Write, Read, Print an eBook

March 7 through 13 is Read an eBook Week. With the week "officially" closing tomorrow, I wanted to encourage readers and writers to keep the spirit of saving trees and promoting technological advances in publishing alive, with the caveat that we not forget the majority of the audience out there.

A fellow author friend (Henry Hermann) has researched some eBook stats for a book on publishing, and shared with me that "saving 3 billion trees a year just from the publishing field alone is a good reason to promote eReading." I'd say I have to agree!

Henry and I share the same publisher, who releases all titles in hardcover. It takes an act of God (or a call from someone high up on the food chain at Borders) to get a title moved to paperback with this publishing house, thus marketing is a wee bit complicated for Henry and I. Try selling a few thousand units of a $30 book in this economic environment. Along came digital literature and the floodgates have opened.

By releasing our titles on Kindle format, our publisher has given our characters new audiences. Our publisher has saved some trees. Our publisher has given us a chance to market in a whole new realm.

If you're a writer seeking a publishing contract, consider the importance of both print and digital rights. I can't imagine a publishing house that doesn't offer both in this climate. Consider the audience(s) that lines both sides of the aisle. There are rabid print-book fans who refuse to discuss eReaders. Then there are rabid digital fans who are selling off their print-book collections to anyone who'll take them (and their bookshelves) to open up the space in their once-stuffy dens. Personally, I would weep for days if any of my books went missing from my beloved bookshelves, whether I had purchased them in digital format or not. I'm still miffed at my ex for taking my Lord of the Rings set, which I bought with my allowance money when I was in junior high.

My point is you want to accommodate both sets of readers. Only 3 to 5 percent of book buyers purchased and downloaded eBooks last year. That means the vast majority of readers are still comfortable with the physical book. Of course that ratio will shift as events such as Read an eBook Week catch on and more people sit on airplanes with their Sony eReaders, Nooks, iPads and Kindles and discuss their merits. As the ratio shifts, savvy publishers and authors will be there to fill whatever need the audience expresses.

From Sandy Lender
"Some days, you just want the dragon to win."
Tags: ebook, ebook week, ereader, sony, amazon, kindle, nook, ipad, Lord of the Rings, trees

Write, Read, Print an eBook