[Writer Post] More on Ebooks, Self-Publishing, and an Announcement

Two things have been making the internet rounds in the last week – and a side note – Ebooks and Barnes and Noble’s new “PubIt” service. But first… The Side Note. The Redheads of the Apocalypse are about to be Baen E-Books. They’re not available just yet, but they have shopping cart pages. There’s even been rumors of a “bundle” option. They have a “wish list” and “gift registry”. So, go check out The original Four Redheads of the Apocalypse chapbook and The Four Redheads: Apocalypse Now! for a preview of the ELECTRONIC versions. Of course, you can always get the “dead tree” version from Yard Dog Press.

Now, the other ebook issue that ran around the internet this week: Amazon sold several top-tier novels – ebook version – for MORE than the hardback version. Obviously this caused a stink among readers who ONCE MORE pointed the finger at greedy bastard authors and publishers. When it was actually Amazon’s doing. Amazon was trying to hurt publishers by pointing the fingers back at them saying it’s all the publisher’s fault. When, again, not so much. Writer Beware, on Facebook, had a very concise explanation of what happened. And we’re not going to debate the pricing of ebooks here. Been done.

In summary, Amazon has two business models at work here. The ebook pricing is set on an “agency” system whereby the prices are set (on a sliding scale) by the publisher and the retailer (Amazon) gets a percentage (30%) of all the ebooks they sell. For the HARDBACKS, it’s more of a “wholesaler” system. The publisher sells the books to the retailer at a set price, the retailer can then sell the book at any price they want. Amazon has been doing a “loss leader” thing for a while now (selling some products below wholesale in hopes you’ll by more) which, according to How to Become a Marketing Superstar is “an excuse for not being able to sell a product for profit”. In fact, the title of the chapter is “Loss Leaders are for Losers”. Loss leaders are not sustainable. So, Amazon’s move was to try to convince readers that Publishers and Writers are EVIL.

The other thing that hit pretty big this week was Barnes & Noble’s self-publishing arm, “pubit!”. What this does is give a vehicle for getting “authors and independent publishers to load e-books into its system for free; the e-books will then be available for sale in the B&N eBookstore and on devices compatible with the Nook.”

Sound good? Whoa. Notice there are no editing services. Your book will NOT be available in the brick and mortar stores (while they still exist – and I believe they will for a long time). Though it does tout “no hidden fees”, you still have to pay for printing (if you want hard copies). You’re still responsible for editing, designing, and marketing your work. Just because everyone with a Nook can buy your piece doesn’t mean they will or should. Not without effort. Not without knowing what you’re doing. And not without having done everything you can to publish it traditionally first (unless it’s a very niche project that only your family will want, non-fiction to be sold at seminars and the like, or a memoir -again with a niche market).
The moral of this story? Do your homework before 1) giving a book a crappy review over thing the author has no control over thinking you’re “making a stand”; and 2) choosing a direction for your career. Once those choices have been made, you have to live with them. Keep it in mind.

Tags: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, ebooks, Redheads of the Apocalypse, Self-Publishing, YardDog Press