Authors and readers unite! Let's solve the problem together...

[fugazied]

Very good post ficbot! Lots of great ideas in there, but I think many of them require a lot of courage on the part of authors interested in promoting their own e-books.

Publishers have the money to promote books, the corporate lawyers and the distribution network, so authors choosing to move away from that are taking a leap. Publishers signing authors for print works obviously lock them in for ebooks, so it's difficult for authors to get large print book promotion/distribution without locking themselves to poor e-book sales models.

Some authors do have contracts which allow them to sell e-books through other methods though... I was listening to a CNET podcast the other day and a couple of the guys were authors (some kinds of computer books not sure what). They all said they make WAY more per e-book sale compared to print sales. Somehow they had publisher contracts which allowed them to sell e-books independently. So authors can make a lot more, the major limitation is publishers with those restrictive contracts linking print and e-books.

[Scott Nicholson]

Heh, good point, Richard. I am a freelance editor on the side and a writer, but I still get an outsider to edit my books. It's an overlooked skill and one that will over time separate out the indie writer pool. In addition to releasing my own ebooks, I formed Haunted Computer Books to release other talented authors.

Indie ebook vs. NY? I am already doing that--my re-released The Red Church took me a few hours to format. It's outselling my current NY kindle book They Hunger by at least a 10 to one margin (at a third the price, which I think is directly related). I am making more per ebook at $1.99 than I did on paper copies in book club and paperback. As soon as more writers start seeing this, the publishing industry as we know it is dead.

Unfortunately, even now agents and authors are signing away tons of valuable digital rights on the lure of the sweet paper deal, even though paper books are usually off the shelf in nine months for hardcover, 90 days for most paperbacks below bestseller status. Yet the digital product stays "in print" for a lifetime. When many of these writers are in their old age and wishing they had some money, publishers will still be taking 85 percent of their digital income. Shop indie!

Scott Nicholson
ASHES http://tiny.cc/BGihE
FLOWERS http://tiny.cc/4jtUc
THE FIRST http://tiny.cc/BcCL5
BURIAL TO FOLLOW http://tiny.cc/WemOU

[Elfwreck]

Originally Posted by Ralph Sir Edward

Conversion costs. Re-scan, re-proof, re-layout, re-cover. It'll come out of the author's pocket. Of course, there are shortcuts. Check the Darknet for your books. If they are well proofed and formatted, steal 'em back!

If they're not well-formatted, you've at least got a proof-ready copy to work from.

if they're not out there, do you have any dedicated fans who will do the job for Whiffle credit? Or maybe for a sharecropper fee? (say 10% of your gross)

There are probably fans who are willing to do scan-ocr-proof-format for
(1) a free copy of the final ebook,
(2) limited right to distribute same ("up to 10 free copies for your friends; please don't torrent"), and
(3) a promise that the book will be sold/distributed DRM-free.

#2 is probably optional. Or at least negotiable.

(I say "probably" 'cos I can't possibly be the only one.)

[Mare of Earth]

I'm always ready to read a good sci-fi fantasy or romance for free and make notes of misspellings and grammatical errors as payment for getting to read it. I have a BA in English (writing) and am a pretty good proofreader.

[MrBlueSky]

Originally Posted by Mare of Earth

I'm always ready to read a good sci-fi fantasy or romance for free and make notes of misspellings and grammatical errors as payment for getting to read it. I have a BA in English (writing) and am a pretty good proofreader.

So am I

[starrigger]

I can certainly get on board with the goals outlined in the original post. Finding effective ways to influence the market is a big challenge, and will probably require lots of small ways of applying leverage. Regarding publishers, I think positive efforts are more likely in the long run to bear fruit than negative. I.e., thousands of polite messages to publishers saying, "I'd really like to buy more of your books in well-formatted, DRM-free editions at a fair price" are more likely to engender change than thousands of angry emails saying, "What you're doing is driving me straight to the darknet."

On a lot of these issues, for authors and agents, you really have to distinguish between:

• What can I do about my earlier titles?
• What can I do about my existing in-print books? (and)
• What can I try to do in my next book contract?

E-reads is a publisher that is doing good work in bringing o.p. books back into print, in both ebook and print-on-demand format. Their store at Fictionwise is DRM-free, the prices are fair, and the authors get a fair royalty (50% of net received by E-reads), though they must first pay off from royalties a share of the production costs.

One difference between E-reads and outlets such as Smashwords is that these are all books that were published, and thus have passed through an editorial selection process and have had editorial input earlier in their lives.

With existing in-print books, the publisher either does or does not control ebook rights. If so, then there's not much the author can do, except to use moral persuasion with the publisher to do a good job with the ebook. If not, then those books can be considered as above.

