If you could ride a horse really fast back in 1860 you might have been able to land a job delivering mail for the Pony Express. You might have even delivered one of your own letters to let your parents know you landed a good job - although not without danger. But in less than two years (in 1861) you would have had to let them know that you were unemployed again - replaced by the telegraph which had been gaining momentum and could do what you did in a fraction of the time.
If you manufactured telegraph equipment or sent telegraphs you too were out of a job about 30 years later - replaced by the telephone. Now many people are finding it possible to live without the land line opting for it's cousin - the cell phone. My father worked for AT&T for 30 plus years and saw a lot of technology changes - he even installed some of the first cell equipment for the Montgomery County police in Maryland and pondered, "This technology is too expensive...no way will it ever be used mainstream." He didn't realize that phone companies would give the expensive cell phones away in exchange for a monthly contract!
So let's examine publishing. Someone long ago figured out that you could flatten clay into tablets and write on them but they broke easily. The Egyptians created the process of pounding out reeds to make papyrus to write on while the Chinese found a similar product - bamboo -and it was about 100 AD that the Chinese invented paper. So for about 900 years we've been using paper to send, store, and share ideas. That's a pretty big tradition.
I get asked all the time if I think ebooks are a fad? If I think it's worth it to produce them? If I think making apps are better? How I found my programmers? Is it better to try to find an agent and get my book published traditionally? How I plan on marketing my apps? What should I do?
I'm flattered that so many would think I have the answers but the truth is that I'm just a dumb guy who fumbled his way into this industry and is now trying to figure out what my next moves will be.
But for what it's worth - here are my thoughts:
1) I've never seen a new technology evolve into the market with as much popularity as eReaders - and then die off. We have some great forerunners to the publishing industry that give indications that ebooks are here to stay. Music is now digital. Movies are now digital. Photography is digital. Periodicals - digital. You can paint digitally and yes books are also offered digitally. You're even reading my blog digitally - a new method of sharing ideas less than a decade old. So where does that leave paper? I think it will eventually be replaced. Sure there will be some who won't want to give up their paper - I see them as part of a significant group like those who still listen to vinyl records. Are they wrong to like paper - of course not - but will paper be the dominant delivery method of books? I don't think so. Will the children of eBook reading parents have a romantic connection to pulp?
2) If paper goes away what happens to publishers? I think some publishers will thrive in a digital world and I think some won't figure out how to stay relevant. I see a lot of authors and illustrators stuck in old ways of thinking and some keeping an open mind as to how they can take advantage of the coming changes. There are pros and cons of working with traditional publishers and the same is true for indie publishing. Neither one is superior to the other - just different. Is it hard to get an agent and sell your book to a publisher? Yes - and it can take years of trying. Is it hard to publish on your own? No - the hard part is getting the attention of your audience. Becoming a successful author/illustrator will be just as hard if not harder in the future.
3) How can I attract the attention of my audience? I've read a lot of articles online about marketing eBooks and apps. I've seen a lot of people trying to game the system with fake reviews from relatives and begging "likes" on Facebook. I've heard of people paying for reviews and making up fake awards for their books. Many give their eProducts away for free in hopes of climbing to a higher sales rank on retail sites. I've said it before and I'll say it again: There is no substitution for greatness!
Your product must be AMAZING, EXTRAORDINARY, SUPERB, INCREDIBLE, and UNBELIEVABLE! It has to be extremely beautiful or disturbing or funny or touching or informative or witty etc. I looked on my iPad today and noticed that of the indie apps that I've purchased I found them from friends, review sites, and social networks. None of them came from ads. None of them came from promotional campaigns. None from being asked to click "like". None from FREE!!! None from hype. What they all had in common was an individual sticking their neck on the line and saying, "try this - I like this - you'll probably like it too." And so the "good stuff" will get passed around and generate a viral quality simply because it's good and nothing else.
People say that I'm naive. Perhaps. But I know how and why I buy eBooks and apps. I also know many success stories where the product was so cool that people had to have it - couldn't live without it. When you buy a song on Amazon or iTunes did you buy it because you saw an ad? or did you download it because it was stuck in your head? - in other words it was awesome right?
Am I afraid of making mediocre ebooks/story apps? You better believe it!-YES - it keeps me awake at night. But fear is a good thing - if you're not afraid you probably don't understand how vital it is to create something truly original.
Awesome as always, full of support and helpful information... just a dumb, fumbling guy? I don't think so, talented and business savvy come to mind when I think of you, which is of course, why people come to you for advice. That and your generous nature. You don't mind sharing and we are eager to absorb your knowledge. :D
ReplyDeleteThanks Karen! But I feel that I'm making this up as I go... :)
DeleteAin't we all? I mean Bill Gates and Steve Jobs were geeky kids with a passion and math head once. I feel bad, because I'd been one of those begging for likes, but how do people know what you're doing and how to get to you without putting it out there. I guess it's whether the sharing is sincere. As always food for thought, and you may be bumping along Will, but you have some pretty good antennae, so I always look forward to your posts.
DeleteAgy Wilson ( I forgot my Google password and I'm too lazy to change it right now)...
thanks, Will- as always, informative and enlightening!
ReplyDeleteThanks Lyn! I like writing about this stuff because it helps me formulate my own opinions.
DeleteToo true. Make it great and people will want to share it with their peeps. You are wise in your observations, Will Terry. Is 'I hate reading' available, yet?
ReplyDeleteThanks Jesse - I'll find out if I've sold "I HATE READING!" this week...I'm supposed to anyway - I can't wait to share it if I did.
DeleteGreat post, even if it scares me! Just love paper! If you haven't already, watch Gaiman's address: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikAb-NYkseI
ReplyDeleteYes!!! I had watched this months back - great speach!
DeleteTotally agree. It's all about greatness. Thanks for sharing yours!
ReplyDeleteThanks Sarah! Seems simple right? :)
DeleteThank you so much for this great post. It inspired me to start selling my YA story the hill of kings a story combining Irish myths and legends with magic as an e-book.
ReplyDeleteThank you again.
Anouk
Great! I wish you all the best success!
DeleteThank you for writing this post Will. It is encouragement for all of us Indie publishers. We are a special breed of people that believe enough in ourselves to stick our necks out and take a chance. I truly believe that digital is a force to be reckoned with and is not going to go away, but instead become even larger as more tablets, smart phones and new mini tablets are released with better functions. I also think the future more educational systems will move to digital because it is much less expensive to update textbooks digitally than to buy the hard copies.
ReplyDeleteAnother great article! I love the fact that digital publishing gives us the chance to take a chance. What I mean by that is that in the past I would have had the task of doing all the hard work in the artistic department and then would have had to put out thousands of dollars to self publish the book. There would be no telling if I'd ever even get my investment back or sell a single book. Now I just have to put in a little extra work in Indesign and throw it on the web for sale. There's still no telling if it would sell but now the difference is I didn't have to spend my life savings to find out. Also now I think a lot of cool things that publishers were passing on are able to come to light and really shine. I love ebooks!
ReplyDelete