It is so enticing to go online, upload your latest manuscript and hit “Enter.” Almost instantly you’ve published your work. That’s exciting! Today, most authors are publishing in print first and taking their time deciding if this latest book will benefit from e-book accessibility.
Just this week (September 22, 2015), New York Times writer, Alexandra Altersept presented some very eye-opening revelations about the current state of affairs in the skirmishes between digital format e-books and hard copy books. One of her main points was this: “E-book sales fell by 10 percent in the first five months of this year, according to the Association of American Publishers, which collects data from nearly 1,200 publishers.” Mainstream publishers are investing heavily in this view of the future for hardcover books, as they expand their warehouses and distribution centers. This is also excellent news to the smaller, independent bookstore owners who are following this upward trend and filling their shelves. And, even though e-book business such as Amazon/Kindle are doing well, Amazon/Books is still doing better making it possible for readers to have a print book in their hands in 24-48 hours.
So what can you take from this information?
- With all the e-readers being actively promoted in multi-media advertising, the reading public is picking up more hard copy/paperback books than ever before.
- The speed of delivery of printed book copies today is a huge benefit to authors and their name recognition.
- Printed books tend to stay “in the family” and become part of the passed-forward legacy of parent to child and grandchild.
- There is also the growing evidence that too much reading on a digital device is hard on our eyes whereas reading a printed book page relaxes the eyes.
Certainly technologies in the world-of-books will continue to change. Yet, in the present time, authors may find their publishing decisions fall into both venues. However, never forget the unlimited value of the printed book.
Isn’t it time for you to publish today in electronic and hard copy formats?
