OLD POST ALERT! This is an older post and although you might find some useful tips, any technical or publishing information is likely to be out of date. Please click on Start Here on the menu bar above to find links to my most useful articles, videos and podcast. Thanks and happy writing! β Joanna Penn
This has got to be the moment.
Ebook sales have been steadily growing over the last 2 years and those of us readers who converted early are almost entirely ebook consumers now.
For authors, the global ebook sales market has meant we can sell direct to customers and every month receive a cheque from Amazon. We can log on and see our sales by the hour. It has been life changing for me and so many others.
But ebooks have been far from mainstream. Until now.
These new Kindle devices change everything.
Β Amazon has unveiled a new family of Kindles including one at the magic price of $79. This is what happened with the iPod when the price came down low enough that it was a no-brainer purchase. Those people who had been on the fence about new-fangled digital music went out and got one, just to see what the fuss was about. I was one of those people (with the ipod) and it hasn't left my side since.When did you switch to digital music?
I was one of the first people in Australia to buy the Kindle when it (finally) become available. I converted to 90% ebook reading within weeks and the number of books I bought at least trebled. I am unashamedly an Amazon fan but this is a massively exciting development for any author who can see what's round the corner.
These new Kindles will ship in October and November. There will be many of them in Christmas stockings and ebook sales go up over Christmas because people have time to read, and of course, play with their new gadgets.
So what does this mean for you?
- If you don't have a Kindle yet and you are a writer or want to be. Get off the fence and buy one of these (affiliate). Experience for yourself what the digital revolution means. Even if you still love the smell of a new book, there are millions of people converting to ebooks and you want to sell to them. You are not your market. You have to see this to believe it.
- If you are a writer with a back-list that you have the rights to, get your conversion sorted before the Christmas rush and then publish your ebook on the Kindle. This will show you how to do it. Seriously, you are late already and you will miss out on sales.
- If you are an author with one book that's selling well on the Kindle, write some more books. I need to take this advice right now!
- If you are a traditionally published author and your publisher has not put your book on the Kindle with global rights, then go see an IP lawyer and see what you can do to get the rights back or ask the publisher to get your books up there. It's not rocket science.
Trust the market
People want to read. They want to find books that will inspire them, entertain them, educate them, take them out of their world for just a few minutes. These book lovers are people like me. I devour Kindle books. I download samples several times a day. My biggest entertainment expense is ebooks. I love reading. Chances are, so do you, and so do millions of readers. Maybe they will like your book. But they won't find it unless it's on the Kindle platform.
I'm sure there will be the usual lamentation that this attitude will flood the market with more self-published books of bad quality, but I trust the market. I am a heavy Kindle user. I am the market. I always download a sample unless I trust the author. I always delete the sample and don't buy if the formatting is bad or if the book is not enjoyable or useful. I only buy books that pass this sample test. I go by reader recommendations and how many stars there are. I buy based on recommendations from my friends on twitter. Crap books with crap covers do not sell. They don't rank on the bestseller list. They do not get recommendations.
Stop with the excuses about why you think ebooks will fail, or how they are destroying publishing. Enough already.
This is no longer the future. This is right now. You need to act.
Image source: Business Insider
Austin Briggs says
Wow, you’re fast, Joanna.
I “almost” bought myself a Kindle in September, but stopped at the last moment. Glad I did π will go for Kindle Touch now.
You’re so right. The excitement around e-book market is growing. I had a few folks only this week telling me that they’re just about to buy a Kindle.
I just pray that the fellow writers stop, think and edit the hell out of their books before rushing to publish.
Joanna Penn says
ooh yes, Kindle touch looks good! I had just replaced my 2 year old with a new one a few months ago and am almost looking forward to the next incarnation. Most people who pick up a Kindle touch the screen so it seems like a great evolution.
on the publishing thing, as I said above, it still needs to be a good market. Kindle users are ruthless with deleting samples, so bad editing will get picked up quickly.
Noel Grace says
Thank you Joanna, I already have 6 books on kindle and is in the process to put a 7 th up in days. T
Joanna Penn says
I’m jealous π in a good way. That’s where I need to get to but it’s going to take some time. My 2nd is only in first draft, but I feel very happy that it’s all heading in the right direction and more confident that sales will grow. I’m also waiting for India to explode with uptake based on lower initial price.
Stan Dubin says
Hi Joanna, I’m a pretty new subscriber here. A couple of thoughts on this post. I was going to make a wise crack about your “biggest entertainment expense” comment until I remembered I also have a Kindle filled with samples and books. And I recently tried to loan a couple of my paperbacks to a friend and he said, “no way, it’s Kindle from this point forward for me.” This guy usually reads a couple of books a week.
