosopher
QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.QuantumIguana ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
QuantumIguana's Avatar
 
Posts: 2,034
Karma: 18736532
Join Date: Jan 2012
Device: Kindle Paperwhite 2 gen, Kindle Fire 1st Gen, Kindle Touch
There may be a lot more people writing books, but a lot of these books aren't being read much at all. The only thing an author can do is to keep ahead of the competition; write better books, and better promote them.
QuantumIguana is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-05-2012, 12:52 PM   #14
howyoudoin
how YOU doin?
howyoudoin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.howyoudoin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.howyoudoin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.howyoudoin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.howyoudoin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.howyoudoin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.howyoudoin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.howyoudoin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.howyoudoin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.howyoudoin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.howyoudoin ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
howyoudoin's Avatar
 
Posts: 1,100
Karma: 7371047
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: India
Device: Kindle Keyboard, iPad Pro 10.5”, Kobo Aura H2O, Kobo Libra 2
Quote:
Originally Posted by Sil_liS View Post
How do you lay off a self-published writer?
The market 'lays him off', so to speak. Self-employed people shut down non-profitable ventures when they reach the point where they decide they're not getting what they wanted out of it. It's the underlying risk of the venture that was my point.
howyoudoin is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 03-05-2012, 12:59 PM   #15
Phogg
PHD in Horribleness
Phogg ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Phogg ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Phogg ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Phogg ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Phogg ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Phogg ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Phogg ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Phogg ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Phogg ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Phogg ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.Phogg ought to be getting tired of karma fortunes by now.
 
Phogg's Avatar
 
Posts: 2,320
Karma: 23599604
Join Date: Dec 2008
Location: In the ironbound section, near avenue L
Device: Just a whole bunch. I guess I am a collector now.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Redcard View Post
Most authors out there (like myself ) are not supported by the community at all. We just have day jobs.
This.

As when the distribution pay walls went down keeping independant musicians went down, you had to consciousely force yourself to not see this was where things were going to go. This is where it continues to go.

It was just as clear that journalism and writing would tread this same path, and they are.

The world does not stand still.
Phogg is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search

Forum Jump

Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
[STUDY] Consumers want afforable Amazon tablets. =X= News 29 08-01-2011 09:01 AM
Consumers Not Convinced they Need Ereader Moejoe News 66 08-20-2009 05:21 PM
DRM does not hurt consumers Nate the great News 34 11-07-2007 10:59 PM
Another nail, but is it DRM's coffin, or the consumers'? NatCh News 13 06-02-2007 10:02 PM
Consumers want more from mobile phones Bob Russell Lounge 1 04-24-2006 07:50 PM


All times are GMT -4. The time now is 07:40 AM.


MobileRead.com is a privately owned, operated and funded community.