Via S. Andrew Swann over at Genrewonk we have a link to Dear Author and an article about the doom of book publishing. Okay, well it's more a "change or die" article.
There are a few pieces I disagree with with the author, such as POD machines in stores (the cost per piece is much higher than even an offset printed book with quantity), but there is plenty I do agree with. I suggest if you're in this writing business thing you give it a read. Lots of good advice backed up with examples from other entertainment industries.
2 comments:
The reliance on blockbusters is one of the biggest things killing the industry. Well, that, and not realizing that their titles need to be in appropriately targeted stores.
I don't think POD machines are feasible either, at least at this time. However, companies like Lulu do POD for self-publishing, and Amazon has a new program for book authors that may do the same (I remember reading about it but can't locate the info at this time).
POD is really no different than the business concept of just-in-time inventory, which has been around for a long time.
Back in the day, when the Internet as we know it didn't exist and Computer Shopper was a must-have magazine for us tech types, there was someone in the industry who wrote a series of articles about how he had bought a laser printer (then maybe $5-6000) and did on-demand printing of the computer books he wrote. He was a well-respected expert in the field in general, and damned if I can rmemer his name. I owned a couple of his books, and they were quite good.
As for ebooks, computer books often are available as ebooks. I think O'Reilly offers all their books with an option to buy just an ebook or print+ebook.
They've also started a site called Safari Books Online, with titles available from a large number of publishers that are viewable and searchable online. Subscriptions are either $23 or $43 a month, depending on the access level desired. You can easily copy and paste code, and get up to a 35% discount on purchases of the printed copy.
I think non-tech publishers need to start thinking like tech publishers.
The sky is always falling somewhere. Those who survive are those who recognize what's causing the fall and quickly adapt.
Vince, I agree. Although I don't think all the publishers work on that model. I know a few that just want to keep making it to first base, maybe bat a double. And keep doing that the whole time.
Yeah, I was around for "Desktop Publishing." And the searchable online works well for technical data, but I think it's not as good for fiction. However, I do think that the model Scalzi, Stross, and Doctorow are pursuing, as well as the Baen Free Library is working. And working very well. Because it works into the market expectations. You can sample the work, most people won't like it, but some will. And most of those would be willing to purchase a hard copy to read the whole thing.
Post a Comment