I agree the price point on the Kindle is a big deal. I think the willingness to convert to eBooks is going to climb faster with a $79 Kindle. I’m just not sure it’ll be meteoric. iPods and music delivery was and is different. The digital medium of delivery for music made tons of people instant converts. There wasn’t an appreciable segment saying, “Oh, I just love my CDs too much.”
I sense conversions are just not happening as dramatically with the iPad or the Kindle. Some, perhaps a good percentage, are having instant conversions, but I don’t sense it’s a overwhelming as it was (and is) with music.
Joanna Penn says
Hi Stan, thanks for your comment, I always appreciate new people leaving their mark! Perhaps I have been living this for 2 years now and seen the rise and rise but no tipping point, and this feels like a tipping point! I may well be wrong, but the excitement in the community is tangible. I am all about sharing passion so thought I would put myself out there with this post.
I also think this is not the last drop in price – $79 this year – will it be free with subscription model next year? What about a $20 Kindle? so even if it’s not this Christmas, it’s got to be soon.
Thanks so much, Joanna
Stan Dubin says
Hi Joanna, I think it’s great that you’re passionate about eBooks. I’ve loved eBooks from way back before there were any readers and all we had was PDF or even “doc” versions of a book. We’ve come a long way since then!
Well, I have mixed feelings about this. I didn’t mind leaving CDs behind and having all of my music on my computer, iPod, iPhone. But, as much as I love my Kindle, I still buy books and love reading them the old-fashioned way.
20-30 years from now, printed books may no longer be a viable option for most publishers. Wow, would that be a strange thing.
Doug Greene says
Cool that you published this so quickly!
I couldn’t agree with you more … ebooks ARE the future, and they’re here now.
I bought a Kindle about six months ago. Nice as it is, I have a few caveats …
* Novels and “linear books” (where you read from cover to cover) are GREAT on the Kindle – It remembers where you last read to, etc.
* How To and Reference books are inferior on the Kindle – I bought several books where I need to quickly jump around from one section to another. In my experience, these books are MUCH more difficult to navigate than their paper counterparts. Amazon and/ or Apple (though I have tried out iBook yet, maybe it’s better) needs to come up with a much better way to “jump around” a book on a screen.
In both cases where I bought the Kindle book first (Strength for Life – a workout book) and The Essential Guide to Getting Your Book Published (a reference/ how-to book), I got so frustrated with the Kindle experience that I bought the paper versions. Only rarely do I reference the Kindle versions of these.
Hopefully Amazon and Apple will address these (what I consider to be) very serious shortcomings.
~Doug
Joanna Penn says
Hi Doug,
They have improved things every release so this will have to be addressed. Do you have the Kindle DX which I believe was designed for reference books/ the academic market?
I had read that California was switching to using Kindles for textbooks so this must be being looked at. I have found that as long as the books have a linked table of contents, it works ok and my husband has his coding books on Kindle app for PC at work and loves it – instant reference library on the go.
But I do see your point. I do buy mainly narrative fiction, business books etc.
Belinda Pollard says
I agree with your point, Doug, navigation in what I will loosely refer to as jump-around books is a pest. I’ve only had my Kindle two months, so I’m hoping I might get better at it in time. One thing they really need is a Table of Contents button. Too many steps to get to it. Plus in a jump-around book, the first thing that comes up needs to be the Table of Contents, not page 1, I reckon.
Marie says
Like Austin, I was just about to order a Kindle a couple of weeks ago. But I thought about other things I could spend that money on and held off. However, at $79, I just might jump in there. Just as you said, Johanna, I have to see for myself what it’s all about.
Besides, I have watched sales of physical books on my websites plummet over time. I don’t expect that trend to change. It’s time for me to get a Kindle in order to keep up with my readers.
Joanna Penn says
Great Marie! I’m so glad you’re taking the plunge and you won’t regret it. I have had authors who haven’t even looked at what their book looks like on the Kindle. There are formatting errors they didn’t know about. That’s one angle .. then there is the endless pleasure of reading π
Richard says
I was skeptical about Ereaders at first. Then I bought a Kindle to evaluate and have been impressed ever since. My wife was impressed, too, and bought a Nook Touch. My eldest son liked the Nook Touch and so we bought him one.
