Guest blogger Gary Williams on the appeal of e-publishing (Part 2 of 3).
Why are e-books the perfect fit for both writers and readers?
- The purchase price of e-books is considerably lower than either paperback or hardback books in most cases. Many are sold for $5.00 or lower. First-time authors often sell their books for $.99 or even give them away. Why? To gain an audience. It’s all about marketing. Get a reader base, and money will be made on the volumes and/or future releases.
- Due to the minimal overhead for e-book publishers, e-publishing your manuscript often requires very little investment by the author. In many cases, no investment is needed since the publisher shares in the profits. Once the electronic version is uploaded by publishers, they incur virtually no overhead costs. It’s a win/win for both author and publisher.
- The convenience by which readers can purchase novels via e-reader devices such as Kindle and Nook lends itself to impulse buying. A reader can shop, buy a novel, and be reading it within a matter of minutes. For some devices and applications, readers can download a book anywhere there’s a wireless connection. Combine the convenience with the low price, and it’s not hard to imagine that readers will take chances on unknown authors. So what if they spend $1.99 on a book that turns out not to be to their liking? They’ll just download another one. And what of readers who have just finished a book and want to find others by the same author? Minutes later, they could be enjoying the next story.
Gary Williams co-writes with Vicky Knerly. Their debut thriller, Death in the Beginning, was released electronically yesterday, November 21st.
This is so true. I just want to add that writers strongly need to consider publishers instead of self-pubbing and having to do all the work themselves. I've had excellent experiences with four small publishers so far. I also believe that with e-books, readers will be able to find those "niche" reads that is just their type of thing!
ReplyDeleteI like that our readers will get to enjoy our books in any form available. I have self-published and worked with a small publishing firm and you have to work just as hard either way to get people to notice you. I came into this venture knowing I would be happy if only one person read one of my books and was inspired by it. I am proud to say that I am happy a thousand times over.
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