The self-epublishing bubble

[mr ploppy]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012...-ewan-morrison

[MartinC]

Spot on - although it does rather assume that everyone is writing to get rich. There are a few people around who would be writing anyway, published/self-published or not.

[Freeshadow]

In a nutshell: Yes, literally everyone CAN publish now. The assumption of every one of said newcomers that they actually are worth reading is a different can of worms each of them opens for him/herself and might end up gagging on the contents.
Reminds me of the (non-economic) "everyone can have a webpage now" hype.
Which gifted us with a (slushpile comparable) ammount of pages basically saing: "Hi, my name is $dork and below you see some self-shot photos of my $pet. (keep this in mind when someone says that porn is the pest of the internet.)
I remember being asked over and over in these days if I have a webpage already (followed by a "why not?" thereafter)
To which I always said: "Should I one day have something worth to tell a big part of the whole world I'll rethink my position."
That's even more valid for books, IMO.
Yes, it certainly has its merits when ones lazyness is bigger than the wish to shine
In the meantime... Why shouldn't the web have its own equivalent of "Next idol/model/idiot" freakshow?

[mr ploppy]

Originally Posted by MartinC

Spot on - although it does rather assume that everyone is writing to get rich. There are a few people around who would be writing anyway, published/self-published or not.

It's the people who are writing to get rich that are causing all the problems though. Apart from filling Amazon up with crap they're all over forums like this pimping it. I'm all for enthusiastic amateurs putting their work out, there are still a few gems out there if you don't mind the rough edges, but they need to be realistic about what they are likely to achieve. And if all they're interested in is money they're wasting their time.

[Beryll Snyder]

Originally Posted by mr ploppy

It's the people who are writing to get rich that are causing all the problems though. Apart from filling Amazon up with crap they're all over forums like this pimping it. I'm all for enthusiastic amateurs putting their work out, there are still a few gems out there if you don't mind the rough edges, but they need to be realistic about what they are likely to achieve. And if all they're interested in is money they're wasting their time.

Only a very small fraction of authors ever made a living by writing books. The vast majority wrote for fun or because they hoped to eventually earn something.
And many wrote books solely for the closet - without the opportunity to publish their stuff, because the handicap of cost or acceptance by a publishing company.
At least these authors have a better chance of being read.

[Lazybones]

I agree that self-publishers who go into e-books hoping to get rich are deluding themselves. But I think more people who go through the trouble of writing and publishing a novel are perhaps more savvy than the article gives them credit, and have more realistic expectations.

I wrote fiction for 20 years before I self-published my first book. I did it for fun and not out of any expectation of ever making it big as an author. Before that I posted stories on forums and the like, and before that I collected rejection letters from agents and publishers. I don't see the changes in the publishing industry wrought by the rise of e-publishing as the potential disaster that the writer of the Guardian piece describes. It will take some time to shake out, and for the new model to develop, but I think that the "long tail" and the decline of a centralized publishing model will be good for both writers and readers in the long term.

[G J Lau]

Wonderful thread. Thanks to mr ploppy for providing the link. I got into this without any expectations of making any money. Hitting it big in any art form is a near-miracle. I had few illusions that I would be hailed as the "next" anything.

Still, I hoped to find a small audience and in fact have for at least one of my books, so it's not all whine and cheese. What I didn't anticipate was getting caught up in a deluge of writing, to the point that readers can't find you. Like most writers, I believe in my books and think readers would enjoy them if they could find them. That's pretty hard to do in the e-book marketplace, where hundreds of books come out every day.

The solution most writers go to--and one which Amazon has now institutionalized--is to offer one or more of their works for free, hoping to attract readers. But as Ewan Morrison points out in his article, free isn't a good long-run business model. I'm learning that the hard way on KDP Select, but that's another story.

Another problem is that the get-rich-quick writers may abandon their efforts, but their fast and furiously self-published material could remain forever, orbiting the publishing world like space junk. Will this huge glut pass through the system or will it remain in Amazon's and other e-book distributor's catalogs in perpetuity, a permanent ocean of tear drops? Do the big boys periodically weed out under-performers? How about over-performing drek?

Anyone have any thoughts on that?

[mr ploppy]

Originally Posted by G J Lau

The solution most writers go to--and one which Amazon has now institutionalized--is to offer one or more of their works for free, hoping to attract readers. But as Ewan Morrison points out in his article, free isn't a good long-run business model. I'm learning that the hard way on KDP Select, but that's another story.

I don't know if free is much of a promotional tool either. You'll get lots of people downloading it, which will shunt you up the bestseller list a little bit and get you onto lots of "people also bought" lists. But it's all just random other free stuff they've downloaded, not the ones you would actually want to be on to attract future buyers.

Originally Posted by G J Lau

Another problem is that the get-rich-quick writers may abandon their efforts, but their fast and furiously self-published material could remain forever, orbiting the publishing world like space junk. Will this huge glut pass through the system or will it remain in Amazon's and other e-book distributor's catalogs in perpetuity, a permanent ocean of tear drops? Do the big boys periodically weed out under-performers? How about over-performing drek?

