Sunday, February 26, 2012

Ebooks: The Good, The Bad, and the Worrisome by Sara Rosett


The first eight-track tape I saw was bright orange and had my grandfather’s careful all-caps lettering of song titles on the label. I was a kid at the time and didn’t quite understand his delight at being able to transfer his vinyl records to the tape, which he could play in his car. My grandfather was a techie when it came to music. He wanted to know how things worked and he kept up with the latest trends, but I don’t think he had any idea how fast the music industry’s delivery system would change. Records to eight-tract to cassette to compact disk to digital, all in the space of about fifty years.

Books, on the other hand, haven’t changed much. Before ebooks, we hadn’t had a new delivery system for books in, oh, about 2,000 years. Sure, there had been blips in the book industry—audio books come to mind—but nothing had changed radically since the first century when a new technology made it possible to go from storing the written word on scrolls to books, or to use the technical term, manuscripts.

As an aside, I have to wonder if the change caused some of the same near-apocalyptic hysteria we’ve seen recently with e-books. Did some people refuse to ever buy a book? Were books declared “not real reading material?” Were scrolls declared the only true format for the written word? 

I suppose we’ll never know if there were “scroll holdouts” because now we look back on the book format—thin sheets of paper bound between a thick, sturdy cover—as a positive advance that spread knowledge and allowed more “common people,” particularly merchants and the well-to-do, to own their personal copies of important works.

Fast forward a few thousand years and we’re at another turning point, digital books and electronic readers.

As an author, I’m thrilled about ebooks. I have had six books traditionally published. I write cozy mysteries and each book came out first in hardcover (at a whopping $22), then eleven months later in paperback (at six to seven bucks). The hardcover editions were wonderful for garnering reviews and library sales but it was difficult to compete in a niche dominated by mass market paperback originals. It’s not an easy sale to convince new readers to shell out almost twenty-five dollars for my book when they could buy around three different paperback books for the price of my hardcover. The paperback versions seemed to get lost in the wake of the hardcovers, never generating the attention of the hardcover.

My publisher was on the leading edge of ebooks and began bringing out ebook versions of my books with a competitive price point. My early series ebooks are priced around four dollars. The more recent books are more expensive, but I feel that I’m finally on a level playing field with other books in my niche. With my latest new release in 2011, my publisher dropped the price on one of the other books in the series to ninety-nine cents, then to zero for a few days, and I had the heady sensation of seeing it climb up Amazon’s Top 100 free, which lead to a surges in other books, one of which appeared on the Top 100 Paid list.

So I’m a solid a fan of ebooks, but it’s not all sweetness and light. There are a few drawbacks. Here’s my take on the benefits and drawbacks of ebooks:

The Good

Choice:  Readers and authors have more freedom than ever before, which is one of the best things about the ebook revolution. Readers are discovering authors who they never would have found in the traditional publishing model. Turns out, readers will give new authors a chance, particularly if the price is right.

Authors are reveling in their new freedom, too. No longer are authors constricted to working through publishers. Digital delivery systems allow authors to reach a wide audience, breaking the monopoly the big publishers held on distribution. Authors are free to create their own covers (often a sticky point with authors who disagreed with what “New York” thought would sell). Authors are also exploring new genres and/or genre mash-ups. Writing once labeled “unsellable,” including short stories and cross genre novels, can be viable markets for some authors. And probably the biggest change of all:  authors are making money. Paying your mortgage out of your royalties is a possibility, not a pipe-dream.

Speed:  The ability to instantly have a copy of a book is pure joy for bookworms. As a reader, one of my favorite things about ebooks is the sample feature. I think it’s wonderful to be able to read a few pages or chapters before I make my buying decisions.

Portability: Readers love the ability to have so many books at their fingertips. For serious book lovers, an ereader is a must for long trips, doctors’ waiting rooms, and carpool lines.

The Bad

Limits on Ownership: Unlike a physical copy of a book that can be passed on to a friend or donated to the Friends of the Library, when you buy an ebook you’re purchasing  a digital copy of a book, which is linked to the seller. If the seller decides there is an issue or problem with that book, the digital copy can be removed from ereaders. If a seller goes out of business, what happens to all those digital copies sold by that retailer? It’s hard to say because we haven’t had a huge retailer/epublisher go under.

Privacy:  In this age where personal information is the holy grail of business, you know that each digital book purchase is carefully tracked. I’d also venture to say that digital retailers are linking your purchasing habits to your browsing habits, at least on their websites, if not elsewhere around the web (i.e. recent tracking Facebook embarrassment).

The Potentially Worrisome 

Future Fees?:
When I first purchased books on my Kindle there was a little line that read, “Free delivery via Amazon Whispernet.” It makes me wonder if someday there will be a delivery charge, which could be passed along to either the author, the buyer, or both.

