James McGrath Morris: Will eBooks Make Midlist Authors Extinct?

[DawnFalcon]

And the publishers can ensure it stays there with their internal payment scheme as well.

[aagstn]

Originally Posted by L.J. Sellers

Most readers discover new authors through word-of-mouth recommendations, social networking, online browsing/blogs, and book discussion groups. Yes, sometimes recommendations come from bookstore clerks, but it's only a tiny part of the overall picture.

This is basically how my wife and I decide on new authors. She is the one that reads a vast majority of books by midlist authors and independent publishers and she will also spend hours reading samples of books on Fictionwise to find new books that may interest her. She reads sometimes a dozen books a week so she is always looking for something new.

We have no nearby small book stores left and I can't think of the last time an employee at Barnes & Noble or Borders even seemed knowledgeable much less had a good book suggestion. There used to be a mystery bookstore I went to that turned me on to many great authors, but those days are gone.

[weatherwax]

I am one of those people who love to go to bookstores and browse and I have found quite a few books from authors I would never have heard of that way.
It's not the same as shopping in an online bookstore and it's also not the same to "look inside a book" and only be able to see what the publisher decides I can see instead of picking up the book and look and the chapters which interest me.
In online bookshops the shopping is more targeted, even when checking out the "also bought" tips.

[Shaggy]

Originally Posted by kjk

Seems like the lost art of browsing is his chief concern:

Seems like the lost art of an outdated business model is his chief concern.

[CathrynLouis]

All the comments about midlist authors are reassuring - I hope to be one some day.

I do have a question though - if most people are choosing books by who they've already read, how do new authors get discovered?

[DawnFalcon]

My answer is to get to know existing authors who will give me a plug. Of course, I'm in RPG's rather than novels, but still...

[mr ploppy]

Originally Posted by CathrynLouis

All the comments about midlist authors are reassuring - I hope to be one some day.

I do have a question though - if most people are choosing books by who they've already read, how do new authors get discovered?

Free books (whether authorised or not), or failing that a decent sized (25%) free sample from the beginning so that if they like it they can continue reading from where they left off.

[MV64]

Um...the solution is simple. Just post "If you buy this, you might like..." It's the exact same concept as seeing a book on an adjoining shelf, or on a table near the checkout.

And, since e-book readers are generally tech savvy, there's always book reviews and recommendation sites.

People are way too overdramatic about the effects of e-books. These rumors must be started by the publishing companies to try and kill them.

[Jack Tingle]

I strongly agree about the over-dramatization. ebooks are probably irrelevant to the problems of publishing. The primary problem is lack of eyeballs. For example, we're discussing this on an on-line forum. As opposed to reading a book (p or e). So long as there is a glut of authors and a shortage of readers, everything else is small change.

One side effect is the loss of business for publishers, which leads to blockbusterism, and thence to publishers' foolish ideas about turning back the clock on the digital revolution single handedly.

Regards,
Jack Tingle

[dadioflex]

Edit.

[L.J. Sellers]

The problem with the e-book first model (followed by a conditional print deal) is that I don't see many authors jumping at that kind of contract, when they can publish their own e-book. Authors have to do all their own marketing anyway, so why give away the digital profit without a guarantee of ever seeing a print book? I know several authors who have already turned down such contracts. The big publishers will attract some authors that way, but midsize and small publishers won't.
L.J.

[AnemicOak]

Originally Posted by L.J. Sellers

The problem with the e-book first model (followed by a conditional print deal) is that I don't see many authors jumping at that kind of contract, when they can publish their own e-book. Authors have to do all their own marketing anyway, so why give away the digital profit without a guarantee of ever seeing a print book? I know several authors who have already turned down such contracts. The big publishers will attract some authors that way, but midsize and small publishers won't.
L.J.

Some small pubs already do big business with this model and have for years. There's a big difference between self pubbing and having a publisher with editors and art departments, etc. (at least in theory).

[Scott Nicholson]

Published friends of mine said publishers were trying top snag ebook rights of older titles, saying they'd pay "40 percent, or even 50 percent!" of royalties. Answer: "Can you beat 70 percent?"

The role of publishers will spread out to independent editors and graphic designers, and the occasional PR firm. Blockbusters will be blockbusters--the business has been moving that way anyway since the demise of the mass market paperback as a popular format. They used to aim for 100,000 in sales and now they are lucky to get 10,000. It's easier for a publisher to sell millions of copies of a small handful of titles.

Scott

[Deneb]

Originally Posted by dadioflex

Pretty much every book I've bought in the last few months has been based off a blog article/review or forum suggestion.

Same for me, my TBR list doubled or "worse" since I discovered MR...And there's tons of other forum and blogs.

Authors don't have to worry, it's the actual business model that is outdated. The so called "big 5" seem to try to keep it going by trying to scare us as if they were necessary to the system of book publishing, but they are not.
The system is not going to disapear if they do, the alternative already exist somewhere on the net. I believe the future will clear itself.
I hope I'm not overly optimistic though...

[Robertb]

Originally Posted by CathrynLouis

All the comments about midlist authors are reassuring - I hope to be one some day.

I do have a question though - if most people are choosing books by who they've already read, how do new authors get discovered?

Dear CathrynLouis:

Astak created www.EZread.com as a bookstore that is different. We actually do the smaller book shows all over the USA trying to get independent authors and publishers up on our eBook Store.

Right now one of the best is Steven Lake. He posts often on this forum. We are featuring Steven Lake eBooks (4 titles) in our store and the way he gets discovered is to offer his first title "The Oort Perimeter" for free on EZread. Membership is free on our site!

We also have a "Meet The Author" up with Steven Lake and have about 8 other independents in line to be posted up soon. Sure, we carry all the popular titles also and we even have the Google Free Library on EZread.com... but it is the independent authors and publishers we court actively.

So, rather than eBooks being the end of midlist authors... at EZread it is a springboard for them. Our site is only two months old... but we are already attracting a lot of interest because of new authors like Steven Lake!