Comments on: Ebooks: The Giant Disruption http://www.mondaynote.com/2012/02/26/ebooks-the-giant-disruption/ Media, Tech & Business Models Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:40:03 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: eBook Solutions » The same challenge facing ebooks and apps http://www.mondaynote.com/2012/02/26/ebooks-the-giant-disruption/#comment-40110 eBook Solutions » The same challenge facing ebooks and apps Sun, 24 Mar 2013 18:30:43 +0000 http://www.mondaynote.com/?p=4510#comment-40110 [...] week, we looked at the ebook’s Giant Disruption. A new ecosystem in which Amazon eats publishers’ and agents’ lunch by luring authors [...] [...] week, we looked at the ebook’s Giant Disruption. A new ecosystem in which Amazon eats publishers’ and agents’ lunch by luring authors [...]

]]> By: A late start to birthmonth/link round-up | stevendkrause.com http://www.mondaynote.com/2012/02/26/ebooks-the-giant-disruption/#comment-22636 A late start to birthmonth/link round-up | stevendkrause.com Fri, 09 Mar 2012 03:19:28 +0000 http://www.mondaynote.com/?p=4510#comment-22636 [...] Ebooks:  The Giant Disruption.  Nice article about the pros and not so much of eBooks.  This is another topic I can see figuring into 354 the next time I teach it, and maybe 516, too. [...] [...] Ebooks:  The Giant Disruption.  Nice article about the pros and not so much of eBooks.  This is another topic I can see figuring into 354 the next time I teach it, and maybe 516, too. [...]

]]> By: Steve Garcia http://www.mondaynote.com/2012/02/26/ebooks-the-giant-disruption/#comment-22503 Steve Garcia Wed, 07 Mar 2012 20:38:47 +0000 http://www.mondaynote.com/?p=4510#comment-22503 @Mike Van Horn - Thanks, Mike, for your feedback.input. I had to look up "long-tail search". That was useful info. I am doing a historical novel, and I think it is fairly close to non-fiction in terms of the long-tail. I can see the value of the rest of your comment. I appreciate it. @Mike Van Horn -
Thanks, Mike, for your feedback.input. I had to look up “long-tail search”. That was useful info. I am doing a historical novel, and I think it is fairly close to non-fiction in terms of the long-tail.

I can see the value of the rest of your comment.

I appreciate it.

]]> By: Mike Van Horn http://www.mondaynote.com/2012/02/26/ebooks-the-giant-disruption/#comment-22487 Mike Van Horn Wed, 07 Mar 2012 18:31:32 +0000 http://www.mondaynote.com/?p=4510#comment-22487 @Steve Garcia. Good point. In addition, don't forget long-tail search, which is especially important for non-fiction ebooks aiming at a particular niche. This is the great equalizer. Ebook authors who get reviews on Amazon, engage in forums on their topic, do their social media, send their ezines, etc. draw attention and demonstrate that their quality rises above the sea of crappola. Publish more than one book: a library or series is better. Build a readership. Also, just like in the publisher world, use a good cover and text designer and copy editor. In this way, we have a better chance of being part of the ebook cream that rises. My first self-published book (aimed at small business) came out on Amazon 10 years ago. As a small self-publisher, I lacked the resources to promote effectively. I lost money on every book Amazon sold for me. (Having the book paid off very well in other ways.) With Kindle books, they pay your portion from book sale #1. mvh @Steve Garcia. Good point. In addition, don’t forget long-tail search, which is especially important for non-fiction ebooks aiming at a particular niche. This is the great equalizer.
Ebook authors who get reviews on Amazon, engage in forums on their topic, do their social media, send their ezines, etc. draw attention and demonstrate that their quality rises above the sea of crappola. Publish more than one book: a library or series is better. Build a readership.
Also, just like in the publisher world, use a good cover and text designer and copy editor. In this way, we have a better chance of being part of the ebook cream that rises.

