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The Steve Laube Agency

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Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Home » E-Books » Page 2

E-Books

All About E

By Steve Laubeon December 17, 2010
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This was the year of the E word. “E-Books.” The topic replaced the other “e” word…the Economy…as the number one topic among authors, editors, publishers and agents. And the news media reported every nuance with breathless excitement. The iPad, the iPhone4,  the Droid, the avalanche of tablets, the Kindle, the Nook, and a deluge of e-reading devices, all commanded our time and attention.

But the story is not over. In fact 2011 promises to continue this conversation as our industry writhes in chronic pain from its various twists and turns.

Two articles that you should read to help with some year end thoughts….

First, from Dominique Raccah, the CEO of Sourcebooks, very openly talking about the mistakes they made in trying to do a one-day e-book promotional giveaway of their Jane Austen books.  This is evidence of the veritable labyrinth called the e-book marketing and sales world.

I’ve heard authors express their misunderstanding of publishing by saying, “But e-books are easy to sell. Just make the conversion and put it up on Amazon!” But  this CEO’s article should divest you of that thought.

This past Summer I sat through a two hour presentation from Hachette regarding their Digital initiatives. I came away discovering that it is far more complex than I ever realized. And came away very glad that publishers were working hard to maximize both revenue and opportunities for my clients.

Second is an article that will be published in Sunday’s LA Times but the online version released today.  In it David Ulin claims that “E-books are Good News for the Literary World.” Here is a key quote:

The issue is not what we read on, just as the issue is not what we read. The issue is that we read, that we continue to interact with long-form writing; by altering the conditions of the conversation, e-books and e-readers have already served an essential purpose.

Well said. Note that in the article he admits to rarely using e-readers, but that he appreciates and accepts their use.

Thus 2010 added a new letter to our vocabulary. Instead of just the three Rs (readin’, writin’, and ‘rithmatic) we have added an “E.”  Bu wouldn’t that make it ER? (an unfortunately pairing of letters when applied to the state of publishing).

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Category: Book Business, E-Books, Get Published, TrendsTag: Book Business, Digital Books, E-Books, Get Published, Trends

E-Book Buyers Buy More Books

By Steve Laubeon November 18, 2010
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New research by the Book Industry Study Group (BISG) has made some interesting discoveries.

E-book consumers say they are buying more books overall, but fewer in print, and are decreasing their total dollars spent
More than 40% of e-book readers have reduced the number and dollars spent on hardcovers and paperbacks.
Retailers are becoming more important than publishers as a source of …

Read moreE-Book Buyers Buy More Books
Category: Book Business, E-Books, TrendsTag: Book Business, E-Books, Trends

E-Books Redux: Behind the Stats

By Steve Laubeon July 21, 2010
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I had hoped to let yesterday's post put much of my thoughts to rest on the issue of e-books...at least for a while.

But today I came across this article "What Amazon Didn't Say About E-Books" by David Carnoy for CNET. In the article he makes some very strong statements regarding Amazon's claim of reaching a "tipping point" with regard to Kindle sales and its impact on e-book sales.

Do …

Read moreE-Books Redux: Behind the Stats
Category: E-Books, Publishing A-Z, TrendsTag: Digital Books, E-Books, Trends

More E-Book News: Behind the Stats

By Steve Laubeon July 20, 2010
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Today's Wall Street Journal online quotes Amazon.com as saying that ebooks have outsold hardcover books over the last three months.

Additional statistics from that article include: "Amazon sought to suggest that Amazon remains the leading retailer for e-books. The company said that of the 1.14 million James Patterson e-books sold as of July 6, nearly 868,000 were from Amazon." Also, …

Read moreMore E-Book News: Behind the Stats
Category: E-Books, Publishing A-Z, TrendsTag: E-Books, Trends

E-Book Sales: Behind the Stats

By Steve Laubeon July 19, 2010
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There is mixed news with regard to book sales in May of this year. Store sales were down 2.6% but publisher sales were up by 9.8%. Read all the various stats here. Remember these are simply comparison of 2010 monthly numbers with 2009.

The biggest area of growth, percentage-wise, is in e-books (up 162.8%).

But lets look at actual dollars, not percentages.

Publisher sales (according to the …

Read moreE-Book Sales: Behind the Stats
Category: E-Books, Publishing A-Z, TrendsTag: Bookselling, E-Books, Get Published, Trends
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