Paper Books or eBooks? From the Publisher and Reader Perspective

[Braivo]

This post was prompted by a discussion in the LSW thread. Rather than go OT over there I will start one here.

In the LSW thread @iacas makes a quick reference to why he chose to only release LSW in paperback form:

Quote:

Let me know how you solve piracy, the tactile feel of a book, someone getting 30+% of the sale, NO knowledge of your customers, etc. Also as you know the books all get different ISBNs, too.

I am halfway through a book called Let's Get Digital:How to Self Publish, and Why You Should by David Gaughran. Gaughran goes into great detail on each of the issues you mention here. I highly recommend you give it a read if you haven't already. Additionally, Write. Publish. Repeat. by Sean Platt and Johnny B. Truant covers even more of the why and how of the digital marketplace.

I am entering the self-publishing arena myself and feel that not going on Amazon limits my reach significantly. However, I like the idea of having complete control of my content and keeping 100% of proceeds.

@iacas I'd be interested to hear some more detail as to why you made the choice to stay off Amazon? It seems as though the cut they take would be well worth it for the increases sales volume.

As a reader I personally prefer paperback books to digital books. I also prefer to buy both through Amazon.

[turtleback]

I do the vast majority of my (pretty extensive) reading on a Kindle.  That said, I would agree with the decision to not issue LSW as an e-book, but, as a reader, not for the reasons @iacas lists.

IMO kIndles are great for pleasure reading and for light informational reading.  And for those like me, who like to read classics, it makes a lot of my reading completely free other than the cost of the kindle itself, since the classics are public domain and there are many ways to get them for free including, increasingly, on Amazon itself.

Where they do NOT shine is in books that rely to any degree on graphics and books that are more reference type books where you would want to be able to flip through the book looking for info.  I do not want my billiards books nor something like LSW in kindle format because it would make the information much more difficult to access than the paper versions.  I never thought e-readers were a good choice for textbooks either, for many of the same reasons.

[No Mulligans]

My kindle can change the font size but not the size of graphics, tables, etc.  I've asked for and gotten refunds for books where the tables were too small to read.  I then bought hard copies of those books.

[iacas]

The graphics were one concern. Amazon or Apple taking a cut was another concern.

People aren't going to stick their Kindle in their golf bag. They could stick their paper book in their golf bag, take it to the range, etc.

Amazon takes a bigger cut than you seem to realize, and requires some up-front stuff, etc. Under various pricing schemes they also can determine your pricing FOR you, etc.

Plus, a paper book is easier to share.

PLUS, I've spent my life building digital things. I liked creating a physical product. My first, actually.

PLUS AGAIN, we sold LSW to Medicus so that they could begin marketing it, and they play a role in deciding what formats to release the book on.

I gave you a short answer before, but there are many, many reasons. We looked into it and decided against going digital.

I've said before I own a lot of books. Some are physical. Some are eBooks. I'm close to Rich in how and where the separation line exists.

[Braivo]

Where they do NOT shine is in books that rely to any degree on graphics and books that are more reference type books where you would want to be able to flip through the book looking for info.  I do not want my billiards books nor something like LSW in kindle format because it would make the information much more difficult to access than the paper versions.  I never thought e-readers were a good choice for textbooks either, for many of the same reasons.

Agreed. Even if it was available I would not have bought LSW in digital format. I like to flip directly to certain sections depending on what I need to work on or refresh my memory with. This is a compelling reason not offer a digital version.

Studies have also shown that people consistently comprehend less of what they read in an ebook vs. the paper version. They believe much of this comes from the brain's ability to create mental "bookmarks" in a physical book, where you can instinctively know right about where something was based on the depth of the book. Fascinating.

For this reason I rarely use my kindle for non-fiction reference type books. If I am looking to learn something from it I will get it in paperback. For fiction stories the kindle is just fine.

The graphics were one concern. Amazon or Apple taking a cut was another concern.

People aren't going to stick their Kindle in their golf bag. They could stick their paper book in their golf bag, take it to the range, etc.

Amazon takes a bigger cut than you seem to realize, and requires some up-front stuff, etc. Under various pricing schemes they also can determine your pricing FOR you, etc.

Plus, a paper book is easier to share.

PLUS, I've spent my life building digital things. I liked creating a physical product. My first, actually.

PLUS AGAIN, we sold LSW to Medicus so that they could begin marketing it, and they play a role in deciding what formats to release the book on.

I gave you a short answer before, but there are many, many reasons. We looked into it and decided against going digital.

I've said before I own a lot of books. Some are physical. Some are eBooks. I'm close to Rich in how and where the separation line exists.

This is helpful. Most of what I've been reading sings the praises of using Amazon. It is good to hear an alternative argument.