My first self-published book (aimed at small business) came out on Amazon 10 years ago. As a small self-publisher, I lacked the resources to promote effectively. I lost money on every book Amazon sold for me. (Having the book paid off very well in other ways.) With Kindle books, they pay your portion from book sale #1.

mvh

]]> By: Steve Garcia http://www.mondaynote.com/2012/02/26/ebooks-the-giant-disruption/#comment-22472 Steve Garcia Wed, 07 Mar 2012 14:49:34 +0000 http://www.mondaynote.com/?p=4510#comment-22472 "...Again, aspiring (or proven) authors need to cool-down when looking at such numbers. The Kindle Million Club mentioned above counts only 11 members to date — and most were best-sellers authors in the physical world beforehand." Ah, but that is NOW. With the way the wind is going, bet-selling hard copy authors won't be around forever. This is just the transition period. When ALL are on ebooks, the cream doesn't get imported from big house publishers' stables, and after a while the cream will have to rise from the bottom. “…Again, aspiring (or proven) authors need to cool-down when looking at such numbers. The Kindle Million Club mentioned above counts only 11 members to date — and most were best-sellers authors in the physical world beforehand.”

Ah, but that is NOW. With the way the wind is going, bet-selling hard copy authors won’t be around forever. This is just the transition period. When ALL are on ebooks, the cream doesn’t get imported from big house publishers’ stables, and after a while the cream will have to rise from the bottom.

]]> By: Amber Argyle, author http://www.mondaynote.com/2012/02/26/ebooks-the-giant-disruption/#comment-22446 Amber Argyle, author Wed, 07 Mar 2012 02:52:23 +0000 http://www.mondaynote.com/?p=4510#comment-22446 What those publishers don't yet fathom is that if they don't have their content easily available to consumers, it will be pirated. What those publishers don’t yet fathom is that if they don’t have their content easily available to consumers, it will be pirated.

]]> By: Ebooks and Apps, same challenges | Monday Note http://www.mondaynote.com/2012/02/26/ebooks-the-giant-disruption/#comment-22289 Ebooks and Apps, same challenges | Monday Note Sun, 04 Mar 2012 20:26:16 +0000 http://www.mondaynote.com/?p=4510#comment-22289 [...] week, we looked at the ebook’s Giant Disruption. A new ecosystem in which Amazon eats publishers’ and agents’ lunch by luring authors into [...] [...] week, we looked at the ebook’s Giant Disruption. A new ecosystem in which Amazon eats publishers’ and agents’ lunch by luring authors into [...]

]]> By: Rob soon no longer to be in Marid http://www.mondaynote.com/2012/02/26/ebooks-the-giant-disruption/#comment-22281 Rob soon no longer to be in Marid Sat, 03 Mar 2012 15:33:05 +0000 http://www.mondaynote.com/?p=4510#comment-22281 I couldn't agree more, I used to read a lot of books but over time I began to read more newspapers and today I read everything online. Thanks to iBooks I've re-discovered reading. just finished a 1000 page book (ghost in the wire) while on the road, would never have taken it with me. The biggest problem I have is not buying too many books. BTW the kindle app really sucks, which is frustrating because so many new authors are publishing there, so hoping to find a simple solution to moving them to iPad. I couldn’t agree more, I used to read a lot of books but over time I began to read more newspapers and today I read everything online. Thanks to iBooks I’ve re-discovered reading. just finished a 1000 page book (ghost in the wire) while on the road, would never have taken it with me. The biggest problem I have is not buying too many books.

BTW the kindle app really sucks, which is frustrating because so many new authors are publishing there, so hoping to find a simple solution to moving them to iPad.

]]> By: e-Books: Another Innovation Diffusion Problem « Innovation Leadership Network http://www.mondaynote.com/2012/02/26/ebooks-the-giant-disruption/#comment-22253 e-Books: Another Innovation Diffusion Problem « Innovation Leadership Network Fri, 02 Mar 2012 04:48:00 +0000 http://www.mondaynote.com/?p=4510#comment-22253 [...] are having innovation diffusion curve problems, just like Kodak. Frédéric Filloux shows why in an interesting post on e-books: I’m an ebook convert. … This leads to this thought about the coming ebook disruption: [...] [...] are having innovation diffusion curve problems, just like Kodak. Frédéric Filloux shows why in an interesting post on e-books: I’m an ebook convert. … This leads to this thought about the coming ebook disruption: [...]

