Kindle Review – Kindle Fire Review, Kindle 4 Review

The recent power struggle between Amazon and Macmillan has also shed light on the contrast in priorities of Published Authors and Independent Authors. 

Published Authors and Independent Authors are on opposite sides of the fence

Let’s start off with what Publishing was before eReaders and eBooks began to chip at the walls.

1. Publishers were the gatekeepers – keeping out the unwashed self-published authors and letting in the chosen few authors that Publishers felt were good enough.
2. Publishers were also the recommenders – telling the illiterate masses of readers what they should read and what is good for them.
3. Authors that had been chosen by Publishers had numerous advantages over self-published authors - being displayed in stores, marketing budgets, lower costs due to economies of scale, and Publishers’ experience with books.  
4. Self-Published authors, in addition to the disadvantages above, had little credibility. In fact being self-published was interpreted to mean ‘bad’, ‘low quality’ and ‘unpolished’. 

It’s easy to focus on Publishers and talk about how they are threatened by the democratization of Publishing - Published Authors are in just as much danger.

Published Authors had unfair advantages over Indie Authors

The Difference between Indie Authors and Published Authors was artificially accentuated

The Published Author whose work was 75/100 started off just 5 points above the Independent Author who was 70/100.

After that point the difference kept getting accentuated -

1. The Published Author could focus more time on writing and got help from editors and more - Suddenly his work was 85/100.
2. Publishers added polish – a bonus 5 points.  
3. Suddenly the Published Author was at 90/100 and the Independent Author was at 70/100. 

Some self-published authors were able to figure out how to get to 85 themselves – perhaps even 90. However, they couldn’t really reach customers.

The difference in reaching customers and selling books was also artificially magnified -

1. Published Authors had Publishers marketing their work, getting their books reviews, getting them newspaper coverage.
2. Their books went through distributors and were available in tens of thousands of stores.
3. They had their books produced in mass – reducing costs.
4. Publishers were buying store promotions and more.
5. They could charge more money on the basis of expected quality.

That meant it was a very, very unfair fight. The occasional 85/100 or 90/100 self-published novel was fighting with one hand tied behind its back.

Why The Fight is Now Tilting in favor of Indie Authors

Independent Authors getting a shot is bad, bad news for Published Authors

The difference between a published author and a self-published author has suddenly started to diminish.

1. Indie Authors can sell to anyone in the world now.  
2. Economies of scale just don’t matter as much. 
3. There are lots of ways to do free and cheap marketing – blogs, twitter, Facebook, social networks, forums.
4. There are people who will review books for free and promote indie titles. 
5. Readers can quickly and easily tell other readers about a good book.
6. Reviews quickly show readers that an indie title is very good.

Basically, the Internet started the process of levelling the playing field.

In the last two years the growing numbers of eBooks and eReaders has continued the levelling of the playing field -

1. eReader owners view books as just pages in a wireless store. That means an indie author is on almost equal footing as a Published Author. 
2. It’s not like a store where indie authors can’t get any shelf space.
3. eBooks cost next to nothing to produce (contrary to what Publishers might claim about formatting and format costs).  
4. Readers are the gatekeepers – their reviews and their purchases are what other readers get to see. 

Perhaps the biggest factor is that self-published authors can fight on price and also use free and/or cheap as marketing.

1. Free is better marketing than flyers or in-store posters. 
2. A 90/100 published book at $10 can’t compete with a 85/100 indie title for $1. 
3. As indie authors make money (and with 70% royalties they will) they’ll be able to focus more time on writing and start producing more and more 90/100 books.

That dials in an even more powerful force – readers.

1. Readers want to promote the best books – according to what they feel, not what Publishers tell them to feel.
2. Readers want to reward authors – not publishers, not middle-men.
3. Most of all readers want the power to decide – they pay the money and that means they should be making the calls.

The playing field is very close to level. Publishers and Published Authors just don’t realize it yet.

As if it isn’t bad enough that Published authors are losing their advantages they are also stacking up disadvantages.

Advantages Indie Authors Have

Published authors face certain disadvantages when competing with Indie authors -

1. Indie authors have nothing to lose. If they lose they’re back at square one – well, they already are at square one.
2. Published Authors are wedded to Publishers. That’s 10 different disadvantages in one.
3. When Publishers push $15 Indie Authors are going to push $1 - Being priced 15 times higher is one heck of a competitive disadvantage.
4. Indie Authors can go wild with free books and $2 offers since they don’t have to make money. Published Authors have to fund Publishers and Publishers’ inefficiencies and Publishers’ failures.
5. For Indie Authors being read is enough.

It should be incredibly scary to Published Authors that their competitors would be happy just to have their books read. Add on the fact that Indie Authors have a lot of pricing freedom and that they have absolutely nothing to lose and you almost feel sorry for Published Authors.

The top 5% of Published Authors are going to make out like bandits – The remaining are going to get eaten alive.

Published Authors would benefit if Publishers manage to kill the eBook Revolution

It might be a terrible thing to drag into the sunlight – However, Published Authors are better off if Publishers stay gatekeepers.

Published authors have already proven themselves - they’re the known gems in an uncertain Publishing world.

It’s hard to expect them to do what’s best for customers and for reading because it hurts their own best interests.

The Mythical Upside for Published Authors

There is this myth that we’ll be in a world where -

1. Piracy goes down and Prices go up.  
2. eBooks kill the used book market and sharing of books.  
3. Published Authors continue to be the sole choice.  
4. Publishers continue to be gatekeepers.

A lot of authors who are published are under this illusion. That’s why they want to fight on the side of Publishers.

They think they can suddenly be getting double the royalties and continue to have little competition.

The Very Real Downside for Published Authors

Truth is we’ve already reached the eBook tipping point.

That means publishing is going to be democratized one way or the other.

1. Published authors will have to compete with $1 books.  
2. There will be indie authors happy to sell books for $1 and $2 and $3 and get 70% of royalties.
3. The Big 6 Publishers will have to fight with legions of scrappy, hungry indie authors.  
4. eReaders and eBooks and Internet will continue to grow and reduce the advantage Publishers have.  

It’s going to lead to big changes -

1. Published authors are going to see their sales go down as Publishers jack up their book prices.
2. They are also going to see both the quality and quantity of indie titles increase – at prices that are 10-20% of published authors’ books.
3. Published Authors will end up fighting alongside Publishers – a losing fight no matter how you look at it.

Published Authors are in trouble no matter what happens. By siding with Publishers they are giving their direct competitors (indie authors) a big, huge advantage – the support of customers.

Readers will only support authors that are pro-customer. The other authors either won’t be read or won’t be paid.

Filed under: thoughts Tagged: | independent vs published, reality for authors