The Weekend Cometh...

It's finally Friday. In Arizona, it is too hot to be outdoors for long, which makes it a good time to read. Lots of people have electronic readers or apps for their phones to read ebooks.

The general consensus in the publishing industry is that money can be made from ebooks. Of course, the details of how to make money from ebooks varies from source to source.

Cactus Rain Publishing does not offer ebooks. The current ebook climate is too disorganized, in my opinion. In some cases the ebook isn't stored permanently on the eReader, so there is a second fee to "download" it again. Some systems store the ebooks in "your" library on the retailer's server, which reminds me of paying to borrow a library book.

The readers are totally cool. There are tons of options of handheld devices to chose from for those loving gadgets. I think there is something else coming once we cycle through the "more of the same" phase and someone comes up with a new idea.

I'm working on something that I think makes ebooks actually work better for the [human] reader. This project has been in the works for four years. There are all kinds of technical issues, non-disclosure agreements, patent processes, and of course, the big one - funding.

In a nutshell, [whoops, nope, I can't write that on the internet and have someone with more money than me - nearly anyone you can think of who has a hand in ebook delivery - take my project and keep it for their device only].

The main point is, Cactus Rain may eventually offer ebooks in a new design, but for now, we are stuck with good 'ol printed books.

Cactus Rain eBooks

It isn't likely that Cactus Rain will publish eBooks. Once the book has been transformed into eBook format, the cost is relatively low from there on out. So why is there a price war on Amazon with several large publishers and Kindle books?

Like I wrote in the previous post, books are the product that pays the company expenses. So eBooks have to pay for the staff, furniture for the staff, electricity and everything else used to run a business so the eBook can be produced. The whole idea of being in business is to turn a profit. Publishers generally are not charity enterprises.

Remember way back when video formats came out with VHS and BetaMax? Every government office I worked in had a video machine and they were all Beta. The cassettes were not interchangeable. At least the new BluRay machines will play the old DVDs.

While we embrace technology in many ways there is still an awe associated to my 100+ year old books on my bookshelf. There is something about the aging leather cover, the vivid lithograph pictures, and the print - typeset, mind you - on the page that no StarTrek technology can emulate.

Social media, eBooks, phone apps, all of it is fun...but does it deliver a lasting product? Will anyone run the tips of their fingers over an eReader in a hundred years?

I have a resource for the authors who want their books eFormated and distributed. However, every time I've given in to peer pressure the results have disappointed me. Mostly I've been disappointed that I didn't stand on my convictions. I always come back to the thought that it was The Emperor's New Clothes. (If you don't know that children's story, go buy the book. Don't borrow it, you need a copy to keep.)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/7734166/The-majority-of-Britons-are-still-wedded-to-CDs-DVDs-and-books.html

If it wasn't late, I'd draw the Cactus Rain logo cactus with an eReader...just for this post.

eBook Expert

By now most people have figured out that I try to gather and pass on industry info, in addition to the off the top of my head gabbing found on random days at First Draft. I know people are busy and this industry is like a room full of toddlers, there is a lot going on. Catching up from a beginning writers' point is time consuming. It is a bit like herding cats -- not all that easy. Thus, if you can wade through all the other jabber-walkie, First Draft is the preliminary stuff before the intro -- prologue? (Have I misnamed my blog?)

One thing for sure, I'm the least knowledgeable 'authority' on eBooks. My books are not available as eBooks. The closest I come to making an eBook is the pdf of my newsletter. I'm pragmatic about the pirating issue for eBooks, as you will be once your book is published (if you are a beginning writer). There is that 'green' thing about eBooks that makes me fall off my chair laughing. I have enough university science credits - from my nursing studies prior to switching study to social work -- to know that whole line of thinking is a bunch of hoowie. In some respects, they are kinda green, but not really-really green. They are the future, or some form of it though.

(I'm doing an anti-resume thing here, in case you were wondering.)

A couple of weeks back, I did post a link to a resource that reviewed the (more than you'd think) list of eReaders. I thought some of them looked and sounded (in the reviews) cool. It isn't in my budget to buy them or to get somewhere I could explore them side-by-side. And there is that old BETA vs VHS thing going on with the formatting (yes, I know of the resource that will produce eBooks in several formats).

