Another author weighs in on e-books. Vincent Zandri published his first three novels through Random House, but is now with a smaller publisher and focusing on e-books. From the article:
“Zandri, who says he has never owned an e-book, was skeptical, but he published his fifth book, a horror-suspense novel called “The Remains,” through Amazon’s Kindle months before it came out in print. The novel landed on the Kindle’s best-seller list in June.
“I’m super pleased (with sales),” he said. “E-books are blowing things wide open for authors.”
“Now, he’s convinced more authors will do the same.
“I get paid more through e-books as opposed to the profit margin to paper,” he said.
“When it comes to advertising for a book, Zandri said a downside to print books is they quickly get taken off bookshelves at major book stores to make room for the next big thing.
“But if your book isn’t selling on e-books, your book will still be online for someone to look up and purchase,” he said. “You will always make a profit.””
I remember when my first book, Chickens in the Headlights came out, it was at the front of the store, in the window, on the shelf, and sometimes even playing through the speakers. The stores really pushed it for about three months, and then it was replaced with other books. A very large majority of my sales came in that first three months.
E-books will likely see a more steady sales. Books that are just okay might see small and steady sales, while books that are exceptional will likely trend upward as word of mouth gets around.
Right now the publishers and book stores still control the distribution, but I think over time we’re going to see that shift. As authors, you’ll want to have a good e-book marketing strategy under your belt.