On new contracts, it's dicey. It's all well and good to say that authors should withhold their ebook rights. But most publishers now consider ebook rights to be a part of the package. And for most authors, having a publishing contract is far better than not having one. We may see pushback from the agents and authors on this, but that's apt to be a long struggle. Since the publisher has contributed its resources to the editorial quality of the book, not to mention marketing and promotion, they are not entirely unjustified in wanting the ebook benefits also. For the majority of writers, the better path is probably to work at getting better terms, and pushing their publishers to do the ebooks well.

One area that's ripe for growth is getting more authors to recognize the increasing importance of ebooks, and to understand the arguments in favor of doing away with DRM.

The geographical restrictions probably are a result of book contracts giving Publisher the right to publish in certain geographical areas, withholding foreign rights for the agent to try to sell in other areas. It's not a restriction the publishers want; it's for the author's benefit. Ebooks, of course, make a hash of this logic. But it's a lot of work to change old contracts, even if all parties are willing. I think the best course is to get people thinking about doing it differently with new contracts.

Those are just some observations that I hope will be helpful. I have no great ideas on how to organize, but I'm sure others will.

[starrigger]

Originally Posted by Ralph Sir Edward

Check the Darknet for your books. If they are well proofed and formatted, steal 'em back! if they're not out there, do you have any dedicated fans who will do the job for Whiffle credit?

It's a good idea. I've done both.

[DawnFalcon]

Originally Posted by starrigger

they are not entirely unjustified in wanting the ebook benefits also.

Unless it says "Publishers have the ebook rights" or similar, then they don't have them. There's plenty of evidence Random House don't have a clause like that.

And you really think Joe Consumer cares that some of the series were under an older contract? No, (sigh) he's going to just go get the nicely packaged, same-format set off the darknet...

[Moejoe]

Originally Posted by ficbot

One of the Telerad editors just wrote to let me know that my recent post on Teleread about the reader response to, among other things, the MacMillan issue, was the fourth most commented on article they've ever put up! A follow-up will be going up tomorrow addressing a few of the comments but I want to spread the word as widely as possible because I think that we have all aired our POV at this point, and the time has come to move beyond 'explaining' and into 'solving' and I really think authors and readers need to work together on this. Readers have tried for so long to get their voices heard, and it just isn't happening. We need the author's help, and they need our business, so why not join forces?

I think these are the main issues readers have identified:

- We need a business model that allows readers to buy books without restrictions due to the store they shop at or the country in which they live

- We need to move away from any DRM system that restricts the reader as to which device they can use and which features of that device they can access

- We need a shift in pricing so that authors can make a fair profit from new releases without gouging customers with higher-than-print ebook prices for decade-old books

- We need a commitment from publishers to ensure that ebook releases are free from copy-editing and conversion errors---and a mechanism for readers to submit problem books for correction

Authors have blogged---here and elsewhere---about WHY these problems exist. We know that already. And we know that readers are unhappy. So, no more explaining. Let's talk about SOLVING.

- Who actually has the power to solve some of these issues? What is the best way to contact them and what should we say to ensure they take us seriously?

- Are there any author groups or reader groups under whom we can band together and mobilize some sort of campaign? Which groups? How can we get that going? Whom should we contact in publishing to let them know we have done so and share our concerns?

- Petitions. Best way to organize? Who to send them to? What they should demand?

- Media attention. Will it help? From which venues? What would attract the most attention?

- Alternative campaigns. Several authors stated the 1-star reviews made ebook fans come off as nothing more than crackpots. What would be a better way?

- Facebook group. Good idea? Worth the time? What/how to use it to get our voices heard? Someone to moderate? (I am prohibited by my job in getting involved in Facebook groups or else I would volunteer)

- Sympathetic people. I bet Doctorow would get involved if we organized something large-scale. Anybody else in 'the biz' who is known to be sympathetic and who would help us with our efforts?

I love books, I love reading and am unwilling to go back to paper after experiencing ebooks. I do not have the space to store every ebook I want to buy, so a friendly ebook market is very important to me. I am willing to work---not on a full-time job level, but even so---on this. But I really feel that authors and readers need to work TOGETHER on this and the time has come to stop pontificating and start DOING.

Anyone with me? Post any suggestions for ACTION below!

To make this work you'll need these ingredients:


1: Authors with something more than jelly for a spine.

2: Readers who want more than the latest Dan Brown brain-melter.

3: Publishers who care about stories more than they care about money.

Mix thoroughly in a fantasy of your choosing and half-bake until the delusion is piping cold.


Other than those three pipe-dreams I believe writers must forget money and audience altogether in the hopes of forging something meaningful for themselves and then maybe, possibly, in some dim faraway land, such honest endeavour may connect to an audience willing to subsidize the writer.

Good luck though. And would you like to buy my slingshot, I haven't any use of it now.

[starrigger]

Originally Posted by DawnFalcon

Unless it says "Publishers have the ebook rights" or similar, then they don't have them. There's plenty of evidence Random House don't have a clause like that.

Read my post, please. I was talking about future negotiations and what publishers are looking for.

