Paperback Writer
It���s strange how the world changes without you even noticing. Five years ago when KATY CARTER WANTS A HERO was published very little was said about ebooks and ebook rights - they were tagged onto the deal as a little extra and it was all about the paperback deal. I don���t think I���d even seen an e reader or knew anybody who used one. Fast forward to 2016 and the opposite is true - it���s all about the ebooks.
I love paperbacks and I was always one of those people who swore I didn���t want a Kindle. I love the smell of books and the feel of holding one in my hands. I feel a big wave of joy when I see them on my shelf and nothing beats the weight on an unread book in a carrier bag.
Then I moved to Grand Cayman and suddenly buying books by the authors I love wasn���t quite so easy. My friend, the Cool Rev, came to visit and brought me a gift - a Kindle. At first I was skeptical and protested but when the new Sophie Kinsella came out I was persuaded to give it a try.
It was a revelation. Not only was my Kindle waterproofed (I could read in the bath/pool/sea without turning my books to paper mache) but I could read all night too without waking up my other half. The downside was that it was suddenly far too easy to download books at the click of a mouse and I���ve probably made Jeff Bezos even richer by purchasing far too many.
The rest is history. I am now a Kindle convert and what I���ve come to realise is that reading is still reading; only the delivery method has changed. People were probably alarmed when hand written manuscripts were threatened by the printing press, but they still read. Where would Chaucer have been without it? Probably a frustrated civil servant dreaming of being a writer - a little like lots of indie authors.
As for my own books? When I look at my sales figures it���s pretty clear where the market is heading. With days that run into sales of thousands probably only 2% of sales are paperbacks. My traditional deals with Hachette, Pan Mac, Avon etc included paperbacks but the book shops can only stock limited amounts of these as space is finite. A virtual bookshelf is infinite which means ebooks are never out of print or stock. Since publishing independently with Notting Hill Press I have concentrated on ebook sales but I know that lots of my readers would love a paperback copy. My mum is also keen!
It���s taken a bit of work, negotiation and planning but all my novels should be available in paperback by Easter, which is very exciting. The proofs of DEAD ROMANTIC arrived today which was wonderful and I keep looking at them on my shelf - tangible evidence of all those hours of working! They will be stocked locally and also available online.
The next job is to think about audio books!
I love paperbacks and I was always one of those people who swore I didn���t want a Kindle. I love the smell of books and the feel of holding one in my hands. I feel a big wave of joy when I see them on my shelf and nothing beats the weight on an unread book in a carrier bag.
Then I moved to Grand Cayman and suddenly buying books by the authors I love wasn���t quite so easy. My friend, the Cool Rev, came to visit and brought me a gift - a Kindle. At first I was skeptical and protested but when the new Sophie Kinsella came out I was persuaded to give it a try.
It was a revelation. Not only was my Kindle waterproofed (I could read in the bath/pool/sea without turning my books to paper mache) but I could read all night too without waking up my other half. The downside was that it was suddenly far too easy to download books at the click of a mouse and I���ve probably made Jeff Bezos even richer by purchasing far too many.
The rest is history. I am now a Kindle convert and what I���ve come to realise is that reading is still reading; only the delivery method has changed. People were probably alarmed when hand written manuscripts were threatened by the printing press, but they still read. Where would Chaucer have been without it? Probably a frustrated civil servant dreaming of being a writer - a little like lots of indie authors.
As for my own books? When I look at my sales figures it���s pretty clear where the market is heading. With days that run into sales of thousands probably only 2% of sales are paperbacks. My traditional deals with Hachette, Pan Mac, Avon etc included paperbacks but the book shops can only stock limited amounts of these as space is finite. A virtual bookshelf is infinite which means ebooks are never out of print or stock. Since publishing independently with Notting Hill Press I have concentrated on ebook sales but I know that lots of my readers would love a paperback copy. My mum is also keen!
It���s taken a bit of work, negotiation and planning but all my novels should be available in paperback by Easter, which is very exciting. The proofs of DEAD ROMANTIC arrived today which was wonderful and I keep looking at them on my shelf - tangible evidence of all those hours of working! They will be stocked locally and also available online.
The next job is to think about audio books!
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