|
I can't speak for others, but I know that I use ebooks as a mass-market paperback replacement. It's why I'm more concerned about price point for ebooks of works that are already in paperback.
Marketing is the big reason I don't see commercial publishing going away - it may change drastically, but I just can't see it vanishing. Having to do your own marketing is probably the biggest drawback of going indie, and I'm not saying that just because I hate doing it.
Running a successful marketing campaign requires a specific skillset, takes time, and often costs money. Not all writers have that skillset, though most could probably acquire it. While money can be an issue, it's not insurmountable, and if something is important enough one can find some money for it. The real killer from a writer's point of view is the time.
Successful marketing takes time, a lot of time, so does writing, and unless you have other means of support, so does making a living. Every hour you spend doing one of those three things is an hour not spent doing one of the others, and the one you're most likely to give up for marketing is an hour that would otherwise be spent writing.
That means we're likely to get fewer and lower quality books produced because the authors spend less time writing - which means less polishing their craft AND less output.
That's why I don't see it as a viable first choice for most writers.
|