Andy Holloman – Dad, Writer, Goofball

The whole “what do I charge for my book” thing is a debate that will rage on forever. (just as it did ever since the first book was printed)  Ultimately, the market will end up deciding what consumers  will pay for eBooks, not us writers.  Today you can get my novel for free, thanks to the KDP Select program, which allows me to offer my work at no cost to readers for a few days each three months.  At the same time, superstar writers like Larson, King, Cussler, etc. are selling their eBook titles for prices that are the same as the softcover version.  What gives?

Bookbuyers rejoice !   The rise of eBooks created a dynamic in the marketplace that is playing out across many, many markets.  What will consumers pay for digital content when there are competing choices that cost nothing.  Just look at the music biz.  A decade or more ago, no one could have imagined that music stores would be almost non-existent in 2012.  Artists and music publishers had a true “cost of goods sold” on their profit and loss statement.  There had to be a physical product created in order for end users to “consume” the product – a CD  (and before that, something really bizarre, a vinyl LP, but I’m showing my age).   That is not the case now.  Digital music files are free all over the place.  Itunes changed the dynamics of the biz by offering singles for .99, and now it is the biggest seller of music.   Artists give away samples of their music to entice listeners to buy more.   No doubt there are a gazillion more options out there for free music from all types of artists that previously had very little chance of getting their product out into the world.  All hail the mighty consumer.

And the same process is playing out in the world of book publishing.  Let me say it from the highest mountaintop that I am the furthest thing from a industry expert that could exist in the publishing world.  Take my comments for exactly what they’re worth – very little.  So now eBooks, because they can be replicated for zero cost, can easily be given away for free.  That opportunity, the chance that a newbie writer could get their product out in the world to thousands of potential readers, is tremendous.  I’m not having to pay for the printing of physical books and incur this risk and then give them away in the hopes that it will be a good investment.  All I have to do is push a few buttons and Amazon does the rest.  Then potential readers grab a free copy, and maybe they’ll read it.  But maybe they won’t.  Either way, I’ve gotten my work out there with no risk.  Count me as a winner and a big fan of the new world of publishing.