The real issue for me, besides I worked hard to earn the ability to read a book, is that reading eBooks is starting over - they are difficult for me to read. It shouldn't seem that way considering the amount of time I read my computer monitor, but I take lots of breaks. It is frustrating for me to take the breaks necessary when reading digital content of a book. Short articles, no problem. Long texts, big problem. I do better with a printed book.

Nonetheless, I think it is important for readers and writers to glimpse info about the digital book conversation in the industry. Therefore, here are some links to bring you up to speed, if you aren't already way ahead of me.

The links in brief:
A big time author sells his digital rights to Amazon, thus separating his print rights from digital rights (and his print publisher). The thing here to keep in mind is that one large publisher is trying to retroactively claim digital rights to its backlist books that are pre-digital era. There is a big discussion going around about this. At the same time, another large publisher is delaying the release of digital books on selected new books. A bit less of a discussion going on about this, but it is still out there. There was some valid mention of the need and ability to market both in a joint fashion so both feed off each other. So the question needs to be considered, before you sign your first publishing contract, where do you stand on the digital rights of your promising ms. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/media/article6962676.ece

This link just drives home the fact that most midlist books have a short shelf life in the bookstore. It says eBooks live forever (they must not have a bunch of files stored on the huge floppy disks -- or the old punch cards -- that they are never going to be able to retrieve, but can't throw them out). Nothing new, but thought this was nicely written.
http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/society-and-culture/shelved-in-a-bookstore-for-now-or-in-cyberspace-forever-20091219-l6kh.html

This one has me back to thinking on the format issue. Interesting and informative, even though a bit techy-talk. Read the comment section too.
http://bookseller-association.blogspot.com/2009/12/who-is-most-powerful-digital-technology.html

In the previous article, I didn't know what DRM was, so I looked it up. If you don't know, here is the link. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_rights_management

OMGosh! Did you hear about this? http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/12/23/amazon_kindle_hacked

Wow, it feels like I've just written a public service announcement. It might be a boring post, but I've done worse. Do ck out the links. There will be a pop quiz next week. (kidding)

eBooks

It is no secret that I'm not all that into eBooks. For one thing, it took me years to learn to read and I took lots of mean spirited teasing in the process.

I want a book, a real one. I like the feel of a book in my fingers, or resting against my chest as I curl up with it -- lost in the writer's world between the pages. I like the smell of the crisp yellowed pages of the 100+ year old books I own. I like the wonder when I open the proof copy of one of my books.

eBooks don't do anything for me. I can't hand write notes in the margin and draw a line to the print that spawned the idea. My laptop doesn't fit in my purse. I won't spend the money for an eReader (though they all look really cool). The readers don't have a universal file type - remember BETA vs VHS, and now Blu-ray? That pirating thing really hacks me off - bet they cheated in school too. Okay, the pirating thing is my biggest issue.

And don't give me that GREEN business. I've been recycling for years. Our recycling bin is always twice as full as our trash bin - try that with a family of five.

The ebook might be digital, but it took energy to produce it on a computer, most servers are on regular energy (iPower hosts on green servers), and don't think the satellites were launched into orbit without using just a bit (okay a whole lot) of energy -- including the lights on inside the sat companies where all those smart people work. Even reading on a phone or PDA isn't all that green, if not on satellites, they are sending the signal from towers that were smelt in factories...blah, blah, blah.

But mostly, I set out to publish a book, not a digital file...and I am so not with the times on this at all.

I've said this green stuff before and I only dare do it again while Carolyn Howard-Johnson isn't looking. But here is an expert: http://www.ringgold.com/UKSG/si_pd.cfm?Pid=10&Articleid=5018&XSection=Business&issueno=208

http://technology.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/tech_and_web/article6925926.ece

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2009/nov/20/filesharing-crackdown

and a great overview of eBook readers -- really cool: http://www.engadget.com/2009/11/16/engadgets-holiday-gift-guide-e-book-readers/?icid=mainhtmlws-main-ndl1link3http%3A%2F%2Fwww.engadget.com%2F2009%2F11%2F16%2Fengadgets-holiday-gift-guide-e-book-readers%2F

I forgot to say, there was no compensation for this post.

