When ebook dominate, readers will pay less, authors will earn more

Top100EbooksRank · 07-02-2012, 10:18 AM

The article is written by Jason Epstein, a former publisher/editor at Random House.

http://www.nybooks.com/articles/arch...ionary-future/
Publishing: The Revolutionary Future

Quote:

With inventory expense, shipping, and returns eliminated, readers will pay less, authors will earn more, and book publishers, rid of their otiose infrastructure, will survive and may prosper.

taosaur · 07-02-2012, 11:49 AM

Seeing as the article was posted in 2010, the future is now: how are we doing?

It seems like costs are still all over the place, but getting your hands on "pulp" material (maybe we should call it "dialup" or something now?) for free or cheap is easier. Self-publishing is much more viable, but still long odds on making a dime, much less making a living. AFAIK authors in traditional publishing deals aren't doing significantly better or worse than pre-Kindle. Seems like "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss."

Granted, publishers are by no means "rid of their otiose infrastructure," and aren't eager to get to that point.

Santos · 07-02-2012, 05:24 PM

I think a lot of people are self publishing these days because they are either getting turned down, they don't want the hassle of dealing with a publishing company, or they don't want to pay the high % fee's to the company. Although, self publishing is a lot harder then being backed by a big company, people are still doing it, thinking that they can make a living from it. But in my eyes, nothing has really changed. To be a successful author takes a lot of time, dedication, and determination. If you self publish, not only do you have to write that masterpiece but also then self promote, drive traffic to your page, and basically work 24/7 just to get some sales.

I see a lot of independent publishing companies being formed, mostly by numerous authors that want to work together to help promote each other's work. Such as Grit City Publications and Raw Dog Publishing, or the 100's of the other ones out there.

Either way, I still think that real tangible books are selling well, but are slowly on a decline as technology advances etc.

It was a good article, and it only being 2 years later really isn't a long enough time gap to really make a good call on it.

Edward M. Grant · 07-02-2012, 05:49 PM

I'm not sure why authors will earn more when the trade publishers are typically only giving them 25% of the 70% royalties that Amazon pay them.

Lynx-lynx · 07-03-2012, 05:45 AM

So are there many/any professional publishers out there who are ONLY selling their clients via ebooks?

Curious .....

kennyc · 07-03-2012, 07:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by taosaur

Seeing as the article was posted in 2010, the future is now: how are we doing?

It seems like costs are still all over the place, but getting your hands on "pulp" material (maybe we should call it "dialup" or something now?) for free or cheap is easier. Self-publishing is much more viable, but still long odds on making a dime, much less making a living. AFAIK authors in traditional publishing deals aren't doing significantly better or worse than pre-Kindle. Seems like "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss."

Granted, publishers are by no means "rid of their otiose infrastructure," and aren't eager to get to that point.

EARLY 2010 even. That's pretty much ancient history in the ebook technology world.

Santos · 07-03-2012, 10:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kennyc

EARLY 2010 even. That's pretty much ancient history in the ebook technology world.

Very very true. ebooks have come a long way. So have publishing companies

RainingLemur · 07-03-2012, 10:17 AM

I believe that the article will ring true... But, at present time, I don't think it means that any self-pubbing writer will make a living off of their work (unless some viral wave happens, and their books sell like mad). If anything, just a few spurts of sales to provide a few extra bucks here or there.

Santos · 07-05-2012, 05:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RainingLemur

I believe that the article will ring true... But, at present time, I don't think it means that any self-pubbing writer will make a living off of their work (unless some viral wave happens, and their books sell like mad). If anything, just a few spurts of sales to provide a few extra bucks here or there.

Lol, yea, some viral thing that goes crazy and brings in the big bucks... then next thing ya know a tv series or movie.. and the author is just sitting back going... what the hell just happened.

but.. that's like 1 in 100,000 chances

Top100EbooksRank · 07-07-2012, 07:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RainingLemur

I believe that the article will ring true... But, at present time, I don't think it means that any self-pubbing writer will make a living off of their work (unless some viral wave happens, and their books sell like mad). If anything, just a few spurts of sales to provide a few extra bucks here or there.

There are some self-pub authors who are making a living off their work.

