Business Time: Ebooks are here to stay. Now what?
Hello, my business-savvy Skiffy and Fanty folk. Continuing on the thread of talking about the business side of publishing, I wanted to spend today talking about digital distribution, both generally and more specifically. Ebooks are really new as far as the publishing business is concerned. They’ve been around longer than they’ve been important, and now that they’re important, things have been changing very quickly. Ebooks have gone from 19% of Unit Sales in Science Fiction in 2010 to around 43% by latest reports (my ‘now’ data is from early 2013). And these days, we don’t just read ebooks on e-ink readers or on our computers. We have tablets and mobile phones. I still prefer to read physical books when I can, but I’ve gotten great use out of my e-ink reader, thanks to the fact that it doesn’t contribute as much to eye strain (I spend a *lot* of time looking at glowing screens). Oyster is a ebook service that’s trying to apply the Netflix model to books. For a monthly subscription rate of $9.95, members can read an unlimited selection of the ebooks Oyster has in their library on iPhone and iPad. The selection is currently limited, but only in the way that Netflix’s selection was limited when it
? of the Week: What is the right price for an ebook — to you? (Poll)
The ebook wars have been raging for a few years now, and the result has been a bit muddled. Books have gone from floating around $9.99 to running anywhere from $14.99 to Free. Things likely won’t stabilize anytime soon. That’s why we want to know what price for ebooks is right to you. First, we should set some parameters: For the purposes of this poll, we are only considering *new* ebooks. For the purposes of this poll, we are only concerned with novels. Short stories, novelettes, and novellas can wait for another day. Now for the poll: Feel free to leave a comment if you want to provide a specific price point, or a range that is not available above.
The Skiffy and Fanty Show 16: You Sunk My Battleship with the Kindle, and Other Amusing Stories
http://media.blubrry.com/skiffyandfanty/dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/www.archive.org/download/EpisodeSixteen–YouSunkMyBattleshipWithTheKindleAndOtherAmusing/Sandf–EpisodeSixteen–YouSunkMyBattleshipWithTheKindleAndOtherAmusingStories.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadSubscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Android | iHeartRadio | Podchaser | Podcast Index | Email | TuneIn | Deezer | RSSIt’s time to talk about eBooks, some of our good zombie friends, Suzanne Collins, and the new Battleship movie. Yes, you heard that right. There is going to be a Battleship movie, and it’s going to be a scifi flick. Listen to the show to find out how… So tune in and enjoy! This week’s tagline was created by my dear friend Kelsey (known as Mercy on Young Writers Online). Thanks, Kelsey! Question of the Week: We’re changing it up a little bit. This week we have a question, but we’re giving it to you via a poll. If you’d like to give a more detailed answer to the question, you can email it to skiffyandfanty [at] gmail [dot] com or send us a voicemail at 206-203-1686! You can also leave a comment here or follow us on twitter. We’d love to hear your creative responses! Here’s the episode (show notes are below): Episode Sixteen — Download (MP3) Intro and News (0:00 – 25:15): Suzanne Collins Sells 450,000 Books (in the first two weeks) Harper Collins to Create New Global SF Imprint Universal Dead Movie Rumors Confirmed! Details About the Battleship Movie Rihanna in the Battleship Movie The Main Event: Ebooks — Savior or Curse? (25:16 – 53:57): U.S. Neighborhood Bookstores Thrive in Digital Age The ABCs of E-Reading E-Books Top Hardcovers at Amazon The Best e-Readers Compared: Kindle, Kobo, Nook, and Reader Throw Down E-Book and Self-Publishing E-Books Will Overtake Paperbacks The End: Reading and Writing (53:58 – 59:28) That’s all, folks! See you next time, and thanks for listening.
