Really interesting. When I first launched book one, The Treeman, a small, but significant number of paperbacks sold through Lulu, even though the kindle version from Amazon did better. In the same timeframe with book two, The River Girl, the paperback sales have virtually ceased and kindle dominates completely. Of course, e-book is cheaper than paperback, so to an extent its a natural choice - but I suspect the proliferation of tablets has contributed. You dont have to buy an e-book reader now, just download a kindle or similar app to your tablet or smartphone and off you go - thousands of books at your fingertips. Its such a marked shift in the 2 years that Ive been writing. I do know of people who still refuse to join the e-book market, but many friends who previously swore undying loyalty to the printed book now combine e-book and paperback, using the medium that suits best in different situations. In most cases, we indie authors earn more from e-books anyway, so were happy with the balance (with paperbacks, most of the cost is consumable). This is not to raise the old debate of print versus kindle - enough has been said. Besides, its the writing and storytelling that count, no matter the medium (I get so cross when people say kindle stories arent proper novels - its the same content! And the same blood sweat and tears to complete!). But I can tell you this, nothing beats the delicious thud of the paperback proof copy landing on the doormat. Oh my, the new ink smell when you open the casing, the glossy colour hit from the cover, the sight of your title and author name...yep, cant deny thats satisfying. Maybe I should do more author signings!
Posted on: Thu, 21 Aug 2014 10:53:17 +0000
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