I would put that number at around 200-300 (just a guess on my part) based on what I have discovered and from Amazon letter to shareholders about "more than 1000 authors selling more than 1000 ebooks each month from Kindle Direct Publishing"

And some are making some serious money from it, especially with 70% royalties.

http://selfpublishingsuccessstories.blogspot.com/

The "200,000+ self-published ebooks sold" club:

Barbara Freethy - over 2 million ebooks sold (April 2012)
Amanda Hocking - 1,500,000 ebooks sold (December 2011)
John Locke- more than 1,100,000 eBooks sold in five months
Gemma Halliday - over 1 million self-published ebooks sold (March 2012)
Michael Prescott - more than 800,000 self-published ebooks sold (Dec 2011)
J.A. Konrath - more than 800,000 ebooks sold (April 2012)
Bella Andre - more than 700,000 books sold (May 2012)
Darcie Chan - 641,000 ebooks sold (May 2012)
Chris Culver - over 550,000 (Dec 2011)
Heather Killough-Walden - over 500,000 books sold (Dec 2011)
Selena Kitt - "With half a million ebooks sold in 2011 alone"
Stephen Leather - close to 500,000 books sold (Nov 2011)
CJ Lyons - almost 500,000 ebooks sold (Dec 2011)
J.R. Rain - more than 400,000 books sold (Sept 2011)
Bob Mayer - 347 sold in Jan to over 400,000 total sold by year's end (Dec 2011)
Rick Murcer - over 400,000 ebooks in one year (May 2012)
Tracey Garvis-Graves - sold more than 360,000 copies of her first novel
Tina Folsom - over 300,000 books sold (October 2011)
J Carson Black - more than 300,000 books sold (November 2011)
Terri Reid - 300,000 sold (May 2012)
Marie Force - 300,000+ sold (June 2012)
Liliana Hart - "my total sales for one year have now exceed 300,000 books (June 2012)
T.R. Ragan - 293,202 books sold (May 2012)
B.V. Larson - over 250,000 books sold (Dec 2011)
Kerry Wilkinson - more than 250,000 books sold (Feb 2012)
M. R. Mathias - "I'm up to nearly 250k (in just two years) (June 2012)
H.P. Mallory - more than 200,000 ebooks sold (July 2011)
Scott Nicholson - Just guessing, I'd put my worldwide sales total between 200k-250k
David Dalglish - more than 200,000 (May 2012)
Antoinette Stockenberg - total sales stand at 216,686 (June 2012) - private email
Cheryl Bolen - 200,000 sold (June 2012)
Jennifer Ashley/Ashley Gardner - 200,000 sold mark in early June 2012 - private email
Nick Spalding - "I'm lucky enough to be in the 200,000 + total sales club now (June 2012)"

charlesatan · 07-10-2012, 01:20 AM

I'm skeptical about the concept, because I think you can earn more while customers pay less, but it's not necessarily tied to eBook publishing in general. It's a model that can be used in any industry (print books, eBooks, hardware, food, etc.) although it is also not without its own risks.

There was a recent study where I think 10% of self-published authors earn enough to live solely off their writing (sometimes barely). Which is a significantly more than trad pubbed authors (I think it was 1 or 2%). But then again, there's probably more of the former than the latter.

apbschmitz · 07-10-2012, 10:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by charlesatan

There was a recent study where I think 10% of self-published authors earn enough to live solely off their writing (sometimes barely).

Please excuse my skepticism here, but I wonder if you're off by a couple decimal points.

Scott Nicholson · 07-10-2012, 01:07 PM

there are no studies of indie authors. No one has that data. There have been amateur "surveys" by self-selecting people but EVERY SINGLE AUTHOR I KNOW who moved from traditional publishing to self-publishing is making far more money. I know a lot of authors.

I also have 15 years of personal data, and I know what I know, but not much else.

murraypaul · 07-10-2012, 01:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Scott Nicholson

there are no studies of indie authors. No one has that data. There have been amateur "surveys" by self-selecting people but EVERY SINGLE AUTHOR I KNOW who moved from traditional publishing to self-publishing is making far more money. I know a lot of authors.

That is even more self-selecting though, because:
a) It only includes already published writers
b) They may well take with them a backlist of already written and edited books to sell
c) It only includes those who want to leave their current publishers, or have no choice. Those who are making good money in their current setup probably won't want to leave.

Fbone · 07-10-2012, 02:48 PM

Mark Coker from Smashwords said that less than 50 writers earned more than $50,000 through his company and distributors. This is out of 14,000 authors. And many don't sell a single book.

He said this in Oct 2011 so the data I'm sure has changed plus it may not include Amazon sales.