When I found out about the Fire I was again skeptical. I see iPads so often handed to kids to play simple games on. But the Fire, at $199, might be a worthwhile gadget. The big question on my mind is whether it will read only Kindle format books or, being Android-based, will it run the Nook reader too? I’m sure the same issues of battery drain, eye-strain, and bright-lights will apply to Fire, but the price and thus far reported functionality might be enough to offset the inherent shortcomings. We shall see. π
Joanna Penn says
we shall indeed see – the price is amazing considering the ipad is $1000 (Aussie dollar when I bought one)
I’m hoping this price point will win over the final scepticism – although England is a very negative country about these types of things. We’ll see how it plays out.
Tom Evans says
What a great time to be an author !! A true golden age for publishing and sharing knowledge and edutainment π
Joanna Penn says
sure is π
DL Morrese says
I got my Kindle in January and was skeptical. I downloaded some free ebooks and got around to reading the first one a couple months later. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by how well it works. I still have a soft spot for paper but economics and selection will ensure the dominance of ebooks in the future. Why pay $20 or more for a book when you can get so many great ones for under $3 (or often under $1) for the Kindle?
Joanna Penn says
I’m glad you’re a convert DL – once you’re used to it, I think people really switch. Paper books become used for another purpose e.g. for longevity, or reference, or for best loved, or art.
DL Morrese says
Coincidentally, I was talking to my son the rocket scientist (literally) last night. He was adamant that ebooks were a fad and would never supplant paper books. I think he’s wrong about this but I was surprised by his level of distaste for the idea of ebooks. I have several friends with similar attitudes but I figured that was because they were old poops like me. Interesting. I may need to publish paper versions of my stuff even though the cost I’d have to charge disturbs me.
Lisa says
This is amazing . . . figures I just bought a kindle this summer because I grew tired of waiting for them to catch up with the nook. The touch screen is the way to go and if you’ve got a book to publish then there’s no better way to “test” out your market.
I didn’t think I’d like reading on the kindle, but have found it quite enjoyable.
Joanna Penn says
Thanks Lisa – I think many people think it will hurt the eyes etc but it is so much better than an iPad – and it’s a purely reading device which is awesome for readers! I want a touchscreen as well now – my gadget desire is rising π
Calee says
I am beyond excited at this announcement. Did you know the Wall Street Journal is expecting 4-5 million Kindle Fire tablets (the color one) to sell before the year ends? That doesn’t even count the $79 version.
As a writer and a publisher of children’s books, I’ve felt a little left out in the last few months. Kids books simply didn’t have a chance at the bestseller charts because the device wasn’t there. Now it is and we are ready with 2 (almost 4) of my own books and 3 others by an amazing author/illustrator. We’ve got another dozen projects in the queue for 2012. Yay Kindle!
Joanna Penn says
wow! Calee, that’s amazing, a dozen projects waiting for the right device. You must be stoked that this is taking off. It feels like the last 2 years of waiting is paying off, and being on the crest of the wave… exciting times, I wish you all the best for your books.
Elisa Michelle says
Honestly, at that price there’s no reason not to get a Kindle. I mean, really. I’ve always wanted one but have been unsure about it because of price. Now I might just hint to my husband that I want one of these new Kindles for Christmas. Or an iPad, haha.
Joanna Penn says
leave the ipad, get the Kindle π you can have 10 for the price of an ipad! Better get him to buy it now, I think the virtual queues will be long!
Kristen James says
Awesome post, Joanna. I’ve had my Kindle a while now and love it – I don’t mind that I paid more for it earlier. It’s still well worth the higher price. I have seven books and a short story on Kindle and I’m so excited over the growth in ebook sales. I’ve watched my Kindle sales triple every month and now the holiday season is right around the corner. The new Kindle, at this time, is huge!
Joanna Penn says
I’m so happy everyone is as excited as me. I was kind of expecting some negative comments but it seems the zeitgeist really is positive (and I have a marvellous audience!) I’ve had my kindle for a few years as well and don’t regret it at all. I may well buy them as presents now with that price too.
DL Morrese says
Another great thing about the Kindle is that you can reread all of those out of print ‘classics’ you loved as a child. I started with “Little Fuzzy” by H. Beam Piper. It was FREE. That led me to more books that traditional publishers don’t produce. There is a lot of great stuff out there. The reading world is changing.
Joanna Penn says
yes, my step-Mum took about 50 classics, including the great Russians that take you into excess luggage, all for free. She was stoked on the beach this summer!
Rob F. says
Oof. Oof oof oof. I’m tempted to bounce up to $99 for a Kindle Touch, but I need to actually have the money first.