]]> By: Somebody Gets It (Sort Of) | Butcher, Baker http://www.mondaynote.com/2012/02/26/ebooks-the-giant-disruption/#comment-22237 Somebody Gets It (Sort Of) | Butcher, Baker Wed, 29 Feb 2012 13:17:09 +0000 http://www.mondaynote.com/?p=4510#comment-22237 [...] Filloux in Monday Note focuses on ebooks as the “giant disruption.” Notes Filloux: In less than a year, the ground has shifted in ways the players didn’t foresee. This caused the [...] [...] Filloux in Monday Note focuses on ebooks as the “giant disruption.” Notes Filloux: In less than a year, the ground has shifted in ways the players didn’t foresee. This caused the [...]

]]> By: Ebooks: The Giant Disruption | Monday Note | DIGITAAL PUBLICEREN http://www.mondaynote.com/2012/02/26/ebooks-the-giant-disruption/#comment-22195 Ebooks: The Giant Disruption | Monday Note | DIGITAAL PUBLICEREN Mon, 27 Feb 2012 13:04:49 +0000 http://www.mondaynote.com/?p=4510#comment-22195 [...] Ebooks: The Giant Disruption | Monday Note. [...] [...] Ebooks: The Giant Disruption | Monday Note. [...]

]]> By: Peter Kay http://www.mondaynote.com/2012/02/26/ebooks-the-giant-disruption/#comment-22186 Peter Kay Mon, 27 Feb 2012 03:45:29 +0000 http://www.mondaynote.com/?p=4510#comment-22186 Frédéric: If you were looking to publish a book in the next two years (and I hope someday you do), which route would you take? Frédéric: If you were looking to publish a book in the next two years (and I hope someday you do), which route would you take?

]]> By: Mike Van Horn http://www.mondaynote.com/2012/02/26/ebooks-the-giant-disruption/#comment-22182 Mike Van Horn Mon, 27 Feb 2012 02:09:32 +0000 http://www.mondaynote.com/?p=4510#comment-22182 It's worse for the publishers than what you say. I had two non-fiction books published by publishers in the 80s, then in 2002 self-published the first of 12 books, working through the Bay Area Independent Publishers Association (BAIPA). Now I'm translating all these to ebooks for Kindle, and hopefully soon the iStore. (Which I wouldn't be able to do if a publisher owned the rights!) I have advised numerous clients--professionals who are writing books to capture their expertise--to stay away from regular publishers, and self-publish. Several reasons: -- Retain control of your own copyright, and the right to multi-purpose into ebooks, workbooks, webinars, apps, videos, etc. -- Speed. Publishers take a year. Get your stuff out now. Start blogging, writing articles. Turn each piece into a chapter. Hire a copy editor, cover and book designer. This is your book. Get it out before the window of opportunity closes. -- Money. Yes, you have to front the money to self publish, but the return to you is many times greater than from a publisher over the lifetime of your publication. And if you're not Stephen King, you have to market your own book anyway. -- Possibility. The likelihood of a publisher actually saying yes to you is miniscule. And all this is before ebooks. Ebooks are no panacea for the writer/publisher. Because it's so easy, the e-channels are getting full of crap. Also, Kindle is great for "pulp fiction" but agonizing for anyone who wants interesting or complex formatting. After two decades of mastering the aesthetic possibilities of desktop publishing, we're thrown back into the era of dot matrix. But it's coming. iPad has set the bar for ebooks, and they will all be of iPad quality very quickly. A publisher recently approached me to submit a book proposal to them, and I was enticed. Then I read their terms. Yikes! I wouldn't sign anything like that! 18 months after I finish the manuscript before it's published? I must commit to a book tour at my own expense? They own all the rights, whether or not they exercise them? I have to buy my own books from them to use at my public presentations? These folks are living in the 1980s. mvh It’s worse for the publishers than what you say. I had two non-fiction books published by publishers in the 80s, then in 2002 self-published the first of 12 books, working through the Bay Area Independent Publishers Association (BAIPA). Now I’m translating all these to ebooks for Kindle, and hopefully soon the iStore. (Which I wouldn’t be able to do if a publisher owned the rights!)