They will be there forever because there would be nothing to be gained by removing them, but after they realise they're just wasting their time they will stop adding more to the pile.

[DrNefario]

Originally Posted by mr ploppy

I don't know if free is much of a promotional tool either. You'll get lots of people downloading it, which will shunt you up the bestseller list a little bit and get you onto lots of "people also bought" lists. But it's all just random other free stuff they've downloaded, not the ones you would actually want to be on to attract future buyers.

I have a Free folder on my Kindle full of random stuff, which I largely ignore when I'm picking something to read. I've paid for this other stuff, after all.

This is bad, though, because there are a few books in the Free ghetto that I actually want to read. I'm thinking of adding a PriorityFree folder.

[Anna Drake]

I think free works to promote an ebook. I had a novel, a novella, and a short story up for free through Smashwords for about two years. I hit a decent number of downloads for them, particularly at B&N. Recently, I slapped a 99-cent fee on the novel, and it's selling, expecially at B&N. I'm stunned, and I'm convinced it's because I offered it for free first.

[John A. A. Logan]

I don't mean to pull this thread off-topic, but I've been trying to add a signature to my posts via the User CP area. There seems to be no "edit signature" option there on my User CP.
I saw that some posters here have put signatures on successfully and I wondered how it is done.

On-topic though...I note that my fellow Scottish author who wrote the article referred to here, Ewan Morrrison, just like Jonathan Franzen who published a similar article this week, has a strong vested interest in Print/paper publication vs epublication.
So not exactly a neutral view...

I would write here what my own experience has been with print vs epublication, but I'm not sure yet what the self-promotion rules allow...for the same reason I better not post a link to my website here etc!

Which is why I wish I could get my signature to work!

[teh603]

Originally Posted by mr ploppy

It's the people who are writing to get rich that are causing all the problems though. Apart from filling Amazon up with crap they're all over forums like this pimping it. I'm all for enthusiastic amateurs putting their work out, there are still a few gems out there if you don't mind the rough edges, but they need to be realistic about what they are likely to achieve. And if all they're interested in is money they're wasting their time.

As one of the enthusiastic amateurs, I've noticed that problem on my two distibution channels, too. Smashwords and BookieJar are both overloaded with stuff priced so low you start wondering about the quality- a 100k word tome for $2.99, anyone? Makes my 99¢ short stories look overpriced. Now, I wouldn't mind getting rich, but that's not the point of my writing. I want to tell a good story and entertain people.

I'm probably in the minority, though.

[Dr. Drib]

Originally Posted by John A. A. Logan

I don't mean to pull this thread off-topic, but I've been trying to add a signature to my posts via the User CP area. There seems to be no "edit signature" option there on my User CP.
I saw that some posters here have put signatures on successfully and I wondered how it is done.

On-topic though...I note that my fellow Scottish author who wrote the article referred to here, Ewan Morrrison, just like Jonathan Franzen who published a similar article this week, has a strong vested interest in Print/paper publication vs epublication.
So not exactly a neutral view...

I would write here what my own experience has been with print vs epublication, but I'm not sure yet what the self-promotion rules allow...for the same reason I better not post a link to my website here etc!

Which is why I wish I could get my signature to work!

New members are not allowed to have signatures until about 2 weeks (and 10 posts), due to the high nature of spam and spammers.

When you are eligible for a signature, there are strict guidelines for how to construct it and use it.

In the meantime, no in-text promotion (links, etc.) whatsoever is allowed. It is important - extremely important - that you become familiar with our Posting Guidelines, as MobileRead does not tolerate spam. (Your promotion in the self-promotion forum is fine - which is the only place where promotion is allowed.)

PM me for further inquiries.

-- Back to topic, please. ----



Don
(Moderator)

[Lazybones]

On the issue of the efficacy of free offerings:

When I started publishing my fantasy trilogy on Smashwords in 2010, I used the "pay what you want" option. Other sites like Barnes and Noble posted those books at $4.95 each, since they don't offer the same option. I sold about half a dozen copies of the first two volumes per month. My Smashwords sales were about evenly divided between those who paid a buck or two and those who paid nothing. I even sold a few copies at the $5 rate at B&N.

When I decided to add the books to the Kindle store, I lowered the price of the first book to free and set the second book (and the third, when it was done) to $2.99 at all sites. The first book got about six thousand downloads in the first month and has settled down to about a thousand a month now. The big thing for me is that it definitely has driven sales of the later books in the series. I'm now selling 40-50 copies a month and I believe it's definitely related to having the first one being free. Even with free samples easily accessible, I think readers like having the ability to try an entire work without any risk or commitment.

[VydorScope]

Originally Posted by Lazybones

When I decided to add the books to the Kindle store, I lowered the price of the first book to free and set the second book (and the third, when it was done) to $2.99 at all sites. The first book got about six thousand downloads in the first month and has settled down to about a thousand a month now. The big thing for me is that it definitely has driven sales of the later books in the series. I'm now selling 40-50 copies a month and I believe it's definitely related to having the first one being free. Even with free samples easily accessible, I think readers like having the ability to try an entire work without any risk or commitment.

That has been my experience also. I highly recommend that way of starting out to all new indy authors.