Print numbers are impressive

[B.R.Stateham]

While we all speculate and theorize over the new paradigms of ebook publishing, nevertheless print seems to be moving right along just as it always has been.  Even more so for those who publish hardbacks.  Which means, of course, publishers of print are probably laughing mockingly in their smoke-filled back rooms over writers who are looking to shake up the industry.

 

http://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/financial...

[Jon Loomis]

It's interesting that MM sales continue to plunge. I wonder if that's not ultimately going to be the portion of the print book market that's most affected by the rise of the ebook. Makes sense, in a way--people who love hardcovers may continue to buy them as they always have (assuming the price doesn't go too crazy). But for those looking for a quick, throwaway read the ebook may be just the ticket. Interesting.

[J W Nelson]

Allow me to agree with that, Jon. How I would like all my John D. MacDonald books accessible via my Kindle instead of boxed up in my garage. Or Hammett, or... well, it would be nice. Now, if I could only figure out how to get Kindle to go to a random page in an ebook.

[John McFetridge]

And the implications of e-books replacing MM are significant. My small Canadian publisher can sell as many hardcover copies of my books as a big publisher (which isn't very many, mostly library and specialty store sales) but they can't get into the MM business because of the huge amount of capital required for a big print run, shipping and returns, so they try and sell the MM rights to another company.

But, if e-books become the norm and most book buyers have e-readers it will make it possible for smaller publishers to distribute their books much better. I still wouldn't expect to sell very many copies of my oddball books, but at least they'll be available in a fomat that may be the most popular.

It's really the low-cost dstribution of e-books that makes the biggest difference, not the low-cost production.

[I. J. Parker]

Yes, I thought so, too. I'm rather glad I'm back to hc. But the e-book thing is very promising for the future.

[I. J. Parker]

I should add that I just talked to my husband's aunt, who is getting on in years. She has a Kindle and loves it because she can adjust the size of the font. She won't read anything that doesn't come on Kindle.

[cj forrest]

I have never used a kindle. I don’t think I ever seen one outside to the box even. How versatile is the audio feature on the Kindle? One thing I love to do is listen to audio books while I’m drawing, and I was wondering if most books you get on a Kindle have this capability. Have you guys ever listened to a Kindle speak before? Is it worth purchasing for the audio book lover?

[I. J. Parker]

Not sure if that's available yet. There was a fuss over copyright. Audio books are a separate rights issue from print books and e-books. Also, this seems to be computer-voiced rather than read by an actor. That will make a big difference in the quality.

[cj forrest]

Thanks, I.J. I didn’t realize that audio copyrights were different than print. I’m not sure I want to listen to a story that sounded like Stephen Hawking. Not that I have anything against Stephen Hawking.

[Camille LaGuire]

Text to speech does not violate audio rights (it's not the same thing) but many publishers (especially small ones) are afraid to violate any agreements, so they don't enable the text-to-speech features. Amazon has it available, but it's the publisher's choice whether to enable it.

Any independent author/publisher who wants to sign up for the 70 percent option is required to enable this feature. So, yeah, it's enabled on mine, but alas, I can't tell you how well it works, because I don't read on a Kindle. I read on my iPod Touch. (I'll have to see if that feature is available.)

[Dana King]

Thank you, IJ. My mother's eyesight has deteriorated from macular degeneration. It looks to have stabilized with treatment, but she can't read without the help of one of those bulky magnifiers. I don;t know why it didn't occur ot me before--I knew Kindles could enlarge print--but this could be a godsend for her. Thanks for putting 2 and 3 together for me.

[Christopher Valen]

That's an interesting point, I.J. I've had many senior citizens look at the print size in my books before they purchase. I've also had a number of sight impaired individuals ask if the books are available in large print. Kindle may render both those questions moot.

[I. J. Parker]

Yes. It's important. I recall my first novel, published by St. Martin's Press, arrived in galley form with such tiny text that I nearly lost it. They were trying to save paper, of course, but I had to alert my agent to get that changed.