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07-02-2012, 11:49 AM	#2
taosaur intelligent posterior Posts: 1,562 Karma: 21295618 Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Ohiopolis Device: Kindle Paperwhite 2, Samsung S8, Lenovo Tab 3 Pro	Seeing as the article was posted in 2010, the future is now: how are we doing? It seems like costs are still all over the place, but getting your hands on "pulp" material (maybe we should call it "dialup" or something now?) for free or cheap is easier. Self-publishing is much more viable, but still long odds on making a dime, much less making a living. AFAIK authors in traditional publishing deals aren't doing significantly better or worse than pre-Kindle. Seems like "Meet the new boss, same as the old boss." Granted, publishers are by no means "rid of their otiose infrastructure," and aren't eager to get to that point.

07-02-2012, 05:24 PM	#3
Santos Avid Reader Posts: 85 Karma: 183766 Join Date: May 2012 Location: Jacksonville Device: Kindle	I think a lot of people are self publishing these days because they are either getting turned down, they don't want the hassle of dealing with a publishing company, or they don't want to pay the high % fee's to the company. Although, self publishing is a lot harder then being backed by a big company, people are still doing it, thinking that they can make a living from it. But in my eyes, nothing has really changed. To be a successful author takes a lot of time, dedication, and determination. If you self publish, not only do you have to write that masterpiece but also then self promote, drive traffic to your page, and basically work 24/7 just to get some sales. I see a lot of independent publishing companies being formed, mostly by numerous authors that want to work together to help promote each other's work. Such as Grit City Publications and Raw Dog Publishing, or the 100's of the other ones out there. Either way, I still think that real tangible books are selling well, but are slowly on a decline as technology advances etc. It was a good article, and it only being 2 years later really isn't a long enough time gap to really make a good call on it.

07-02-2012, 05:49 PM	#4
Edward M. Grant Zealot Posts: 129 Karma: 3000000 Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Canada Device: Kindle Keyboard, Asus Transformer	I'm not sure why authors will earn more when the trade publishers are typically only giving them 25% of the 70% royalties that Amazon pay them.

07-03-2012, 05:45 AM	#5
Lynx-lynx Treachery of images ... Posts: 4,122 Karma: 93720365 Join Date: May 2012 Location: Australia Device: Sony 650, Kobo Glo, H2O, Aura One, Forma, Libra 2, Libra Colour	So are there many/any professional publishers out there who are ONLY selling their clients via ebooks? Curious .....

07-03-2012, 10:17 AM	#8
RainingLemur Spork Connoisseur Posts: 2,355 Karma: 16780603 Join Date: Mar 2011 Device: Nook Color	I believe that the article will ring true... But, at present time, I don't think it means that any self-pubbing writer will make a living off of their work (unless some viral wave happens, and their books sell like mad). If anything, just a few spurts of sales to provide a few extra bucks here or there.

07-10-2012, 01:20 AM	#11
charlesatan Addict Posts: 230 Karma: 3799024 Join Date: May 2012 Device: iPad	I'm skeptical about the concept, because I think you can earn more while customers pay less, but it's not necessarily tied to eBook publishing in general. It's a model that can be used in any industry (print books, eBooks, hardware, food, etc.) although it is also not without its own risks. There was a recent study where I think 10% of self-published authors earn enough to live solely off their writing (sometimes barely). Which is a significantly more than trad pubbed authors (I think it was 1 or 2%). But then again, there's probably more of the former than the latter.

07-10-2012, 01:07 PM	#13
Scott Nicholson Scott Nicholson, author Posts: 363 Karma: 2029337 Join Date: Feb 2010 Location: Boone NC Device: Kindle	there are no studies of indie authors. No one has that data. There have been amateur "surveys" by self-selecting people but EVERY SINGLE AUTHOR I KNOW who moved from traditional publishing to self-publishing is making far more money. I know a lot of authors. I also have 15 years of personal data, and I know what I know, but not much else.

07-10-2012, 02:48 PM	#15
Fbone Is that a sandwich? Posts: 8,290 Karma: 101697116 Join Date: Jun 2010 Device: Nook Glowlight Plus	Mark Coker from Smashwords said that less than 50 writers earned more than $50,000 through his company and distributors. This is out of 14,000 authors. And many don't sell a single book. He said this in Oct 2011 so the data I'm sure has changed plus it may not include Amazon sales.

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