The E-Revolution

By Jaden Terrell

For the past few years, writers, agents, and others in the publishing industry have been engaged in a dialogue about whether e-books were the future of publishing, whether the new e-book technology would make self-publishing the smart way for writers to go, and whether digital publishing and internet marketing heralded the end of traditional publishing. While it seems likely that traditional publishing is here to stay--at least for the foreseeable future and at least as a niche market, there are some signs that the ease of digital publishing has shaken the industry to its core. Joe Konrath, who, as J.A. Konrath, writes the Jack Daniels thrillers, became the first author to sign a publishing contract with Amazon and is making much more with his electronic books than he ever did with a traditional print publisher. Of course, Joe is a marketing genius and a fiend at promotion. There was no proof that his success could be duplicated.

Then along came Amanda Hocking and the Kindle Millionaires. People were making big money at this self-publishing stuff. Big, big money. Now, thriller writer Barry Eisler has turned down a $500,000 print deal in favor of self-publishing his new stand-alone. I got the link to this dialogue between Barry and Joe from two people on the same day: fellow Murderous Musings blogger Pat Browning and former literary agent Nathan Bransford. Barry says that, while traditional publishing has been kind to him, he can make much more money over time with digital self-publishing. From someone who was just offered half a million dollars, that's staggering. He has compelling numbers to back up his argument. Whether his numbers (or Joe's or Amanda's, for that matter) are any indication of what the rest of us might make is uncertain, but there's no doubt the opportunity is there.

Of course, there are still advantages to the traditional model as well. Currently, it's still the easiest way to get reviews and contracts for subsidiary rights, such as film and foreign. It will be interesting, though, to see how the landscape will change over the next five years. Some publishers are already reporting e-book sales that are higher than their print sales. If that doesn't bring about some major changes in the industry, I don't know what will.

I like Chuck Wendig's take on the subject (warning: Wendig's post contains some adult language) on his blog, Terrible Minds. Why choose one, he says? Why not choose both? Wendig says if you can write two books a year, why not write one commercial blockbuster for the traditional publishers and one niche-market book for the digital self-publishing market? I kind of like the way this guy thinks. While you're there, take a look at his post on the 99-cent pricing of e-books and jumpstarting a stalled novel. You won't be sorry you did. Only . . . did I mention the adult language?

So where do you think the e-revolution is taking it? Has it affected how you read and/or publish and/or market your books?

If a traditional publisher offered you a $500,000 deal, would you take it, or would you turn them down flat?

Upload, Download -- The Wild, Wild Internet

By Pat Browning

What got my attention was an online New York Times article with a bold headline: Print Books are Target of Pirates on the Web. The bylined article by Motoko Rich sheds light on the proliferation of copyrighted books showing up for unauthorized downloads. Rich quotes general counsel for John Wiley & Sons, which issues the “Dummies” series, as saying the company employs three full-time staff members “to trawl for unauthorized copies.”

I tried repeatedly to get an URL for that article but it hung up my computer every time. My suggestion is that you go to www.nytimes.com and in the search box type in “Print Books Target of Pirates.” You may have to register, but registration is free, and the article is worth the trouble.

The article quotes Stephen King as saying that tracking down illegal e-books is not worth the time and energy. On the other hand Rich quotes Harlan Ellison, who pursues the pirates, as saying, “I don’t ask to get rich off this stuff. I just ask to be paid.”

Perhaps the telling comment comes from NYT best-seller Cory Doctorow, who offers free e-versions of his books the same day they are published in hardcover. Quote: “I really feel like my problem isn’t piracy. It’s obscurity.”

The article makes reference to Scribd, a new web site where you can upload/download books, magazine, newspapers, term papers, whatever’s in print. Writers and/or publisher can upload works for free, or charge for them. It’s also a social networking site – a little something for everyone there.

I accessed www.scribd.com and registered. Took about 45 seconds. The new site is a mess, actually, like an Old World bazaar, or a New World yard sale. I clicked on Books, then Fiction, and up popped Barry Eisler’s new book, FAULT LINE, published by Ballantine/Random House Publishing Group. I downloaded it free of charge.

It’s an espionage thriller, not exactly my cup of tea, but hey – I got it for nothing. At the very least I’m taking a look at an author I would never have picked up in hardcover.

I looked up Eisler and found myself reading his guest post on M.J. Rose’s blog. His post, “Dead Trees Is A Dead Model,” is a dandy. Among many other things he says:

Quote:
The only thing keeping paper books going as a mass market today is inertia. But as older generations die out and younger ones come online, and as generations in the middle try ebooks and realize their advantages, the demise of paper books will continue to accelerate.

That's an important point: the marginalization of paper books won't continue at its current rate. It'll pick up speed until it hits a tipping point, and then -- poof! -- the only paper books published will be coffee table books and other niche forms that serve a unique (and relatively small) market.

How soon? Look at the reviews Amazon's latest Kindle is getting. Listen to people who use one … And look at the way publishers are trying to maintain their traditional market: they're using increasingly cheap paper, essentially trying to compete on price against a medium with zero costs of paper, ink, warehousing, and distribution.

The fact that paper publishers are even trying to wage this battle on the electronic medium's terms is evidence of how soon and how badly they're going to lose it.
End Quote

That's another URL that eluded me but you can reach it through Eisler's web site at www.barryeisler.com/. Scroll down. On the left there's a link under New Article -Dead Trees Is A Dead Model.

Back at Scribd I found Robert Gregory Browne’s two thrillers, KISS HER GOODBYE and WHISPER IN THE DARK. Browne is published by St. Martin’s but he posted his own work – just an excerpt in each case, 16 and 27 pages respectively. I downloaded both, and wish I had the entire books. I like his writing.

Browne has two excellent web sites: www.robertgregorybrowne.com and a writing web site at www.castingthebones.com. He offers good advice, plus a couple of free downloads – How To Format Your Screenplay Like A Pro, and www.openoffice.org, which he uses for word processing.

Back at Scribd again, I found another free book, MURDER IN MARSHALL’S BAYOU by S.H. Baker. This is part romance, part mystery, set in 1924 Louisiana, and it’s a comfort read published by Zumaya Enigma, a small press in Austin, Texas.

It has a literary feel and the kind of languid grace southern novels are noted for. The writing lowers my blood pressure: “The sound of the Gulf, closer than usual, drowned out the songs of all the night creatures except an occasional alligator.”

S.H. Baker is Sarah H. Baker, who also writes as Sarah Storme and has a bio as colorful as her writing. Her web site is at www.sarahstorme.com.

So, over the course of this week I discovered three new authors and their books without leaving my computer. Downloads at Scribd are suitable for various e-readers, plus the .pdf format. I don't have an e-reader but the .pdf format works beautifully.

I spent a lot of time. Every link led to something else and I’m the world’s most curious person. Browsing through an old-fashioned bricks and mortar bookstore takes a certain amount of patience. Browsing through the online bookstore of the future takes even more patience. There are so many buttons, so many hot links, to lead you into other places.

The rewards are many. The Internet is truly the master library. The Internet opens up the world.