Peer Pressure

One of the things that was important to me as a parent was that my boys, who were often referred to as the Laman litter, were individuals. The good thing about having three same sex kids in three and a half years was they often shared interests in activities and toys, so they played well together. Yet I wanted them to see themselves as individuals and to explore their own interests.

I encouraged them to assess situations and think for themselves long before the curse of peer pressure set in once they were in school. The other benefit was that they would think on their own when the drug and drinking phase arrived for their age group. That worked swimmingly.

One thing about the indie section of the publishing industry is the peer pressure. Yes, there are certain things that every writer should do and blah, blah, blah... There are other things that writers should know, then decide on their own if the items apply to their goals - letting no one pressure them to do otherwise.

From the beginning of my writing career, I've been pressured to conform. I can imagine how less mouthy people fare. It is confusing to know who to listen to and who to flip off.

There are well know reviewers who skim a book or don't read it at all then write something that tips off the author, like in a review of Jen's books (the reviewer switched cancer for a stroke) and for KB someone said she was a lawyer??? There are others, and if you don't know who they are now - you will learn, who tear down competitors. Think carefully about the integrity of the people out there shouting the loudest, they won't treat you any better than they are treating everyone else.

This is just like any other business, common sense goes a long ways and so does knowing the rules of the industry. New people in any industry are obliged to learn the rules. Read industry news from a variety of sources, as well as understand that some of the articles are more marketing than informational.

The big 'must do' item is e-Books. The most often answer to "Why?" is that everyone is doing it. Actually the large publishers only recently began to release some of their titles in e-format.

One writer said (link below), "I would expect 20 percent of book sales to be digital by 2014." For the 'in' thing to do, I would have expected to read a higher number. Not that statistics are a deciding factor for me. But one thing that article did do, after I waded through it, was to point to the fact that not 'everyone' is on the e-book band wagon if only 20% of sales will be e-formatted books in five years.

The point is, no one knows better what is best for your book. Seek good counsel. Then think for yourself and don't let peer pressure be your guiding force.

http://jeanninegarsee.blogspot.com/2009/09/paul-goldschmidt-strikes-again.html
http://edition.cnn.com/2009/TECH/09/14/ebooks.ereaders

eBooks, again...

You know how I hate to say anything controversial. (Go ahead, roll your eyes and laugh your butt right out of that chair - I deserve no less of a response.)

Daddy-O (hubby) was on this green kick and started using #3 lead pencils. While the wood is easily a renewal resource, there is likely a petroleum component to the paint - even if it is synthetic, the use of a (maybe not recycled) metal, and who knows what is in that eraser - but we told him about the graphite. So while some things are green-ish, they may not actually be green.

Same goes for eBooks. Granted, there's no paper (a renewable resource) and there is no use of energy to print a paper book, and hardly anyone uses soy ink in mass printing (okay, I don't know of anyone, but leaving that door open for now).

eBooks are more greenish than green. They aren't just written on scratch paper and 'poof' they appear, there is the energy consumption of several computers involved (and servers - that are plugged into an energy source constantly) - one to write the thing, and one to buy the thing and download it (and to process the payment all the way to the bank).

No, I didn't forget that some eBook readers download without a computer (on the buyer's end). They still involve servers and computers on the retailer's end of the transaction, even if delivery is by satellite, there are computers somewhere in that food chain, sucking energy. Not to mention (I wouldn't be so cruel) that those satellites didn't just hop into orbit, non-renewable resources put them there.

So if the eBook is read on a reader rather than a computer, how is the battery going to be disposed ... and how was that reader (and battery) made without consuming non-renewable resources? They don't exactly use soy ink either. (Yeah, I know - I'm a real pain sometimes.)

