The E-Book Legacy

We’re amidst the e-book revolution. In 2010 e-books accounted for 10 percent of the marketplace. It doubled in one year to 20 percent. Many predict as many as half of all book sales will be from e-books within five years. So what is the legacy of the e-book?

1.      Nothing has to be outdated. Books can and should be updated regularly.

2.      Nothing is ever out of print. A book will live on forever.

3.      Because you can continuously tinker with a published book, you will, and not always for the better.

4.      Anyone can now publish a book – and probably will.

5.      More people will write more books than ever before, but the clutter will make it harder for the quality books to stick out and get discovered.

6.      Overseas books can be translated and distributed without the expensive cost of shipping or printing.

7.      Publishing gatekeepers no longer control information.  The industry is becoming decentralized. Without any kind of authority to judge or filter information we will benefit in that all ideas will be made available to everyone but the level of quality and accuracy of what is disseminated will decrease greatly.

8.      Amazon has become an e-bully. Will they spawn a rival?

9.      More voices are heard, as the quality of content is declining.

10.  Digital books allow for different sizes – a book can be 60 pages, 600 or 6000.  It can contain more than a 12-page photo section and it can include videos, Web site links, and audio clips.

11.  E-books will eventually exist in the same box everything else comes from an integrated device that provides movies, TV, music, news media, blogs, etc.  We’re almost there with the modern –e-readers and iPad.

12.  Books will be portable but invisible to others.  People won’t even know you’re reading a book.

13.  Because so many books will be available, people won’t know what to read without the help of reviews, best-seller lists, and trusted recommendations.

14.  Because fewer books will be discovered in fewer stores, there will be a period of time where new books won’t get purchased by more than a handful of people.

15.  E-books will make it easier to track copyright piracy but enforcing the law will become a costly challenge.

Interview With Author  Cynthia Sally Haggard

Cynthia wrote Thwarted Queen, a saga about the Yorks, Lancasters and Nevilles whose family feud started the Wars of the Roses. A portrait of a woman trapped by power, a marriage undone by betrayal and a king brought down by fear.

1.      Why did you write the book? I saw on British TV that a historian had uncovered the fact that King Edward IV of England might be illegitimate. His mother, Lady Cecylee Neville, Duchess of York, the protagonist of Thwarted Queen was a strong-minded beauty. My questions was, What on earth did she say to her husband when he returned from his summer campaign of fighting the French, only to find her expecting another’s child?

2.      What do you love most about being a published author? The opportunity to meet my readers.

3.      What advice can you give a struggling writer? In today’s climate, you must start thinking like a business person. If you do not feel comfortable doing this yourself, then find someone who can help you.

4.      How are you promoting your book? Social networking, Facebook ads, movie clips on YouTube, becoming active on writers sites like Goodreads, RedRoom, my blog Spun Stories, radio interviews, speaking engagements, teaching.

5.      What do you make of the future of the book publishing industry? Physical books will never go away, but will become a smaller percentage of sales, which are being taken over by e-books. There is opportunity for novels to be made into electronic games to reach a younger audience.

Interview With True-Life Thriller Author John Coventry

1. John, your first book is being turned into a movie. Is that a head rush for you or what?  "Not so much as a head rush, but a total surprise and then like I guess any Author, excitement and pleasure with big names attached this is going to be quite a movie !"

2. What is the book, "I Was, I Am, I Will Be," about?  "There’s nothing more intriguing than a true-life thriller, where the protagonist maneuvers through a world of high-stake drugs, espionage and terror. Along the way, he unwisely falls in love with a terrorist whose commitment to her cause is greater than the love she shares with him. "I Was, I Am, I Will" Be is a real life memoir and chronicles the life of a young man who finds himself involved with terrorists, drugs and gun-running. "I Was, I Am, I Will Be" chronicles the life of a young British man, born into wealth, prestige and a family name dating back to the 1600’s. But this storied background isn’t enough to save him from the lure of easy money when the opportunity arises…I Was, I Am, I Will Be" offers remarkable evidence of how a young man is conned by the security services into working for them as an undercover agent and a shocking cover-up by the German Government.
   He was the man you thought you knew. Things were never quite as they seemed. Some called him a liar. More called him a thief. In the end, it was all he could do to stay alive.
   A remarkable and true story, This is a raw, powerful portrait of a lost man, who experienced far too much too young in a world shaped by money and greed."nit took. One ill-advised, reckless decision and the course of his life changed forever...3.  What do you love about writing? "A very old friend of mine, an actor called Vincent Schiavelli, best known I think for his roles in the Movies, Ghost and James Bond Movies, had a huge influence on me. He knew my story and the experience that I had been through and he pushed me to sit down and start writing out my story. Sadly, Vincent died in 2005, before the book was finished. Writing a true story about yourself has the advantage that of course the storyline is already there, the disadvantage is that you have to be very honest and truthful about it all. I found the Memoir to be in the wring almost a therapeutic exercise, a relief to spill all the beans ! Do not forget that I had kept the secret from all my family and friends. I am presently finishing the next part of this story, which is even more explosive !　
   4.  What advice do you have for the struggling writer?  "Write from the heart, never give up and while I hate to say this, if your in this for the money. there is not any ! Very few Authors get their books published, let alone make a fortune, think in terms of a Movie from your book, spin offs make your income ! Get a good agent to work with you and good luck!"　
   5.  Where do you see the book publishing industry heading? "Well, the industry is having a tough time, like us all in the present economic climate, But I think things are improving a little. e-books have also hit the publishing companies hard. The future ? I think that paper and hard back will settle down and hold about 50% of the market, but always under threat from e-books. "

Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are his alone and not that of his employer. You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels more important when discussed in the third-person.