As an aspiring author trying to reach as many readers as possible I may need to go with Amazon. Building a reader base prior to launch could allow a different path.

As far as Amazon's cut, I am aware of the 30% cut on ebooks priced $2.99-$9.99. That seems reasonable given their tremendous reach. Is there something else I am missing? I'd imagine it gets more complicated with physical book sales. My focus, initially, is purely digital.

[isukgolf]

Novels I read strictly on ebooks ... and I love my ebooks Reference type books, I need on paper, mainly so I can go to different pages to back reference, etc ... ebooks don't lend themselves to that requirement for me.

[newtogolf]

Other than LSW, I don't buy paper books as a general rule.  I'm not by any means an environmentalist but I don't see the point in killing trees when I can read something on my iPad.  You don't require proper light to read a book on an iPad (great for reading in bed while wife is sleeping) and I don't have to worry about throwing away or donating the books when I'm done.

[dkolo]

Other than LSW, I don't buy paper books as a general rule.  I'm not by any means an environmentalist but I don't see the point in killing trees when I can read something on my iPad.  You don't require proper light to read a book on an iPad (great for reading in bed while wife is sleeping) and I don't have to worry about throwing away or donating the books when I'm done.

Reading books on my iPad has absolutely ruined the experience of dealing with paper. I also disagree with the points made elsewhere in the thread; I'd never put a book in my golf bag but I have my phone with all me books on me everywhere.

[iacas]

Reading books on my iPad has absolutely ruined the experience of dealing with paper. I also disagree with the points made elsewhere in the thread; I'd never put a book in my golf bag but I have my phone with all me books on me everywhere.

That's not disagreeing with the points. That's disagreeing with one point. Do you loan your phone to other people so that they can read books on it? :-P

[Braivo]

I keep LSW in my golf bag. I also loan several of my weightlifting and other hobby books to friends all of the time. Paper really comes in handy for this.

[dkolo]

That's not disagreeing with the points. That's disagreeing with one point. Do you loan your phone to other people so that they can read books on it? :-P

Haha, well I suppose there were some other issues too. But while I won't share my phone, I've linked the iTunes accounts of everyone in the house so any purchases are available to everyone here. Anyway, I understand your perspective as an IP owner. Epubs can be shared between people freely, but then it gets online and can be available to anyone who knows how to google it. So it's a balancing of interests / goals on your part.

[Big C]

I prefer paper books by a landslide, but I will admit that my reasoning is a bit quirky. Ever since my son was born, I've been conscious of trying to minimize my screen time when around him. Whether that's on a phone, ipad or computer, the last thing I want is for him to grow up seeing daddy with his face buried in screen of some sort. Reading is reading, regardless of the medium, but I'd rather him get used to seeing his parents reading hard copy books.

I also find it easier to "read myself to sleep" with hard copy books. Anytime after 10pm, I'll usually be knocked out cold within 20 minutes of reading a hard copy books. But if I bring a tablet into bed, I can easily spend an hour or more before I shut it off. I've been told the light that emits off a screen has something to do with that, but I'm not entirely sure.

[ZappyAd]

People aren't going to stick their Kindle in their golf bag. They could stick their paper book in their golf bag, take it to the range, etc.

Of course everyone's different but I'm reading Faldo's book on my kindle at the moment and definitely take it to the range (my kindle is smaller than the hardcover edition). Plus I also have it on my phone which I always have on the range and the course (for the gps) Some kindle books are very badly formatted but this particular one seems pretty well laid out. Using it on my phone also has the benefit of being able to access the videos linked to from the text which makes it very useful on the range to be able to see Faldo showing me what to practice. For swing and technique topics I really like the benefit of what an app style book can deliver.

[Missouri Swede]

Do you loan your phone to other people so that they can read books on it?

You can lend Kindle books to other people.  (Although I'm not real happy with the restrictions:  one-time loan, 14 day limit)

[iacas]

You can lend Kindle books to other people.  (Although I'm not real happy with the restrictions:  one-time loan, 14 day limit)

Right, what I meant by that was that nobody really seems to do that. And only supported books allow you to do it.

[newtogolf]

Right, what I meant by that was that nobody really seems to do that. And only supported books allow you to do it.

As an author do you really want people to loan books to friends versus buying a book from you?

[ZappyAd]

As an author do you really want people to loan books to friends versus buying a book from you?

If they borrow it, like it and then buy it themselves then maybe. It might work more for instructional books rather than novels but i would say I've bought books this way.

[iacas]

As an author do you really want people to loan books to friends versus buying a book from you?

LSW is not the type of book most people seem to "read once and never again." The book is good, IMO, and they'll want their own copy so they can refer back to it whenever they want.

Besides, if the person keeps the book, the original loaner might need to buy another copy for himself or herself. :)