Price Trending Towards Zero:  I know Amazon is many author’s new BFF, but I have some reservations about Kindle KDP Select program. It allows Prime members who pay an annual fee to read certain books for free. Amazon has created a pool of money that will be distributed to participating authors to draw authors to the program. I can’t help but wonder if this is a good trend for authors. I completely understand authors participating in the program to broaden their readership, but I wonder if eventually readers will expect to read ebooks for free and be reluctant to buy ebooks. I think authors should be compensated for their work, even if it is a bargain-basement price. I realize the KDP Select program is the same principal as an author lowing the price on his or her book to zero. What worries me is that Amazon may eliminate the option for authors to lower their prices to zero in the future and allow only “free” books through their Prime program. And who knows if the pool for author payment to those participating in the KDP Select Program will continue. It could be phased out, but authors anxious for wider readership will still be eager to participate. Gloomy sounding, I know, and I hope it doesn’t happen.   

Books as Product: I think of Amazon first as a bookstore, but, in reality, books are only one product they sell. They’re more like a huge department store with every conceivable item. Their approach is to have all products ranked, reviewed, and linked to similar products. That’s fine, but people feel differently about books than, say, a stockpot or an edger. That’s the specialness of books. We connect with the characters, the setting, and, sometimes, the author. I’m not sure how well that connection fits into the Amazon model. Time will tell.

I don’t want to end on a downer note. I’m thrilled to be part of a revolution in the way we buy and read books. I’d love to hear your thoughts on ebooks—positive and negative. Have you found a new author you love through ebooks? Maybe a relative unknown? A new genre? How many books do you have on your ereader? Are you buying more or less books on your ereader? Do you have an ebook TBR (to-be-read) pile? 

~Sara

P.S. In case you’re wondering, my eighty-five year old grandfather is still on the cutting edge. He now has a MP3 player and an ereader. :)

Sara Rosett is the author of the Ellie Avery mystery series, an adult “whodunit” mystery series in the tradition of Agatha Christie. Publishers Weekly has called Sara’s books, “satisfying,” “well-executed,” and “sparkling.”Library Journal says, “...Rosett’s Ellie Avery titles are among the best, using timely topics to move her plots and good old-fashioned motives to make everything believable.”
Visit http://www.SaraRosett.com for more information or connect with Sara on FacebookTwitterGoodreads, or Pinterest 

29 comments:

  1. Sara, great post. I am, like you, on the fence with e-reading. I love the ability to get a book NOW when I'm dying to read it, but the truth is I forget about my kindle (and the books on it) for weeks at a time. I hate not being able to page back easily, and there's something about the format that is too much like my computer (on which I spend the day working).

    I've not put any of my books out digitally, so I'm unclear on their profitability, but another issue for me is that there are SO MANY BOOKS and it's hard to know which ones are good. I guess sampling is a way around that, and there are great books that publishers didn't pick up on...anyway, you put together a very cogent post on a bewildering topic.
    Thanks!

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  2. Great post! I'm a total e-reader. There's nothing like, at 2am on Saturday night, finishing one book in a series and being able to download the second in the series (thereby keeping me up till 4am) and reading immediately. Our local bookstores have very limited stock and I can't wait a week for the book to come by mail.

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  3. I love the instant reading, too, Leslie! One of my favorite features. I stay up way too late...

    On the other hand, one of the things that is a bit annoying is that I can't flip back in the book and find something easily--totally with you on that Sheila.

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  4. I'm slow today cuz I stayed up late watching Oscars and reading Tweets :)

    You've brought up some points I hadn't thought of especially a possible delivery charge. I have a Kindle but still prefer print. Maybe for the reason Shelia mentioned. Too much like a computer. Also I'm a big tub reader.

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    1. E-readers are definitely not for the tub (or pool) as a friend of mine found out!

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  5. I'm with Leslie--when I got a kindle a couple of years ago that was my first thought--wow, 2 a.m., hate my book, in 30 seconds voila, I've got a new book! LOVE that. Definitely crazy days in publishing but I'm totally grateful for the opportunities this has afforded authors who until now have been at the mercy of the vagaries of a really fickle industry. Of course we all do worry that the rug can be pulled out from under us, but let's hope if that's the case someone else would swoop in and fill that void. Trying to put my faith in the market system in that regard. (BTW you cannot put your books for free on Amazon any more--you can try to "trick" them to do that but only way you can officially do it is through KDP Select. I think originally this was because the freebies were skewing the bestsellers list so much it was making things problematic.)

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    1. Thanks for the update on the status of "free" books on Kindle--I was psychic and didn't even know it! Anyway, interesting to see where all this goes. I do think the advantages for writers and readers are huge right now and love that the market has opened up for so many people.

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  6. Such great information, Sara, including a key piece of the Kindle Select that I had not previously understood, that it was a subscriber service. Thank you.

