New Concepts in Book Publishing

There have been several stories of late on National Public Radio's Morning Edition about various aspects of the changing publishing world.  This morning the focus was on alternate publishing technology.

Read or listen at A Novel Approach: Free Books For Donations

The Concord Free Press was started by Stone Finch, an author with books published by traditional publishing houses who found his latest book stirred no interest in that quarter.  He decided to try what he calls "a revolutionary experiment"  in publishing.  Taking advantage of the lower cost  of publishing digital books, Concord Free Press offers free books with a request that readers make a donation to an organization or person who needs the money.  The experiment seems to be working, as so far $142,000 has been registered as donations to a wide variety of causes.  Authors are happy too.  One author interviewed reported over 3000 downloads of one of his books.  I don't know about you, but 3000 people reading my books would make me pretty damn happy.

Finch does not think all books should be free.  he just wants to see what happens when a press like his asks for charitable donations in lieu of profits.  He also feels that a dying book publishing industry that is so resistant to ebooks and similar innovations needs to start thinking "outside the box".  He wants to explore some of those innovations.

The thing is for authors, given current stats and trends, assuming you can find a publisher willing to take a chance on your work, no matter how brilliant, it is unlikely that you will make any money through traditional publishing.  More than half of all books published not only do not make any  money, they actually lose it.  If the goal is to get people to read books, making it as easy and attractive to them as possible.  Hamilton Fish, former editor of The Nation, whose goal has been to get people to pay for books, was initially outraged that Concord Free Press was giving all their books away.

I have to say that as an author, though I would dearly love to make a few bucks on my writing, having it read by as many people as possible holds far more attraction.    I am personally very pro ebook for at least a half dozen reasons.  To those who lament the loss of the feel of a book in their hands I say "No one is stopping you from buying print books, nor is anyone saying that print books should go away.  The issue is not the materials used but the content of a work, the mind to mind of author and reader.  Further, if libraries and booksellers move to more ebooks, which is happening at Amazon as readers "vote with their pocketbooks", we can hope that reading will be in a reverse swing from recent trends.  Two things I thought about when listening to a story about the Stanford University Engineering Department Library going to more and more digital books is that no longer will a library have to take books off the shelf to add newer ones and the theoretical availability of books for students is unlimited.  I'll throw in my own particular issue, that every single one of the books in that library will be able to be read by print impaired students instructors.  All ebooks can accomplush is more access to more books by a wider and larger range of those who want and need them.

Meanwhile traditional publishers are trying the same thing movbie theaters did back in the 70s when they fought e emerging cable television industry.  They claimed that if people could watch commercial free movies in the comfort of their own homes the theaters would all close.  Clearly that never happened.  Publishers are throwing their own set of fits, demanding that ebooks carry the same price as print in spite of the tiny comparative cost of production, refusing to allow text to speech on their Kindle editions, and generally being real snots about what just can't be bullied.  If people want to carry around a Kindle, iPad or Nook with two dozen books installed, they are simply going to do that.  Wouldn't it be nice if publishers would imitate the photographic film manufacturers, who gracefully recognize the advent of digital cameras and fouud ways to fit into the new paradigm?

What do you think, as a reader, as an author, as a publisher?


Nan Hawthorne is the author of An Involuntary king: A Tale of Anglo Saxon England (2008) which is available in print, on Kindle, and on Smashwords.com .  She makes a 100%discount for servicepersons through Operation eBookrop at Smashwords.com .  Frankly, all anyone has to do is ask and she will seeto it you get a copy of the ebook.  he only asks that you share your thoughts and reactions with her and others, and that you love the character Shannon O'Neill unresevedly.