I've never hidden the fact that I'm not an eBook fan. Not that it is news, but this is why I'm not crazy about them: 1) I don't find them handy nor do I want them on my hard drive; 2) eBook readers are: a) expensive; b) not universally formatted; c) technology that is over priced and rapidly outdates (Sony's new reader is about $100 less than Kindle); 3) there is a question about putting ISBNs on them, which is only a tracking or routing number for retail, but should be used - IMO; 4) and don't try to tell me that a phone is a reader, you have bought into some real razzamatazz advertising on that one; 5) most of the time with readers, you don't actually own the book, you sort of own access to it through a digital library (remember Kindle and 1984 last week?); 6) they are way too easy to pirate and turn into a printed book by someone without the right to do so. Shall I go on? There is more, but for now ... that is more than eBook fans want to hear.

Guess what, I'm actually not opposed to digital books, but this is not the answer - mark my word on that.

Well there ya go, Dr. Kramner, rest in peace -- I did pay attention in social policy class (both levels of it) and did learn to evaluate written and 'common law' policies. TaDa!

eBooks: A return to the Dark Ages

What? How can that be a true statement? eBooks are digital. They are SoOooOOoooOo StarTrek.

The technology to pdf a file has been around for decades. Because the Kindle I and II and to infinity, Sony Reader, and tons of lesser known digital readers (and the 'widgets' to make your cell phone a book reader) are new, doesn't mean book readers are new. There have been text-to-speech (and speech-to-text) software around for a long time for visually impaired persons. (Kindle II can 'read' aloud, but some publishers disable that feature for their books.)

There are arguments (and fears) the eBook will replace printed books (yet we are thrilled with an archeological find of a Sanskrit tablet - not a worry). There are the green arguments of saving trees, a renewable resource (the chemicals and waste products of printing are much more the worry). There is the gray area of pulping books. Certainly that is better than burning them. It is recycling in a sense. The bigger mantle of pulping is it is a tribute to someone who made a bad business decision (maybe we should toss them some stimulus money for their creative greed). Printed books (fiction) can have a bookstore shelf life of only six weeks. Digital books will be around long after we are bored with them.

Why do you think the six largest publishers in New York City were not the first to go digital with their books en masse? It wasn't fear of losing printed books and it wasn't lack of funds or digital readers. Rupert Murdoch may annoy some, but he is not a fool. These publishers learned from the pirating of digital music and digital movies. Pirating books is big business in some counties - a business ignored by their governments (I have two theories for that - never mind).

I'm not in a rush to digitalize my books into eBooks. I'm not afraid of technology. I had a digital business card a few years ago and NO ONE knew what to do with it, so don't call me old school - I'm way ahead of most people.

Here is why I think eBooks are (currently) a return to the Dark Ages. Think for a moment about the skill of reading in the Dark Ages. Do you think Irish peasants were huddled around the night fire reading after a long day of tilling the rocky fields for the landowner? Where does illiteracy stand in the world today? What about today's poor?

eBooks are elitist. I don't mind that the wealthy have tons of things that I do not. But I do not have Alan Greenspan's belief in the Reaganomic trickle-down theory (crumbs are not a meal). I have yet to hear of one person donating lots of NEW computers or eBook readers (both with eBooks) to homeless shelters, much less hand one to someone who lives on the street because there are NOT enough beds in all the shelters combined to house all the people without a bed tonight.

For those who wish to replace print books with digital books it is a warp-drive reversion to the Dark Ages where only the rich could read and only the rich had access to books. It is a reversal of what Johannes Gutenberg gave civilization in 1440. Civilized society extends further than individual wealth.

Will I ever convert my books to a digital format? Yes. There is already something in the works on that. But it is not elitist. While I am a writer, and make no mistake about that, I am a social worker and see things from a 'people' perspective outside of how inexpensive it is to make eBooks and cash-in more than with printed books. I am a writer, and writers are storytellers. The audience's access should exclude no one.

Anyone (seriously) willing to pay my patent expenses may contact me, then you will see my books in digital form sooner. Until then, buy my printed books - so I can afford the patent and fund the R&D.


StarTrek, Kindle, Sony Reader are all trademarked. I don't know how to put the symbol into blogger posts.

If you have even slightly paid attention to the publishing industry news during the last decade, you know this stuff. If you have no clue what I'm talking about (where have you been???) start here: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/12/technology/internet/12digital.html?_r=3&hp and here http://www.boingboing.net/2009/04/15/if-you-lose-your-ama.html