Time to start working on paying freelance gigs…
David Gaughran says
Hey Joanna,
Nice post – highlighting the positives.
The techies will probably moan about the spec etc. , but that misses the point. Content is going to sell these devices, that and the fact that nobody can match the retail experience of Amazon’s site.
I’ve been talking to some friends. Anyone who was on the fence about getting a Kindle, or even e-books in general, is picking up one of these. Not only that, one of my friends who recently swore blind that he would never read an e-book, is thinking, “hey, it’s only $79”.
Amazon realize that the next wave of e-reader owners aren’t those with poor eyesight that were struggling with the price, poor selection, lack of availability, and weight of large print books, or the early adopters to whom spec is so important, it’s the kind of customer to whom price and content selection trump all other considerations.
Out of the group I have spoken with, they all have different favorites – and that’s one of the strengths of Amazon’s line-up. You want cheap? You want touch? You want a keyboard? You want no ads? You want 3G? Or maybe you want a device that does more. Amazon has it covered with essentially eleven different devices now (if you count all the options).
They will sell millions and millions of these – mostly to new entrants who will gobble up e-books like there is no tomorrow.
Roll on Christmas!
Dave
Joanna Penn says
Thanks Dave (and I love your site!)
I’m so glad you have friends who are saying that already – the full selection isn’t available in the UK but the US market is still the big one. But the fence sitting has to be over. I am also thinking of India and other english speaking markets that are just waiting for a lower price point. Roll on Christmas indeed!
David Gaughran says
Thanks Joanna,
And it’s not just English speaking markets. One thing I noticed from the product pages is that, for the first time, Kindle users will be able to set their default language in UK English, German, French, Spanish, Italian and Brazilian Portuguese. I think that gives us a clear indication of which Kindle Stores are opening next (and that they will probably do so before the next generation of Kindles are launched).
The $79 reader really makes it affordable in a lot of European countries where the cost of living and wages are a lot lower than the US: Germany, Spain, France, Italy etc. At the moment, bar the UK and Germany, even the $79 reader is pretty expensive once taxes, shipping, and import duties are added. But once the Kindle Store launches in each of those countries, that price will drop dramatically and the markets will pop.
Even though the German Kindle Store has been open since May, Amazon were still shipping the device there with English language menus and instructions which drove the locals crazy (and stopped many buying). Glad to see that is resolved at last.
Dave
Susan in the Boonies says
I’m very excited about the way this is going to push Apple into being more competitive. Game on, I say! Things are looking up for the consumer!
Joanna Penn says
Susan – excellent point – as we are consumers as well as writers. It is generally a brilliant time π
Dean from Australia says
I was admittedly one of those authors who was a little skeptical of the digital revolution. But, I am thoroughly convinced now. Connecting with readers directly is the most important thing a writer can acheive now and I am certainly happier for that.
Joanna Penn says
Hi Dean, hell yeah! It’s so rewarding connecting directly with readers as well. I’m glad you’re a convert.
Margaret Adams says
What an interesting update. Yes, e-books really are serious books these days and with the Kindle price coming down there will be even more of them around soon. Thank you for bringing all this information together.
Jacqui says
This news could not be better. Content is everything and soon we’ll not have to explain why we publish ebooks and only ebooks. We’re just following the readers π and the lower price makes it really easy for readers to make the transition.
Great post Joanna!
Joanna Penn says
Thanks Jacqui – I am starting with ebook only for Prophecy and will do a print book – for vanity reasons, not for sales! My Mum likes to have a copy on her shelf, but personally I am now more enamoured of the sales π
Belinda Pollard says
“Even if you still love the smell of a new book, there are millions of people converting to ebooks and you want to sell to them. You are not your market.”
YESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYESYES
Thank you, Joanna, for injecting a little sanity into the debate. π
Joanna Penn says
I’m glad you agree Belinda – unfortunately, there’s no arguing with a lot of people on this. But I think even they will succumb in the next 6-18 months. I waiting for my Dad to crumble as he is very old school on the print book!
Belinda Pollard says
I like the tactile experience of paper myself, despite the Kindle beside my bed. On the sitcom The Middle the other night, the 9 year old boy Brick was frantic when told to surf the internet instead of going to the library. “But I like books!” he wailed, holding out his hands in front of him and twitching his fingers. “I like the feel of paper in my hands!”
Heck, even sitcom writers are making fun of me now. (I laughed, sure, but in an outraged kind of way. π )
But hey, I want to share my words with everyone who likes to read, no matter how they like to read – not just people like me. Ebooks, here we come!