Wednesday, October 18, 2017

Which Format Should You Publish Your Book In?



Which format should authors publish their books in – and why?

Many authors will simultaneously release a book in multiple formats.  At the very least, they will have a print and digital edition published at the same time.  Others will do an audiobook, perhaps a little later on.  Some will publish hardcover and trade paper at the same time while some may only do a mass market paperback edition.  There are also publishers who release a print-on-demand version while selling the digital and audio book editions.

What makes sense for you?

More formats increase your chances of selling a book, as it becomes available in different venues, appeals to various modes of learning and provides different price points.  But it also means that you only get one shot to sell and promote your book.

If you, say, print the hardcover but wait 6-12 months to release a cheaper paperback version, you get two chances to sell and market your book.

Some publishers will package formats together, where you can get the audiobook with an e-book version of the same title, or a print and digital version come together for one price.

Hardcover appeals to people who like to feel the book they’re reading is important, new, and substantial.  These readers pay a premium willingly.  Some libraries may also offer a durable hard-cover edition.

Ebooks appeal to those who like all things digital, from seniors who enjoy controlling the font size to younger people who grew up with digital to business travelers who prefer not to carry heavy books everywhere.  Plus ebooks are inexpensive for the budget-weary.

Audio appeals to people who drive often, enjoy being read to, or who like to take in a story with their eyes closed.

Publishers and authors are experimenting on which formats to publish in – and when to strategically release a variety of editions.  There’s no one-size-fits-all formula that perfectly fits authors of all genres or publishers of all sizes.

Some authers will sell the rights to their books, such as foreign rights or movie rights, but others will also sell off various formats, such as audio rights or, if they publish the hardcover edition they’ll sell the trade paper rights to another publisher.

Whatever the format that you choose to publish in just remember it still takes heavy marketing and promoting to be successful.  That will not change even if the format does.


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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. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog 2017©. Born and raised in Brooklyn, now resides in Westchester. Named one of the best book marketing blogs by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs

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