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Steven Lyle Jordan · 10-01-2006, 11:48 AM

I think you all may be touching on something that you don't quite want to accept. It may be that e-readers will become successful... but the e-book won't be the thing that gets them there.

It's been pointed out that kids "don't read," or to be more specific, they don't read novels much. However, they do voraciously read magazines. (You wander by a newsstand, and you tell me if all the mags you see on those shelves are being bought by adults!) Magazines are short articles (and occasionally stories), pictures and color, and ads everywhere. An e-reader can take advantage of this by adding sound and motion to an e-magazine. Assuming that sound and video isn't just the ads, what kid wouldn't go for that?

Textbooks are also experimenting with e-book distribution. Based on the loads of books I've seen students carry (not to mention the loaded-down backpacks, and doctor's warnings about permanent back injury to young kids), texts will eventually be a huge e-book market.

The adults are often not against the idea of an e-reader, but don't see where it fits into their lives yet. They will probably be swayed by an iPod/iTunes-easy service, in something they already do. Newspapers are the natural product here. Some newspaper publishers are working on giving away e-readers with an e-newspaper subscription. The right price point and ease-of-use, not to mention hammering home the conservation of paper resources and slowing Global Warming, will convert newspaper readers to e-readers.

So, as much as we novel writers would like to think we will deliver the e-book market to viability and profitability, I think we'll have to settle for "also-ran" status here. In other words: "I bought my e-reader to get the morning paper, and to read Popular Science and Scientific American every month. And oh, yeah, the occasional novel."

However...

Writers, do not despair. Presently, the e-book market is chock-full of romance novels... the dominant book type by far. Romance novels are feel-good stories, short and sweet, easy to read on the bus, hanging out at the laundromat, at lunch, etc. They tend to be low in cost, and so are considered disposable. It is also a bit more private... it's easier for those who might feel embarassed to be found reading romance novels to hide the content, since there's no cover to expose. So romance e-books take advantage of the best aspects of e-readers.

That teaches us that the right material will help make its own e-book market. If you want to be a big e-book writer, therefore, figure out what genre will draw people into the market. It might be comics. It might be self-help books. It might be TV show novelizations (check out the Star Trek and Star Wars markets). It might be porn. (Hey, I had to say it!)

I think it's inevitable that e-readers will be mainstream. The interesting part of the equation remains, what content will get them there.

10-01-2006, 11:48 AM	#11
Steven Lyle Jordan Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,478 Karma: 5171130 Join Date: Jan 2006 Device: none	I think you all may be touching on something that you don't quite want to accept. It may be that e-readers will become successful... but the e-book won't be the thing that gets them there. It's been pointed out that kids "don't read," or to be more specific, they don't read novels much. However, they do voraciously read magazines. (You wander by a newsstand, and you tell me if all the mags you see on those shelves are being bought by adults!) Magazines are short articles (and occasionally stories), pictures and color, and ads everywhere. An e-reader can take advantage of this by adding sound and motion to an e-magazine. Assuming that sound and video isn't just the ads, what kid wouldn't go for that? Textbooks are also experimenting with e-book distribution. Based on the loads of books I've seen students carry (not to mention the loaded-down backpacks, and doctor's warnings about permanent back injury to young kids), texts will eventually be a huge e-book market. The adults are often not against the idea of an e-reader, but don't see where it fits into their lives yet. They will probably be swayed by an iPod/iTunes-easy service, in something they already do. Newspapers are the natural product here. Some newspaper publishers are working on giving away e-readers with an e-newspaper subscription. The right price point and ease-of-use, not to mention hammering home the conservation of paper resources and slowing Global Warming, will convert newspaper readers to e-readers. So, as much as we novel writers would like to think we will deliver the e-book market to viability and profitability, I think we'll have to settle for "also-ran" status here. In other words: "I bought my e-reader to get the morning paper, and to read Popular Science and Scientific American every month. And oh, yeah, the occasional novel." However... Writers, do not despair. Presently, the e-book market is chock-full of romance novels... the dominant book type by far. Romance novels are feel-good stories, short and sweet, easy to read on the bus, hanging out at the laundromat, at lunch, etc. They tend to be low in cost, and so are considered disposable. It is also a bit more private... it's easier for those who might feel embarassed to be found reading romance novels to hide the content, since there's no cover to expose. So romance e-books take advantage of the best aspects of e-readers. That teaches us that the right material will help make its own e-book market. If you want to be a big e-book writer, therefore, figure out what genre will draw people into the market. It might be comics. It might be self-help books. It might be TV show novelizations (check out the Star Trek and Star Wars markets). It might be porn. (Hey, I had to say it!) I think it's inevitable that e-readers will be mainstream. The interesting part of the equation remains, what content will get them there. Last edited by Steven Lyle Jordan; 10-01-2006 at 11:58 AM.