And you really think Joe Consumer cares that some of the series were under an older contract? No, (sigh) he's going to just go get the nicely packaged, same-format set off the darknet...

Joe Consumer doesn't even know what the darknet is. But never mind that. What are you suggesting? That we pretend existing legal contracts don't exist?

[DawnFalcon]

Originally Posted by starrigger

Joe Consumer doesn't even know what the darknet is. But never mind that. What are you suggesting? That we pretend existing legal contracts don't exist?

I know precisely what you meant. Unless authors change the terms for their existing books, though, they're just going to get screwed in the longer term.

And they don't know what the darknet is? Oh, not the term sure. But I think you might want to look at the way say...music...has spread across it and the rather vast number of people using it for music.

And again, in a lot of cases the authors already HAVE the rights, if they're willing to stand up to the publishers and exert their legal rights. As opposed to basically hoping that the publisher doesn't shaft them too badly.

[Xenophon]

Originally Posted by starrigger

I can certainly get on board with the goals outlined in the original post. Finding effective ways to influence the market is a big challenge, and will probably require lots of small ways of applying leverage. Regarding publishers, I think positive efforts are more likely in the long run to bear fruit than negative. I.e., thousands of polite messages to publishers saying, "I'd really like to buy more of your books in well-formatted, DRM-free editions at a fair price" are more likely to engender change than thousands of angry emails saying, "What you're doing is driving me straight to the darknet."

[SNIP]
On new contracts, it's dicey. It's all well and good to say that authors should withhold their ebook rights. But most publishers now consider ebook rights to be a part of the package. And for most authors, having a publishing contract is far better than not having one. We may see pushback from the agents and authors on this, but that's apt to be a long struggle. Since the publisher has contributed its resources to the editorial quality of the book, not to mention marketing and promotion, they are not entirely unjustified in wanting the ebook benefits also. For the majority of writers, the better path is probably to work at getting better terms, and pushing their publishers to do the ebooks well.

One area that's ripe for growth is getting more authors to recognize the increasing importance of ebooks, and to understand the arguments in favor of doing away with DRM.

[SNIP]

Those are just some observations that I hope will be helpful. I have no great ideas on how to organize, but I'm sure others will.

One interesting possibility for future contracts might be to negotiate selling exclusive eBook rights for only a limited time (one year? three?), with a change to non-exclusive rights there-after. Perhaps having the exclusive rights be geographically restricted, but making the non-exclusive be world-wide might make this attractive enough for the publishers to accept the idea. I can see it now: "Sure, you lose exclusivity on the bits after three years. But in exchange you get to sell the bits world-wide at that point instead of US-only."

An arrangement along these lines would allow authors to (eventually) either sell electronic editions themselves or contract with clueful electronic sellers sooner than is currently typical. And it would let readers get reasonably-priced electronic editions sooner than we do today.

Just a thought,

Xenophon

[starrigger]

Interesting idea, Xeno. Constructive thinking, at the very least.

[Darqref]

Originally Posted by starrigger

Interesting idea, Xeno. Constructive thinking, at the very least.

Hey Jeff, just to make you feel a bit better....

I've seen MMPB copies of Sunborn in my local Fred Meyer. (FM is a chain grocery/department store, now owned by Kroger. The amount of SF in any given store is quite variable, I think my local one in Auburn, WA, has a better selection than others nearby. In this store, it amount to 3 racks of about 10 columns by 8 or so rows, face out.

And there seems to be a policy of selectively stocking several in-print books from the back list. For ex, Dave Weber has about 6 or 8 books, Patricia Briggs has 4, and a whole lot of seemingly generic vampire/werewolf/other undead flavor of the moment. And Sunborn, right in the middle.

[rleguillow]

and I'm not talking about the little-known guys. It is all very well and good to sneer at Dan Brown, his books don't ring my chimes either - but he is a well-known best-selling author, and THAT is the combination that is required. If Dan Brown or Stephen King or someone like that (all the someones like that) were to tell their publishers, "you may not have the ebook rights unless[list of conditions]", do you think that publisher is going to say no? Knowing the author could walk and ANY publisher would grab them crying in gratitude for the opportunity? The big guys, the best-selling authors, are the ones who have the power to haul the publishers into the 21st century.

But WE the readers have to support them by living up to our part of the bargain. We want books DRM-free? We need to be willing to buy them, not pirate them. We want to be able to give them away or share them? We need to be willing to take them off our readers when someone else has them (if you loan your p-book, it ain't on your bookshelf till the loanee gives it back). We want our books to be good-quality? Quality is not free. I agree that an ebook should not cost as much as a pbook - once the work is done for the pbook I believe the book is already in some kind of electronic form and the conversion to ebook cannot possibly cost that much. But griping and griping - ebooks for 9.95 are too much, ebooks for 8.95 are too much - folks, if you can afford the reader, give it up for the book.

To my mind, the whole thing is a bargain between we the readers, and the authors. And the big-name authors are the only ones to bring the publishers in line.