Who doesn’t love a book?
The crisp fresh pages.
The smell of ink.
The bright back light.
ERRRHHHHT. Whoa. The what?
Yes, in case you’ve been so wrapped up in Survivor and Celebrity Apprentice that you haven’t looked at a book in months (perish the thought!), the books you grew up on are changing.
In big ways.
Mega publishing news in the last few weeks are the numbers that self-published e-books are selling.
Amanda Hocking sold upwards of 450,000 copies of her young adult novels and, on the strength of those numbers, recently landed a contract with a traditional house.
Joe Konrath’s first Lt. Jackie Daniels mysteries were traditionally published, but he’s pretty much left that world behind and is self-publishing now.
Barry Eisler made news for declining a $500,000 advance in order to self-publish his next books.
Sales for e-Book readers such as the Kindle, the Nook, and the Sony Reader are spiraling.
Some people moan about the change and how they love books and would miss the smell and the feel and the heft of the book.
Others say the portability and convenience far outweighs the aroma of ink and paper.
Let’s face it: paper and ink and transportation costs increase every year to the point that now a hard cover book costs as much as $27.95. That’s dinner for two at DiCiccos.
E-Book prices range from free to about $15 with the majority under $10. Simple economics make the e-reader an appealing option.
Some costs are fixed. An editor’s salary is the same whether the book is destined for the page or cyberspace.
Love ‘em or hate ‘em: e-Books are here to stay.
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