tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post7040646051935046269..comments2023-11-02T02:40:48.410-07:00Comments on Crime Fiction Collective: Is It Worth It to Create a Buzz in Print?L.J. Sellershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10213491074676394406noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-53245253200057862452012-09-21T10:15:03.800-07:002012-09-21T10:15:03.800-07:00I'm a reader and I much prefer the e-book. alt...I'm a reader and I much prefer the e-book. although I must say there is nothing like a signed book on the bookshelf.<br />To all of you, please continue to supplement your e-books with real tree books.<br />Thanks Jen for your insight and for the wonderful work you put outDave Millshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13913174818106609519noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-34830789520035008122012-09-20T18:35:09.842-07:002012-09-20T18:35:09.842-07:00I've approached it a lot like Andrew. I was al...I've approached it a lot like Andrew. I was all set to do ebook only for my first self-publishing venture. But I'd already had one book published with a niche press that was print only for its first year, and when I announced on FB that I was doing ebook only, I got pushback from people who didn't have ereaders! So I decided to do POD through CreateSpace and it was a great decision. As Jen points out, it saved buying up boxes of books and shipping them out myself. I still figured that that most of my revenue would come from the ebook, so I priced the print version at the lowest amount I could and not be in the red (I've since raised it a dollar). My thought was that it would be a courtesy to my print-only readers, and by keeping it on the low side and in line with what most light series mysteries go for, it wouldn't seem like a lot to lay out for a quick read. So far it's worked out very well!Joanne Lessnerhttp://joannelessner.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-19740516116906761742012-09-20T16:14:20.468-07:002012-09-20T16:14:20.468-07:00I'm thinking that I'll eventually have pri...I'm thinking that I'll eventually have print copies of my craft of fiction books out, as other people may be like me and prefer print for advice books, so they can underline points and mark the pages for future reference...Jodie Rennerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17180607353893233389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-73509976601413633642012-09-20T16:09:30.222-07:002012-09-20T16:09:30.222-07:00Welcome, Jen. Thanks for joining us.
I came to th...Welcome, Jen. Thanks for joining us.<br /><br />I came to the conclusion some time ago that the digital market would be my primary focus and print would be secondary. I still produce my work on paper, but mostly it's for people who want them and for use as a marketing tool (ie: a physical representation I can hold up). Since it doesn't cost me much more to do both, I have no problem with continuing in this manner. But to be perfectly honest, I hardly ever check my paper sales. Whatever money I make there seems almost incidental, compared to my digital sales.ANDREW E. KAUFMANhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08835920472268730244noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-77240528745941052162012-09-20T12:08:44.853-07:002012-09-20T12:08:44.853-07:00Welcome to CFC today, Jen. What a great post.
I c...Welcome to CFC today, Jen. What a great post.<br /><br />I can't imagine my books not being available in both print and digital, but my expectations for print sales are about one for every hundred ebooks sold. Sometimes I get surprised, but not often. I'm also considering an audio version, if I can find the time to figure out the process.<br /><br />I let people know my book can be ordered through their favorite local bookstore, but it's unlikely to be stocked.<br /><br />Peg Brantleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04906858123466177508noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-33980739252435676362012-09-20T11:40:59.716-07:002012-09-20T11:40:59.716-07:00You've just outlined with facts and figures ex...You've just outlined with facts and figures exactly what I've thought intuitively. Many thanks, Jen, for a fine post.Judith Yates Borgerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05989317858819225597noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-73386093903796330472012-09-20T09:14:17.457-07:002012-09-20T09:14:17.457-07:00Super post. I come at this from different angles. ...Super post. I come at this from different angles. I work for a small children's book publisher and we print environmentally which is a whole different conundrum. The books come out in e-book format first. If it's proven popular, or if it requires a print run (like a title highly requested by libraries and schools), then we walk that path. On a personal level, e-book is the way to go to get content into the market place. I'm a reader - I love all books including e-books - so the e-book first model is the way I would go personally as well. Having said all that, I've discovered something very intriguing with an e-book short story collection I created with some writing pals. It takes three rounds of online promotion and intermittent free Kindle books, to build good sales volume on a title. Three months to sell at the $2.99 price point. I also think the more books you have in print, the more sales will be generated overall. It's all so darn-near fascinating! ;) Isn't it great how many options we now have? It wasn't like this 30 years ago when I was a book rep.Danihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14471919576687777886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-61392327575605566142012-09-20T08:20:00.977-07:002012-09-20T08:20:00.977-07:00As a reader, I like both my Kindle for e-books and...As a reader, I like both my Kindle for e-books and my print books, so I buy both. I especially prefer print for all the craft of writing books I buy, so I can write in them and underline and flag pages easier. So I'd better make my craft e-books available in print, too, one of these days. Even for novels, I still like holding a print version in my hands. But I much prefer the price of e-books! And