Forum Moderators: not2easy
After 13 years of experimenting, veteran Net publisher Adam Engst has finally stumbled on a good business model -- fast-turnaround e-books.Since last fall, Engst has published a series of rapidly produced e-books using a system he calls "extreme publishing."
The books are written by a small stable of independent authors, who receive 50 percent royalties, a rate unheard of in traditional publishing. Edited collaboratively over the Net, the books are published "within moments of going to press" as small, downloadable PDF files.
Full article can be found here [wired.com]
The article goes on to say that part of the success lies in the books being extremely timely (tech manuals), the product is a PDF file that is easy to print, and he's got a solid list of customers he knows will be interested in them.
Very interesting. I know this could go in the ecommerce forum, too, but since it's mainly content-focused, I thought people over here would appreciate it more.
I'm especially intrigued that his writers are making 50% royalties. That's very interesting indeed!
E-publishing seems to be one of those things that everyone knows will be Really Big, but has yet to capture the imagination of actual book buyers. I like the idea, particularly for targeted tech manuals for which immediate delivery might be a plus.
One of the things holding this industry back, I think, has been good reading options. Most people don't like to read stuff on their computer monitor, at least for extended periods of time. And so far, dedicated reader options have been awkward and expensive. As crude as paper is, the form factors of a paperback book or a newspaper have yet to be duplicated (or improved upon). I read news on my PDA, but I'm scrolling almost continuously due to the tiny screen. When someone comes up with a reader that folds to pocket size but has a large, bright screen that displays at least a full page of text, watch out... I hope Steve Jobs is working on it, 'cause I'm ready. ;)
I agree. I took a class this summer and one of the textbooks was a .PDF file. At first, I thought, "Great! I don't have to buy a big cranky book!" And then I realized I'd have to print the thing anyway because it was too hard to read online. So it became more of a pain (and probably more expensive, considering ink and paper) than it would have been to just buy it in book form to start with.
But not until printing becomes dirt cheap...
Until we have paper thin computer screens that can be un-rolled like a newspaper, the physical interaction between words, letters, and reading is not going to make the transition into the digital publishing world. It is this physical interaction, holding a book, high-lighting text, making comments in page margins, feeling the texture of that page, these are all integral in the reading experience. Displaying and publishing on a computer screen creates a barrier between the reader and content. This is why, in many ways traditional publishers do have a valid argument in terms of author royalties, without the physical medium of a book or magazine, the reading experience is completely different.
There are CMS out there that have modules for collaborative authoring - what a great idea!
More and more schools are going to e-reserves, e-books, e-articles ... I wonder what proportion of kids are reading things online (or on laptop/desktop/handheld) versus printing them out. Are they being forced into it, or are they taking to it because they're more used to things online?
If they're having an easier time, then there's your market right there.
It's a nice royalty rate but if the book only sells a few hundred copies, then the author's earnings aren't all that great.