    While I still have piles of TBR books, and enjoy reading them, increasingly I'm using my Nook as a reader. Partly because of the convenience, in particular when I travel, either away or between our two homes. It's also more convenient because it has Web access, so I don't have to use my laptop any more (and it's way faster than a laptop). It's also partly because books are increasingly difficult for me to hold because of a bit of pre-arthritis. I'd like to stave that off as long as possible, and using the Nook Color is way easier than trying to hold open a hardcover, or even a paperback.

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    1. I like the lightness of the ereaders, too, Karen. I really notice a difference when I switch back to hardcopy books. I'll have to try the "go to" feature.

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  7. As for flipping back on an e-reader, I don't know how it works for others, but on the Nook I can search for something, find it, and then choose "go back" to get to where I was previously.

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  8. Sara
    I enjoyed your post! My first two books (Hollywood Girls Club and Secrets of The Hollywood Girls Club) went the traditional route and when they were pubbed as ebooks my publisher would never take them lower than 10 -- and that price point didn't work for my ebooks. Now I've repackaged the books and the first two titles come out this week and a brand new title Can't Buy Me Love comes out March 28. I am excited and terrified about taking the plunge into ebooks!
    xoMaggie

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    1. Hope it goes really well for you, Maggie! Keep us updated...

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  9. Very thoughtful post, Sara! So much to think about!!

    I'm slowly but surely coming around to the ereader. I just love holding a real book in my hands, but I, too, love that you can just click and start reading with an ereader.

    Thanks for giving us so much to think about!

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  10. It's a really exciting time for writers; great summary! I've only had one book published by a traditional publisher, but I did feel that my book definitely became a product (so I guess that part wouldn't bother me with e-publishing).

    I just read a bit about the Kindle lending library--does anyone know about this? I may be wrong, but this looked like a way to "loan" your ebook to other readers...

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    1. The Kindle Lending Library is the program I mentioned above where Amazon Prime members can barrow books for free. I think there are limits on lending. Maybe someone else can fill us in on the details?? I've never done it as an author or reader so I don't know all the ins and outs.

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    2. You can only borrow one title per month. There is no due date so you can hold onto it longer than a library book but you can't check out another book until you "return" the one you have. It's a nice supplement to all the other avenues to try out books.

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  11. Thank you for this post. I now own thousands of regular books, 2 e-books, and am about to publish my first e-book in March. The scale is tipping toward old school books at this point, but I feel the shift happening verrrry slowly but surely...

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    1. Sounds like March will be a big month for the Girlfriends and ebooks. Good luck and let us know what happens!

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  12. Loved this post, Sara! Right on the money with the good, the bad and the ugly. I just returned yesterday from an overseas flight and would have been miserable without my Kindle. Except for when I was getting to a really good part (Val Frankel's FOUR OF A KIND- LOVE IT) and they made the announcement to shut off all electronic devices. So unfair. But as you stated so well, e-readers are here to stay and we'll just deal with the disadvantages.

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  13. Your 85yo grandfather is more cutting edge than me, that's for sure!

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  14. I so hear you about travel and ereaders, SaraLee. I love taking mine on flights, but hate it when I have to turn it off....so I have my ereader and a spare traditional book that I switch off with--am I a bookworm or what?

    To everyone who mentioned still loving hardcover, books...I know exactly how you feel. You get a whole different experience when you hold a book in your hand: the paper, the text, the cover...all of it. I've found that with my favorite authors, I want those books in hardcopy (and maybe in ebook, too).

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  15. My grandfather is more cutting edge than me, too, Lauren, especially where music is concerned. I think I need to put him in a book. :)

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  16. Thanks for providing this informative post--and I've learned from the comments, too. I'm wondering what will happen to literary agents in this shifting of the market.

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  17. Not sure, Cindy. Some people think lit agents are in a position to become book packagers--editing, formatting, cover services, etc.

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  18. Personally, I love to read on my e-reader, because I can take my favorite eBooks with just one click, from sites like: All you can books. They're also less expensive, than those printed books, but I will not replace them for sure... it's not the same thing reading on a device. Thank you for this article... I've enjoyed it!

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  19. Thanks for this post Sara. At times I feel like the lone holdout refusing to read e-books! My only hope is that print books don't become completely obsolete and we're all forced to use an e-reader.

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  20. What I love about ebooks is the opportunity to support the author when the book has gone out of print. I discovered the Art Lover's Mystery Series by Hailey Lind too late, and I was happy to download the Kindle for PC to my laptop, buy Feint of Art, and stay up reading all night!

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  21. Thanks for an interesting summary, Sara. I'm planning to buy a Nook next year in prep for a long trip -- by then, much of the virtual dust will have settled -- but yes, there will a paperback in my carry-on as backup!

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  22. A nice analysis of the facets of ebooks. I've wondered how Amazon will monetize going forward with all the giveaways and yet the giveaways seem to be an integral part of authors getting noticed. We live in interesting publishing times!

    I hadn't thought of a scroll hold out - very funny idea!

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