This is one of those circular arguments so bear with me.
Authors, in an effort to increase sales of their books moved to finding ways to give readers another way of purchasing books other than going to the local bookstore. I fully get this. Technology is great this way. If I need a book by a specific author or in a specific research area, I can do this from the comfort of my own home and in my bunny slippers. The book can be shipped to me and life goes on as normal. But there is a downfall to all of this.
Now, as an author, those people who used to "browse" the bookstore and would have found your book can no longer do that. They may have gone to the bookstore to find a book on Humbolt Squid and happened to stumble across your book. We don't stumble on those now. Even with the search engines, when you look for a book, the server will often provide you other books in that same area "people who bought this also bought..." Finding something outside of the genre is not going to happen.
The effect of this on the author is significant. Now, to be noticed, your story has to be AMAZING. Editors have to love it to such a level that they make sure the book sellers are promoting it on their lists. Magazines have to see this as such a "break out novel" that they feature it in the articles. Mid-listers are now going to struggle even more.
Now, we take this to a new level. This is part of the reason why publishers are sticking with their current authors more than loking at those new authors. They know people will find their names. They know what to expect. Readers can find them. Those new authors become just impossible to place.
I want to stress that this is probably the biggest change we are seeing right now in publishing. It isn't the fact that we see the e-reader technology taking over, but a change in the way the readers are finding the books. Just remember though. This happened not so much because of the publishers, but the authors changing their game plans.
Scott
Maybe it's early, but I'm not seeing how that is author-driven unless you're referring to those who decided to self-(re)publish their back-lists.
ReplyDeleteBut in general I agree that trading serendipity for e-access is a poor bargain.
Very interesting. I've never thought of it that way, but you're absolutely right. Usually, online, you're seeking out a specific title; if you're in the book store browsing you're much more likely to stumble upon a book you would've never come across online. Wonder if there's a way to create that same type of atmosphere on the web?
ReplyDeleteBookstores, local cafes and gift shops with real souvenirs - just a few of the things the next generation may never see.
ReplyDeleteI don't quite see the connection either. So you're saying the reason publishers aren't risking new authors as often is because the writers' changed their game plan? I think you're going to have to expand a bit further.
ReplyDeleteSomething to think about for sure. Like me, I am assuming a lot of people didn't even think of this. I can't tell you how many times I've been in a bookstore and added one, two or three books to my pile that I wouldn't have even known about except for browsing the shelves.
ReplyDeleteI get what you're saying Scott, and it certainly has some merit. However, I've recently downloaded some ebooks from authors I hadn't ever heard of before that I otherwise wouldn't have come across. These were well-written stories that would have stood toe to toe with ones in the book stores and I'd definitely look for these authors other books. In talking to friends, family, etc., more and more people are looking into purchasing or have already purchased ereaders or are downloading books onto PCs, iphones, smart phones, etc.. Here are some of the reasons they've given: ebooks offer the flexibility of dipping into a story whenever the moment strikes -no matter where you are, you don't have to tote around a solid book(s), and when you've finished reading, you don't have to wonder what to do with it, where to shelve it or gather them up to take to a used book store. Correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't ebooks available worldwide? Readers anywhere in the world can have access, which is great for those with overseas family or friends, or who wish to expand beyond borders. Just some thoughts.
ReplyDelete@Debbie, I'm in the US, but what I've read from some international readers, there are barriers to being able to access e-books if you're overseas. The Australia/NZ crowd, from what I've seen, has been most put out.
ReplyDeleteInteresting Deb. I'm in Canada and wasn't sure what the boundaries are. I know we pick up ebooks and authors all the time from our "sister" country, the US, but it's good to understand the limits. I guess it would be a fair question of an agent or publisher (e or otherwise) about this. I have family and friends in England and Denmark who would want to be able to access my books and promote on that side of the pond. Than you for sharing.
ReplyDelete@Debbie, NAFTA has certainly been useful for some things ;-)
ReplyDeleteAnd here I thought it was all Amazon.com's fault. I totally agree that the way readers are finding books has changed, but I'm not sure you can make the claim that it is hurting the midlist authors, other than for the fact the publishers haven't figured out how to work in the new reality yet. In the old reality, a customer walks through a bookstore and a cover happens to catch his eye. In the new reality, a customer is surfing the web and happens to see a link to a book, he follows the link, clicks buy and within a few seconds he has a copy on his Kindle.
ReplyDeleteSo the question is how do we get people to talk about a book on a website. Reviews are largely ignored since they are essentially ads. What we would rather see is someone just mention that the book said something about the subject they're talking about. That increases the chance of a sale because the people reading that webpage are interested in the subject. But people don't like mentioning things people already know. People are more likely to mention a midlist book that they see as obscure than a highly promoted book. Therefore, we can make the argument that the midlist authors will be helped by the new reality.