I have advised numerous clients–professionals who are writing books to capture their expertise–to stay away from regular publishers, and self-publish. Several reasons:
– Retain control of your own copyright, and the right to multi-purpose into ebooks, workbooks, webinars, apps, videos, etc.
– Speed. Publishers take a year. Get your stuff out now. Start blogging, writing articles. Turn each piece into a chapter. Hire a copy editor, cover and book designer. This is your book. Get it out before the window of opportunity closes.
– Money. Yes, you have to front the money to self publish, but the return to you is many times greater than from a publisher over the lifetime of your publication. And if you’re not Stephen King, you have to market your own book anyway.
– Possibility. The likelihood of a publisher actually saying yes to you is miniscule.

And all this is before ebooks.

Ebooks are no panacea for the writer/publisher. Because it’s so easy, the e-channels are getting full of crap. Also, Kindle is great for “pulp fiction” but agonizing for anyone who wants interesting or complex formatting. After two decades of mastering the aesthetic possibilities of desktop publishing, we’re thrown back into the era of dot matrix.

But it’s coming. iPad has set the bar for ebooks, and they will all be of iPad quality very quickly.

A publisher recently approached me to submit a book proposal to them, and I was enticed. Then I read their terms. Yikes! I wouldn’t sign anything like that! 18 months after I finish the manuscript before it’s published? I must commit to a book tour at my own expense? They own all the rights, whether or not they exercise them? I have to buy my own books from them to use at my public presentations? These folks are living in the 1980s.

mvh

]]> By: Fafnir http://www.mondaynote.com/2012/02/26/ebooks-the-giant-disruption/#comment-22178 Fafnir Sun, 26 Feb 2012 23:36:24 +0000 http://www.mondaynote.com/?p=4510#comment-22178 übber? it will be nice if English speaker start to prononce u like the ü in German but to double the b look strange. übber? it will be nice if English speaker start to prononce u like the ü in German but to double the b look strange.

]]> By: Ken Nickerson http://www.mondaynote.com/2012/02/26/ebooks-the-giant-disruption/#comment-22175 Ken Nickerson Sun, 26 Feb 2012 21:40:30 +0000 http://www.mondaynote.com/?p=4510#comment-22175 The economics all point to a digital future for reading, hardcopy will be a luxury —> art form in 20 years, similar to the transition flm and especially b&w photography has undergone. The trick will be keeping people reading when all the other media is begging you to come back for "seconds". ;> The economics all point to a digital future for reading, hardcopy will be a luxury —> art form in 20 years, similar to the transition flm and especially b&w photography has undergone. The trick will be keeping people reading when all the other media is begging you to come back for “seconds”. ;>

]]> By: TheoZ http://www.mondaynote.com/2012/02/26/ebooks-the-giant-disruption/#comment-22174 TheoZ Sun, 26 Feb 2012 20:51:59 +0000 http://www.mondaynote.com/?p=4510#comment-22174 Thanks for the interesting article. I am a German living in the US and I would love to buy more German ebooks for me and to read to my son. But also the German publishing industry is totally reluctant to embrace ebooks. Maybe even less so than in France, as the German book market is highly regulated with nationally fixed prices. Thanks for the interesting article. I am a German living in the US and I would love to buy more German ebooks for me and to read to my son. But also the German publishing industry is totally reluctant to embrace ebooks. Maybe even less so than in France, as the German book market is highly regulated with nationally fixed prices.

]]>