A Brave, New Digitalized Universe

[Author’s Note: My apologies to everyone, especially to Dawn who graciously allows me to contribute to her blog, for not posting these past several weeks. July and August have been unusually hectic, which has severely limited my blogging. Every weekend in July either I was away (attending the Famous Monsters of Filmland Convention in Indianapolis) or my wife was on the road, which meant I had to babysit all six house rabbits. Add to that Cocoa getting seriously ill and needing surgery (thankfully he bounced back quickly and is fine now), my air conditioner conking out last Sunday (it was not fixed until Wednesday), and having to reviews the proofs for The Vampire Hunters: Vampyrnomicon (which is being published 20 August from Shadowfire Press). Hopefully the chaos is behind me now, and I intend to blog more frequently. Thanks for your patience.]


I had planned on posting a blog this week about how popular horror and science fiction movies are successful because they tap into the national angst. While writing that piece, I came across an article in the 4 August edition of The Wall Street Journal that caught my attention, and which is more relevant to a writer’s blog. So I switched gears mid-week. (On the plus side, I already have next week’s blog almost completed.)

According to The Journal, Barnes & Noble Inc. has put itself up for sale, including its 720 bookstores, after the company experienced a major decline in profits as retail book sales took second place to digitalized media. Barnes & Nobles’ market capitalization was $950 million compared to Amazon.com’s $55 million. (Back in 2001, Barnes & Noble was worth $2.2 billion and Amazon.com $3.6 billion.) This disparity is attributed by Barnes & Noble to the increase in e-book sales, which are growing more rapidly than anticipated, and to Amazon.com tapping into that market with the debut of the Kindle e-reader in November 2007, two years before Barnes & Noble introduced the Nook.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. But what does all this mean for me?”

It means new and aspiring authors have more opportunities now than ever before.

Traditional print publishers have always been cautious about taking on board new talent because of the economic outlays involved in publishing a book. The cost of purchasing the stock, printing and binding, and shipping them to retailers meant that a book would have to sell thousands of copies before the publisher could turn a profit. Because of the uncertainty of whether new authors could sell this many books their first time in print, large publishers would be very particular about whom they contracted with.

The advent of e-books has removed the financial disincentives from publishing. Formatting and saving a novel into a PDF or other format requires minimal economic outlay, making it much easier for publishers to turn a profit with fewer sales (and, hopefully, provide greater royalties to their authors.) Because of the minimal investment at risk, e-publishers are more willing to take a chance on new talent than traditional print publishers, which has given first-time and aspiring authors more opportunity to get published than they have had in the past. Of course, none of this is breaking news for the hundreds of us who have joined the ranks of e-authors.

Along with the increased chances of getting into print, the digital revolution has opened marketing venues that were practically unknown a few years ago. The days of a traditional publicity tour, with an author traveling around the country signing his/her book, are going the way of the hard cover and paperback. It’s not an easy demise for authors to accept. Many writers look forward to meeting their fans and autographing books, and the thought of signings becoming as rare as drive-in movie theaters is depressing. But that does not mean authors have to sit home and do nothing but write.

The digital innovations in publishing have had a similar impact on marketing. Webpages, blogs, and social networking sites (Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, Skype, etc.) have provided authors unprecedented access to readers and have allowed them to build a fan base much easier than in the past. Guest blogging and Internet interviews have offered authors media exposure that once was limited only to the bigger named writers. Virtual book tours are rapidly supplanting traditional book signings.

Even more important, beyond the increased exposure provided by the Internet, there is also an unlimited array of marketing ideas that can grab a reader’s attention and entice them to check out your book. One of my favorites has been the rise of movie-style book trailers for books (check out Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter on YouTube for one of the most attention-grabbing trailers I’ve seen in a while). Other authors have serialized their books on-line, either as a gift to devoted fans or to promote their works (and some authors have actually turned that serialization into a publishing contract, as David Wellington did with Monster Island). Some have sponsored contests for their readers’ benefit, with the prizes ranging from free books and swag to being portrayed as a character in an upcoming novel. The possibilities are endless.

So don’t limit yourself. Digitalized publishing and marketing are the future of the industry, and have opened up a vast new universe for authors. The more innovative and imaginative you are in exploring that universe, the greater your chances of success in this business. Good luck.

[I would be interested in hearing any unique ideas you have come up with to market your e-books. Please feel free to share them with me and your fellow readers here, or if you prefer, e-mail them to me at scottmbakerauthor@Hotmail.com.  If I get enough responses/interest, I might attempt a future set of blog postings on how to best use the Internet to market your e-books and yourself.]