RE: "The Elusive E-book"

As things currently stand, I would bet most of your e-only authors would
jump at a paper-publisher contract and, if required, abandon the ebook
market. The cachet of public recognition is the driving factor for a new
author. Any recognition. And currently the attitude is that if they have to
they will _settle_ for ebook publication until they can get a paper
contract.

Ebook sales will grow when the attitude of the big boys is that an ebook
version of their book is a natural adjunct to their paper books. Now they
fear it as competition to the paper version. Trying to negotiate for ebook
rights with a large publisher is incredibly complicated. 

Simple things like in what countries a ebook can be distributed. With paper
books you just don't ship them to that country. Then the black market takes
over and delivers them anyway, but the publisher is not to blame. Preventing
ebooks from being downloaded by the wrong country can be an exercise in
futility, but it's being required by the big publishers. And there is no
good way to prove the negative of "it didn't come from my site".

Trying to force some of the requirements of paper book distribution onto
ebooks is causing a lot of the friction. However if you give it away free,
it's a promotional copy and a lot of the problems disappear. Meanwhile we
try to educate the big publishers.

-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Aaron Walker
Sent: Thursday, May 08, 2008 12:38 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: RE: [ebook-community] "The Elusive E-book"

I agree with your last question wholeheartedly Joseph.
 
I consider myself an e-publisher. My books will never see paper or a
printing press. I didn't get into e-publishing as a "back door" route to
traditional publishing. I got into e-publishing because I think we should.
The only reason I will buy a paper book is because it is not available as an
e-book and the information is so important that I have to have it. Fiction,
things read for pleasure, if it's not in e, then it's not for me.
 
The effects to the environment of cutting down trees, printing, ink,
shipping, big box stores, etc. should be enough to see that we, as a
species, can and do have a viable alternative in e-publishing.
The problem I see as a newcomer is overcoming the e-book format being
treated as a throw-away commodity. It almost feels like the independent
bookstores going up against the big box retailers.
 
Every e-publisher is a "small press" going up against the big guys. They've
convinced us our product has no value except to serve as sales boosters to
their paper presses. How did we get to this point? 
 
Why did it become okay for the idea of giving away e-books to become part of
the status quo? 
 
Do our authors put in any less work? Do we as e-publishers not work just as
hard to get our books in front of the buying public?
 
Granted, we have lower economies of scale since we don't have to physical
create something and get it in the hands of readers but that doesn't mean we
don't spend just as much time on attracting talent, book design, book
editing and marketing. We've still got authors to pay and they still have
families to feed.
 
Why/how did e-books become distant second cousins to paper books? And why
aren't we, as e-publishers, trying to do something to change that?
 
I do not believe we should ever charge as much for an e-book as a paper book
since we don't have the same financial obligations to get that book in the
hands of reading customers. But e-books do have value. 
 
The people who write them deserve to be paid for their work, insights and
creativity. As e-publishers, we deserve to make a living by providing
quality reading material to any one who is interested.
 
We should stop acting and accepting the role big publishers are pushing us
to accept. Or soon, we will end up like the small, independent book sellers
of days gone by.
Aaron J. WalkerPublisher
http://www.walkbroadpublishing.com
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