To print or to publish electronically, that is the question.
Indie authors have so many choices. They can publish an ebook simultaneously with a printed edition. They can choose a large print run, a small one, or do print-on-demand (POD). They can sell print books on their own, or use warehouses and distributors. They can forgo the ebook and stick to print, or they can release a book electronically.
Oftentimes, when writers who are choosing to self-publish, picking how they are going to present their book, they make the choice based on cost: ebooks are cheaper than printed books, since they only need to be designed, not manufactured and stored.
However, this is a big decision, and upfront cost is not a good deciding factor for how to present your content.
Ebooks aren’t necessarily the best choice for your book.
In fact, if they’re your only format, they can harm your book sales by not reaching the right audience. For instance, Wise Ink has an author who has written a wonderful piece—just a few thousand words—that makes an excellent gift book.
What do you think of when you hear the words gift book? It’s not something you put on your Kindle or nook, is it? No. You’re probably envisioning a small, squarish book with images and only a few words per page.
Because of the content and purpose of a gift book book, our author would be doing her work a disservice to publish only an ebook. She will put one out, of course, since she has a sizable and active online following, but it’s the physical copies that will earn her sales, and therefore, she is planning on a bigger print run.
Her book is the kind of book you’d find at a little gift shop, it’s aesthetically appealing and heartfelt enough for a relative or friend to buy and give to the intended reader, perhaps in a sweetly-wrapped package.
In our author’s case, her book deserves a printed edition, and the chances of earning back her investment is increased by choosing the appropriate publishing formats.
However, there are some cases when printing a physical book is not a requirement for your project. If you’re a romance writer, for instance, or an author of a self-help or how-to book focused on technology (and thus may require several editions), primarily focusing on ebooks are the way to go.
For romance writers, your readership moves from book to book faster than any other audience, and so your content should be available instantly, especially on platforms that facilitate sharing and recommendations.
If you’re a nonfiction author, specifically of memoirs or self-help, make your book available on multiple devices, so your work is accessible on-the-go. Consider uploading your book to Scribd.com or Wattpad.com in addition to standard ebook platforms.
We generally suggest that authors weigh both a physical and ebook. Even with a small print run you can accomplish things that an ebook only run might not. You should have multiple pathways to success.
The ugly truth: some readers will never read ebooks, and vice versa.
Ultimately, you’ll get better results if you narrow your energies and provide what your audience is looking for.
So you tell us. What format best accommodates your audience? Why?
This is very interesting. I’m writing a novel and I can see it having a strong e-book presence, but because there is a visual context to everything, illustrations would work really well. I can also see a graphic novel component working for short stories in between. I guess the closest way to relate to it, though it isn’t in that genre, is the epic fantasy. Do those tend to work better on e-platforms, which are sometimes only black and white, or in print?
Epic fantasies tend to do well in digital format, but we’re not sure about graphic novels. Sounds very cool, though! It sounds like it would do better solely through Kindle (Fire) and iPad. Here’s another blogger’s thoughts: http://www.the-digital-reader.com/2012/07/20/a-brief-comparison-of-kindle-nook-and-ibooks-for-graphic-novels/
Good luck!
Given the topic I chose, Alex Haley, author of Roots, the core audience is older and, most likely, less comfortable reading on an electronic device. As a result, I should have (and still can) provided an option to purchase a hard copy. Due to a limited budget (I would’ve had to pay an additional fee for the licensed cover photo & book formatting) and time, I opted not to offer it. Sometime in the near future, I may provide a hard copy with an expanded edition. We’ll see.
Great post ladies.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Adam! We agree with you that it would be helpful for your audience to have books in print, but we do see many older audiences using e-readers nowadays. E-books are also a great way to test the market and “get it out there” without the large up-front investment that print books can be.