of course getting e-books on sale and free is another bonus to owning a Kindle! Also, it's much easier to do a search on Amazon and buy a book with one click, than to drive to a bookstore and spend hours wandering around to see what's on the shelves.Jodie Rennerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17180607353893233389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-64092001991380097392012-09-20T08:12:55.482-07:002012-09-20T08:12:55.482-07:00Jen, my novel is available in print but I get very...Jen, my novel is available in print but I get very few sales from that. The majority (99%) by far is ebook. However, I have chosen also not to focus on bookstore distribution either, Like L.J. I do keep some in stock for GoodReads giveaways and award submissions and in-person events. Bottom line is that I also make more on my ebook than print. Yet, in talking to people in person they ask if its available in paperback. True, many people still do not have ereaders. I focus on ebook but have print available. I'd love to hear from others on this! DonnaGalantihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16936331145444649588noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-23862170146555731262012-09-20T08:01:41.398-07:002012-09-20T08:01:41.398-07:00Great post, Jen! Personally I haven't even tri...Great post, Jen! Personally I haven't even tried getting my printed book into the indies, I've been so busy writing in the morning and trying to do social networking in the afternoon. And I've only printed one of my books. So far there have been very few sales of it on Amazon and B&N online, but what I find is that they generate ebook sales of both my books when I do Goodreads giveaways with the printed books.Susan Russo Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08018163056646911698noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-38107227121056169802012-09-20T07:44:49.213-07:002012-09-20T07:44:49.213-07:00Thanks so much, Jodie! I'm a big fan of everyo...Thanks so much, Jodie! I'm a big fan of everyone on the roster here at CFC, so I'm thrilled to be a part of it today! <br />Jen Bloodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17750979789472540108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-25023181365688445722012-09-20T07:40:26.262-07:002012-09-20T07:40:26.262-07:00Thanks for weighing in, Darcy - It's always go...Thanks for weighing in, Darcy - It's always good to hear from fellow indies who are making a go of it in the woolly world of bookstores. I think particularly here in Maine, there continues to be a fairly good market for print books - particularly those with a regional slant. MATINICUS is a great example of that (though the mystery is one any fan of the genre would appreciate, regardless of where they hail from!) Jen Bloodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17750979789472540108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-40328231839747166772012-09-20T07:32:11.209-07:002012-09-20T07:32:11.209-07:00I'm thrilled to be here, LJ! It's always i...I'm thrilled to be here, LJ! It's always interesting to hear other authors' takes on the print/e-book debate -- I have to admit, I was surprised to find so many authors who still embrace print books (and so many readers still lobbying for them!) I'll be very curious to hear how things shift for you once the new versions hit the market. Jen Bloodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17750979789472540108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-33788467752824629052012-09-20T07:13:17.698-07:002012-09-20T07:13:17.698-07:00Welcome to CFC, Jen! And thanks for sharing your w...Welcome to CFC, Jen! And thanks for sharing your wealth of information on both print and e-book publishing with us. You've given me a lot to think about for my own writing and publishing, and I'll be sending my writer clients here to benefit from your expertise.Jodie Rennerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17180607353893233389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-1160355718563391102012-09-20T07:05:56.695-07:002012-09-20T07:05:56.695-07:00Great post, Jen.
There really is so much to thin...Great post, Jen. <br /><br />There really is so much to think about when it comes to publishing. I think it's great that you're sharing your experience and thoughts with others.LisaRaynshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04428882153015927678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-77086378872391977462012-09-20T06:54:34.302-07:002012-09-20T06:54:34.302-07:00Great post, Jen. Thanks for the thoughtful and tho...Great post, Jen. Thanks for the thoughtful and thorough examination of the subject. Personally, I opted out of a contract with a traditional publisher for my recently published mystery, "Matinicus," when the firm's business model changed from a combination of softcovers and e-books to strictly e-books. There are simply too many people out there who still prefer "tree" books and I felt it unwise to decrease my potential readership by going that route. Sales of the book, which I published independently and in both formats through Maine Authors Publishing (which has a distribution arm to handle book store sales so I don't have to), are split pretty evenly between the two versions. I make almost nothing from the softcover, of course, but until the market shifts considerably further toward e-books, I'll stick with doing both.Darcy Scotthttp://www.darcyscott.netnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4954486699810607306.post-3517900284088163512012-09-20T06:20:26.459-07:002012-09-20T06:20:26.459-07:00Great information to share. Thanks for blogging wi...Great information to share. Thanks for blogging with us, Jen.<br /><br />Personally, I gave up on bookstores long ago. Too much time and almost no payoff. But my novels are available in print through CreateSpace, and I do a couple of local events each year where I sell quite a few. But I do those events mostly to meet readers in person.<br /><br />Once T&M publishes its new versions, I expect my print sales to increase, especially in other markets like the UK, and maybe even libraries. L.J. Sellershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10213491074676394406noreply@blogger.com