A
recent Publishers Weekly survey of best-selling books showed, according to
publisher-provided information, that e-books make up about 50% of the sales of such
books when it’s fiction, and 25% when it is non-fiction. Some publishers did not contribute
information and the study was only of “best-sellers.”
Does this mean anything to authors or publishers other than they should publish in both formats or risk losing a chunk of sales? Unless you publish children’s picture books.
Several Dr. Seuss books made the best seller list without a single digital copy for sale.
Does this mean anything to authors or publishers other than they should publish in both formats or risk losing a chunk of sales? Unless you publish children’s picture books.
Several Dr. Seuss books made the best seller list without a single digital copy for sale.
The bigger issue is not format, but price.
Publishers
are seeing consumers pay less for books today than in 2009, according to the
2013 US Book Consumer Demographics & Book Buying Behaviors Annual Review.
E-books took the biggest tumble.
Consumers purchased a digital book in 2009 for $10.49 and in 2012 the e-book cost consumers $5.65.
Audio
books also fell off a cliff, going from $17.87 to $11.50 – over a 35% decline.
Paper
books flat-lined.
Hardcover
was down 16 cents to $15.50.
Trade
Paper fell 22 cents to $12.56
Mass
Market Paperback fell 3 cents to $5.72
Did
book prices fall because content was uninteresting? No. In
fact, there was more choice in the stores than ever before.
Did
prices fall because of The Great Recession? No.
Did they fall because authors and publishers are giving away content and selling creations for a few pennies as a way to lure readers? Yes!
Did they fall because authors and publishers are giving away content and selling creations for a few pennies as a way to lure readers? Yes!
The
industry simply needs to stop seeing “free” and “discount” as the leading way
to build readers, because one day the fans won’t have time to buy a book after
reading all of the deep-discounted or free content.
Interview With Gloria Zachgo
What type of books do you write? Although my
first book, The Rocking Horse, is usually listed as a mystery, it is more about
the characters than it is about the mystery.
It’s my goal to develop characters that my readers can identify
with. A friend of mine gave me a t-shirt
with these words written on the front, “BE CAREFUL! OR YOU WILL END UP IN MY
NOVEL”. That’s pretty much the gist of
it. I like to write about ordinary people. And if I’m successful, the people I
write about won’t recognize themselves, but they will relate with my
characters.
What
is your newest book about? I’m currently
working on a book with an 1860’s setting.
It too, will be about the characters, not only living the hardships of
that time, but their loves and personal struggles.
What
inspired you to write it? I challenged myself to write a novel, after attending
a writing workshop. About seven years
ago I joined a writing group to improve my writing skills. I discovered my love for writing fiction. One
of the stories I had written kept haunting me, so after that workshop I decided
to see if I could develop it into a novel.
The result was The Rocking Horse.
What
is the writing process like for you? The Rocking Horse was a secret
mission. Only my husband and a writing
friend of mine even knew I was attempting to write a book. I wrote in the early mornings after my
husband left for work. My friend
critiqued what I wrote, gave me suggestions and lots and lots of
encouragement. It took me a full
year. I then shared it with my writing
group, a chapter at a time. It was so
well received that I finally decided to publish the story.
The
book I’m working on now, is taking much more research. I’m also working with a novelist group. We critique each other and learn together.
What
did you do before you became an author? I grew up in a small farming community
in the middle of Kansas, attending one of the last one-room school houses in
the country. I married my high school
sweetheart (we’re still married today), and while my two children were young, I
ran a small snack business out of my home.
After that I did volunteer tutoring with ESL students for a while and
tried my hand at becoming an artist.
When I over-loaded my walls with paintings, I found my passion in
writing.
How
does it feel to be a published author? After two years of my book first being
published, I still get excited when I receive a review or feedback from my
readers. When I first held a proof copy
of my book, I got a sense of accomplishment that I hadn’t felt since the birth
of my children. Now I’m busy trying to promote my ‘baby’. This part of the journey is like riding a
roller-coaster – or kind of like raising a teenager. It definitely has its ups and downs, but I’m
meeting new people every day and having the time of my life.
Any
advice for struggling writers? Join a
writer’s group and/or an author’s club.
They are wonderful for giving support.
Also, write what’s in your heart and be willing to hear honest critiques
of your work.
Where do you see book publishing heading? I hope it’s not totally headed for e-books
only, but that seems to be the direction it’s going right now. I’m very new at this business, and like so
many others, I’m learning every day. For
about six months I tried to find an agent. I received the proverbial
rejections. My husband had just retired
and I had a finished manuscript. He
encouraged me to ‘go for it’ on my own.
I told him if I did, he would have to act as my agent. It’s been an exciting, mutual adventure for
us ever since.
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Brian Feinblum’s views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog
are his alone and not that of his employer, the nation’s largest book promoter.
You can follow him on Twitter @theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He
feels more important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by
BookMarketingBuzzBlog © 2013
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